PHASE CHANGE MATERIAL (PCM) AS A PASSIVE COOLING FOR BUILDINGS UNDER THE MALAYSIAN CLIMATE

Malaysia sits within the equator line and is blessed with hot and humid weather conditions all year round. Thermal comfort inside residential houses becomes a necessity and increasingly important, especially with the recent increase in global warming. This study investigates the feasibility of using Phase Change Material (PCM) for passive cooling in residential buildings. By using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation to virtually demonstrate PCM capability in passive cooling, several cases are proposed based on the thermal performance using various amounts of PCM mass: 12kg in Case 1 and 24kg in Case 2. This study shows that PCM integration leads to a reduction in indoor temperatures. A steady-state model was solved to simulate the peak temperature when the PCM absorbs the excess heat in the attic. The results showed that Case 1 reduced the ceiling temperature by 3.2°C (7.8% reduction) while Case 2 produced a 4.7°C thermal reduction (11.4%). The simulation showed that the triangular geometry of the attic produced the highest thermal efficiency of 11.4% at a mass of PCM26-29 (24kg). These findings confirm the potential of PCM as an efficient passive cooling strategy. In this way, we could reduce the dependency on active cooling, such as air conditioning systems. Further experimental work is recommended to confirm the findings. This research offers valuable insights for integrating PCM into buildings. The positive impacts of reducing thermal load in indoor areas is providing a sustainable solution in residential areas.