Date of Award
12-1-2019
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Mechanical Engineering
First Advisor
Nsofor, Emmanuel
Abstract
Phase Change Materials have been the subject of increased research in modern times. Phase Change Materials, abbreviated as PCMs, are being used in a variety of applications in the energy conservation world. In this study, the effect of PCMs on a residential building’s energy consumption was evaluated at different locations across the United States and compared to the standard building at the same locations. An average American residential building was designed and modeled in SketchUp software. The building was evaluated for energy consumption at different locations across the United States using weather data for each chosen location. After the baseline results were collected, the building was re-evaluated, under the same conditions, with a Heptadecane embedded in the exterior walls as the chosen PCM for this study. The results of this study show that Phase Change Materials have a wide-ranging effect on the energy consumption of the designed building. Addition of the PCM to the building walls decreased total energy usage, over the course of a year, by 3.02 – 6.72%, depending on the location.
Access
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