Numerical study on a low energy architecture based upon distributed heat storage system

Basic performance of a hybrid heating system was investigated numerically through several case studies including examinations of effects of PCM as a heat storing materials. A simple test room assuming passive utilization of solar energy was used with a thermal storage wall (Trombe wall) inside it. Unsteady simulation was performed with a CFD code developed by authors. As the outdoor conditions, standardized weather data of Sapporo city, a cold climate district in Japan, were used. In the simulation, the room air was controlled with the heater operations setting the target air temperature at 18 degree Celsius. Simulated results indicate the effectiveness of PCM and suggest the possibility of developing low energy houses with hybrid system introduced in this study.