In the Yangtze River zone of China, the heating operation in buildings is mainly part-time and part-space, which could affect the indoor thermal comfort while making the thermal process of building envelope different. This paper proposed to integrate phase change material (PCM) to building walls to increase the indoor thermal comfort and attenuate the temperature fluctuations during intermittent heating. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of this kind of composite phase change wall (composite-PCW) on the indoor thermal environment and energy consumption of intermittent heating, and further develop an optimization strategy of intermittent heating operation by using EnergyPlus simulation. Results show that the indoor air temperature of the building with the composite-PCW was 2–3°C higher than the building with the reference wall (normal foamed concrete wall) during the heating-off process. Moreover, the indoor air temperature was higher than 18°C and the mean radiation temperature was above 20°C in the first 1 h after stopping heating. Under the optimized operation condition of turning off the heating device 1 h in advance, the heat release process of the composite-PCW to the indoor environment could maintain the indoor thermal environment within the comfortable range effectively. The composite-PCW could decrease 4.74% of the yearly heating energy consumption compared with the reference wall. The optimization described can provide useful information and guidance for the energy saving of intermittently heated buildings.

中文翻译：

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间歇加热系统节能潜力：复合相变壁的影响及优化策略

在我国长江流域，建筑采暖运行以部分时间和部分空间为主，在使围护结构热过程不同的同时，会影响室内热舒适性。本文提出将相变材料（PCM）集成到建筑墙体中，以增加室内热舒适度并减弱间歇加热过程中的温度波动。本研究的目的是研究这种复合相变墙（composite-PCW）对间歇供暖室内热环境和能耗的影响，并通过EnergyPlus仿真进一步制定间歇供暖运行的优化策略。结果表明，在取暖过程中，复合PCW 的建筑物的室内空气温度比具有参考墙（普通泡沫混凝土墙）的建筑物高2-3°C。此外，在停止供暖后的前1小时内，室内空气温度高于18°C，平均辐射温度高于20°C。在提前关闭加热装置1小时的优化运行条件下，复合PCW向室内环境的热释放过程可以有效地将室内热环境维持在舒适范围内。与参考墙相比，复合PCW可以减少4.74%的年供暖能耗。所描述的优化可以为间歇供暖建筑的节能提供有用的信息和指导。