An experimental study on application of phase change materials in a portable cabin in Wintertime of Kuwait under Active/Passive cooling

Due to the extremely sweltering weather conditions in Kuwait, residential buildings accounted for 45% of total electricity demand in 2021. To help reduce this demand, phase change material (PCM) was used, and its effectiveness was experimentally investigated. Two identical cabins were constructed at Australian University in Kuwait; one served as the base cabin, while the other was equipped with PCM on all walls and the roof. Both cabins were fitted with 1.5-ton air conditioning systems. The similarity of the two cabins was confirmed by assessing their temperature and power consumption profiles before implementing PCM. Two scenarios were introduced to experimentally examine the passive and active performance of PCM in terms of thermal comfort and energy savings in wintertime in Kuwait. In the first scenario (passive scenario), the air conditioning systems were turned off, and the efficacy of PCM on thermal comfort was assessed through experimental temperature measurements in both cabins during January, February, and March 2024. The cabin with PCM not only remained cooler during the daytime but also stayed warmer during the nighttime. However, the extent of the cabin’s warmth and coolness depended on the amount of PCM gradually added wall by wall. With PCM applied to one wall, the cabin remained 2.75 ◦C cooler during the daytime. Adding PCM to two and three walls subsequently resulted in the indoor temperature being reduced by 3 ◦C and 4.5 ◦C, respectively. When all walls were equipped with PCM, this difference increased to 5 ◦C during the daytime. Furthermore, by adding PCM to the roof, the
indoor temperature of the PCM-enhanced cabin was up to 5.75 ◦C cooler than the base cabin. During the night, the PCM-equipped cabin remained up to 2.75 ◦C warmer than the base cabin. In the second scenario (active scenario), the air conditioning systems were turned on in April to maintain the indoor temperature of both cabins at a setpoint temperature of 20 ◦C. Daily electricity consumption was monitored for both cabins. The results revealed that the PCM-enhanced cabin consumed less energy, saving between 9.8% and 28.9% of daily electricity compared to the base cabin. Overall, the PCM-integrated cabin improved thermal comfort during the winter months of January to March 2024 without using air conditioning and saved 15.9% on electricity consumption compared to the base cabin in April 2024.