Transient CFD Investigation of Multi-PCM Partitioned Cavity Walls for Enhanced Thermal Regulation in Sustainable Buildings

Abstract

This study numerically investigates the thermo-energetic behaviour of partitioned cavity walls integrating hypothetical phase change material (PCM) arrangements with single and staggered transition temperatures under cyclic thermal excitation representative of building-envelope operating conditions. The investigated configurations included single-PCM cases with transition temperatures of 20∘C, 22∘C, and 24∘C, as well as two staggered multi-PCM arrangements, namely (20,22,24∘C) and (24,22,20∘C). A two-dimensional transient numerical model based on the enthalpy–porosity approach was developed and validated against previously published numerical and experimental studies available in the literature. Several thermo-energetic indicators were introduced, including temperature amplitude reduction, damping factor, heat-flux attenuation, thermal time lag, cumulative transmitted thermal energy, and liquid-fraction evolution. A normalized multi-objective thermo-energetic assessment was additionally performed to identify the most balanced PCM arrangement. The results demonstrated that the 20∘C PCM provided the strongest indoor-side thermal attenuation, reducing the temperature amplitude and heat-flux amplitude at facet x8 by 66.34% and 62.20%, respectively, while increasing the thermal time lag to approximately 7.41h. The liquid-fraction analysis further revealed that latent heat activation remained strongly localized and spatially selective within the partitioned cavity structure. The staggered multi-PCM arrangements generated broader and spatially redistributed latent heat activation patterns, promoting more progressive thermal regulation over time. In particular, the (20,22,24∘C) arrangement produced the highest partial latent activation, with a maximum liquid fraction approaching 0.1596, corresponding to the highest latent activation ratio observed in the present study (≈15.96%), whereas the reversed arrangement (24,22,20∘C) provided enhanced indoor-side stabilization associated with delayed and spatially redistributed latent heat activation. The combined thermo-energetic assessment further revealed important trade-offs between peak thermal damping, delayed thermal response, and distributed latent heat activation. Overall, the obtained findings demonstrate that both PCM transition temperature and spatial ordering strongly influence the transient thermal behaviour of partitioned cavity walls and should therefore be carefully considered in the design of adaptive PCM-integrated building envelopes.