Combined CFD and FEM analysis of 3D printed PCM integrated concrete panels for passive thermal management in buildings
Ajitanshu Vedrtnam, Shashikant Chaturvedi, Dheeraj Gunwant, Nelson Soares, Claudia P. Ostertag, Kishor Kalauni, Martin T. Palou, Miroslav Čekon, Hayden Taylor
Abstract
This study evaluates the thermal performance of concrete panels integrated with a phase change material (PCM) using a novel 3D-printed macro-encapsulation technique. The objective is to improve passive thermal management in buildings by embedding paraffin wax within additively manufactured ABS containers placed inside concrete panels. The panels were exposed to a calibrated heat flux of 2500 W/m 2 using an infrared setup, simulating peak solar radiation. Surface temperatures were recorded via thermocouples and thermal imaging. To complement experiments, coupled simulations were performed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with the enthalpy–porosity method and finite element modeling (FEM) with enthalpy-regularization. The results showed good agreement between simulations and measurements, with surface temperature errors below 8%. The PCM-integrated panel reduced internal surface temperature by 5.06%, demonstrating significant thermal buffering. The study reveals a transition from conduction-dominated to convection-enhanced melting within the PCM domain. Validation using velocity streamlines, Nusselt number (Nu) trends, and Fourier analysis confirms the latent heat dynamics. This integrated CFD-FEM approach enables scalable, data-driven design of PCM-based building elements and supports sustainable construction practices through enhanced energy efficiency.