Smart Bricks With Phase Change Material Capsules for Green Buildings: A Numerical Simulation Alongside With Techno-Thermo-Economic Evaluation

This study explores the role of green building technologies in the development of a sustainable future by evaluating the techno-economic benefits of phase change materials (PCMs) in building walls. The purpose of this research is to investigate how PCMs can be incorporated into bricks to reduce the use of electricity for cooling the building and temperature fluctuations caused by varying indoor temperatures (T_i = 18, 20, 22, and 24°C) and outdoor temperatures (T_o = 25, 28, 31, and 34°C). An analysis of the thermal and economic behavior of three aluminum cylindrical capsules containing PCM embedded within brick structures is presented using computational fluid dynamics (CFDs) simulations conducted over a period of 12 h in order to determine the interaction between the brick, the PCM capsules, and the buoyant forces. Results indicate that PCM capsules perform optimally within specific temperature ranges, achieving their peak efficacy between 20 and 24°C, while 25–31°C are ideal T_o values. It is estimated that adoption of PCM-integrated bricks can save you between $414.7k and $444.3k over the course of 30 years. The internal rate of return (IRR) of this system averages 1.583–1.70, which is significantly higher than the discount rate of 0.02, thus highlighting its attractiveness as an investment.