CFD simulation of the application of the phase change materials (PCM) inside aparked car cabin

Severe thermal discomfort is frequently felt in car cabins left under direct sunlight especially in summer days. This problem not only bothers people inside the car, but also causes excessive fuel consumption and air pollution. PCM units are among pioneer thermal storage systems that are capable of remaining the cabin temperature in desired conditions. In this paper it was firstly shown that the average temperature of the cabin can raise up to 55 ºC under direct sunlight. Then advantages of adding a proper PCM, n-Nonadecane, was investigated. It was shown that 1 kg of the mentioned material has the potential to decrease the cabin temperature about 10 ºC.

Keywords:

PCM , CFD simulation , Thermal analysis