Thermal Design of a portable PCM Cooler for an Insulated Room

The demand for air conditioning increased greatly during the last decade and hence air conditioners utilize large amount of electric power. Most of the electric power is producing by fossil fuels but the reserves of fossil fuels are degrading gradually, so there is need to find alternative ways to condition the room air. One of the methods, which replace air conditioner or decrease load on the air conditioner is the Phase Change Material air cooler. This unit consists of a phase change material filled inside the tubes, which takes heat from room during daytime and release in nighttime thus providing cooling. The cost of PCM cooler is in between the Evaporative cooler and Air Conditioner. The problem with evaporative cooler is excess humidity in room. In case of PCM cooler, the humidity not varied in room. The problems with Air Conditioner are use of large amount of electric power and release of harmful CFCs in atmosphere, which causes global warming. PCM cooler is portable in size and environment friendly, as it does not release any harmful gases. In the design of a PCM cooler the conditions of the room plays a major role. In the present work, an insulated room is considered and thermal design calculations carried out for the PCM cooler.