Experimental Investigation of Jamaica’s Climate Nocturnal Potential to Solidify a Phase Change Material

Authors

  • Dudley Williams Department of Physics, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica, West Indies
  • Jean-Francios Dorville The Caribbean Geophysical and Numerical Research Group, Guadeloupe
  • Jayaka Campbell Department of Physics, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica, West Indies
  • Marhoun Ferhat Department of Physics, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica, West Indies

Keywords:

Cooling, Building, PCM, Thermal Comfort, Nocturnal Radiative Cooling, Mapping, Jamaica, Caribbean

Abstract

Prior to 1995, the percentage of the Caribbean's hot season that was heatwave-prone rose from 0% to 10%, and in 2020, it surpassed 50%, increasing the need for building cooling. To increase the number of cooling alternatives, a study was carried out using Jamaica as a case study to see whether the nocturnal ambient conditions in the Caribbean are appropriate for the use of passive cooling via Phase Change Materials (PCM) technology. Buildings in the low- income country of Jamaica are mostly made of concrete, which is not the best thermal material for its tropical climate but is ideal for withstanding hurricane conditions. Using a PCM-24, an outdoor experiment conducted in Kingston, Jamaica, revealed that night-time conditions in August was able to solidify the PCM with the help of radiative cooling. A map was then produced by applying a solidification criterion of 4°C for 4 hours or longer below the melting temperature to data from 25 automated weather stations located throughout the island. The map indicated that over 60% of nights a year in Jamaica's core mountainous regions provide conditions conducive to establishing the PCM-24.

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Published

2025-02-03

Issue

Volume 47 Number 2, January 2025

Section

Articles

License

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