In this paper a survey of solar-based driven thermoelectric technologies and their applications is presented. Initially, a brief analysis of the environmental problems related to the use of conventional technologies and energy sources is presented and the benefits offered by thermoelectric...

In the current context of thermal improvement in the building sector, research of new solutions to integrate to the retrofitting process is an essential step in the way of saving energy. With the purpose of maintaining or improving the summer comfort after a retrofitting in a residential...

In order to really assess the potential of Phase Change Material (PCM) wallboards, a renovated office building has been monitored during approximatively one year. A room was equipped with PCM wallboards in the lateral walls and in the ceiling. Another room, identical to the first one, was not...

In this article, an original multi-criteria approach is applied to multi-source systems used for the design and the choice of the optimal alternative. The high number of alternatives and potential solutions when dealing with multi-source systems require a decision support method to be...

In a recent meeting of IEA's Annex 23, several members presented their conclusions on the modeling of phase change materials behavior in the context of building applications. These conclusions were in agreement with those of a vast review, involving the survey of more than 250 journal papers,...

The thermal performances of a PCM copolymer composite wallboard has been experimentally investigated in a full scale test room. The test cell is totally controlled so that a typical day can be repeated (temperature and solar radiative flux). Effects of the PCM are investigated comparing the...

This article presents a novel model to simulate melting of a phase change material, with natural convection and radiation. For the phase change problem, the enthalpy formulation is used. Energy equation is solved by finite differences, whereas fluid flow equations are solved by the lattice...