Numerical simulation of a Trombe wall to predict the energy storage rate and time duration of room heating during the non-sunny periods

In this paper, 2D numerical simulation of the Trombe wall performance and indoor air environment under unsteady state condition for a room located in Yazd, Iran are studied. The governing equations involve mass, momentum and energy conservation, which are discretized by the finite volume method after non-dimensionalization. The SIMPLER algorithm is used for coupling the velocity and pressure. The average absorbed solar radiation on the Trombe wall has been defined for different hours of the coldest period of the year (21 January–19 February) in Yazd. All equations have been solved together using a FORTAN code. The main aim of this research is to investigate the time duration of room heating during the non-sunny periods. The stored energy of the wall being delivered to the inside room was defined for different materials of the Trombe wall. The results show that the Trombe wall made of paraffin wax can keep the room warmer in comparison with other materials for about 9 h.