Energies, Vol. 12, Pages 285: Trombe Wall Utilization for Cold and Hot Climate Conditions (Energies)

In this paper, a novel design for heating and ventilating rooms using solar energy in the winter season and for reducing the cooling load in the summer season is suggested. The system utilizes a water tank, which is part of the building’s wall, for storage and hot water supply. The proposed passive system can be used for heating a room in the day and if the heat is available in excess, at night too. The excess heat can also be utilized to heat water for domestic applications. In the summer season, the excess heat can passively ventilate a room and be extracted out of the building. In addition, as mentioned earlier, the heated water by solar energy can be used for domestic purposes such as washing and taking showers. Hence, it helps in reducing the cooling load in the summer season. This article introduces an analysis of the feasibility of the suggested system. The proposed system has many advantages: The modified Tromble wall system is more thermally efficient, is lighter, and has a fast response for charging and discharging processes as compared to the conventional Trombe walls. The mathematical model of the modified Trombe wall was developed, and the effects of various parameters influencing the heat transfer processes were studied.