Using Hygrothermal Simulation to Assess Risk of Water Accumulation from Wall Assembly Defects

2014 ◽  
pp. 128-142
Author(s):  
Theresa A. Weston
Keyword(s):  
Hygrothermal Simulation ◽  
Water Accumulation ◽  
Wall Assembly

A comparison of hygrothermal simulation results derived from four simulation tools

2021 ◽  
pp. 174425912098876
Author(s):  
Maurice Defo ◽  
Michael Lacasse ◽  
Abdelaziz Laouadi
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Outer Layer ◽  
Growth Index ◽  
Mould Growth ◽  
Simulation Tools ◽  
Assembly Design ◽  
Hygrothermal Simulation ◽  
Moisture Performance ◽  
Wood Frame ◽  
Wall Assembly

The objective of this work was to compare the hygrothermal responses and the moisture performance of four wood-frame walls as predicted by four hygrothermal (HAM) simulation tools, namely: DELPHIN, WUFI, hygIRC and COMSOL. The four wall systems differ only in their cladding type; these were fibreboard, vinyl, stucco and brick. Three Canadian cities having different climates were selected for simulations: Ottawa, Ontario; Vancouver, British Columbia and Calgary, Alberta. In each city, simulations were run for 2 years. Temperature and relative humidity of the outer layer of OSB sheathing were compared amongst the four simulation tools. The mould growth index on the outer layer of the OSB sheathing was used to compare the moisture performance predicted by the respective hygrothermal simulation tools. Temperature profiles of the outer layer of the OSB sheathing were all in good agreement for the four HAM tools in the three locations. For relative humidity, the highest discrepancies amongst the four tools were found with stucco cladding where differences as high as 20% could be found from time to time. Mould growth indices predicted by the four HAM tools were similar in some cases but different in other cases. The discrepancies amongst the different HAM tools were likely related to: the material property processing, how the quantity of wind-driven rain absorbed at the cladding surface is computed and some implementation details. Despite these discrepancies, The tools generally yielded consistent results and could be used for comparing the impacts of different designs on the risk of premature deterioration, as well as for evaluating the relative effects of climate change on a given wall assembly design.

scholarly journals A hygrothermal comparative analysis of split-­Insulated, high-RSI wall assemblies in three Canadian climates

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Stiffman
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Mineral Wool ◽  
Field Conditions ◽  
Design Practices ◽  
Building Enclosure ◽  
Hygrothermal Simulation ◽  
Vapour Diffusion ◽  
Hygrothermal Performance ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Wall Assembly

As consciousness grows regarding the negative impacts most buildings have on the Earth's environment, techniques to mitigate this impact must emerge in mainstream design practices. A calibrated hygrothermal simulation was conducted using WUFI® Pro to assess predicted hygrothermal performance of a variety of wall assemblies that are likely to enter into mainstream design practices. The results of these simulations reveal the importance of designing assemblies that are resilient to field conditions that introduce more severe hygrothermal loads than standard vapour diffusion. It is clear that in order for a wall assembly to perform adequately under moisture ingress conditions, it must be able to dry freely to at least one side of the building enclosure. High-RSI assemblies with exterior XPS exhibited far diminished resiliency to driving rain penetration as compared to those without exterior insulation and those with exterior mineral wool.

scholarly journals A hygrothermal comparative analysis of split-­Insulated, high-RSI wall assemblies in three Canadian climates

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Stiffman
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Mineral Wool ◽  
Field Conditions ◽  
Design Practices ◽  
Building Enclosure ◽  
Hygrothermal Simulation ◽  
Vapour Diffusion ◽  
Hygrothermal Performance ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Wall Assembly

As consciousness grows regarding the negative impacts most buildings have on the Earth's environment, techniques to mitigate this impact must emerge in mainstream design practices. A calibrated hygrothermal simulation was conducted using WUFI® Pro to assess predicted hygrothermal performance of a variety of wall assemblies that are likely to enter into mainstream design practices. The results of these simulations reveal the importance of designing assemblies that are resilient to field conditions that introduce more severe hygrothermal loads than standard vapour diffusion. It is clear that in order for a wall assembly to perform adequately under moisture ingress conditions, it must be able to dry freely to at least one side of the building enclosure. High-RSI assemblies with exterior XPS exhibited far diminished resiliency to driving rain penetration as compared to those without exterior insulation and those with exterior mineral wool.

Water accumulation as a function of temperature on specimens in an electron microscope cold stage

1986 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 114-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.K. Lamvik ◽  
D.A. Kopf ◽  
S.D. Davilla ◽  
J.D. Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscope ◽  
Mass Loss ◽  
Liquid Helium ◽  
Liquid Nitrogen ◽  
Liquid Nitrogen Temperature ◽  
Liquid Helium Temperature ◽  
Helium Temperature ◽  
Cold Stage ◽  
Water Accumulation ◽  
Better Than

Last year we reported1 that there is a striking reduction in the rate of mass loss when a specimen is observed at liquid helium temperature. It is important to determine whether liquid helium temperature is significantly better than liquid nitrogen temperature. This requires a good understanding of mass loss effects in cold stages around 100K.

EVALUATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF JOINT AND CONSTRUCTION DETAILS OF WALL ASSEMBLY ON THE COMBUSTION BEHAVIOR OF LININGS BY AN INTERMEDIATE-SCALE BURN TEST

1998 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 99-102
Author(s):  
Yumiko SAWADA ◽  
Masashi YOSHIDA ◽  
Tsutomu NAGAOKA ◽  
Shintaro MICHIKOSHI ◽  
Nagao HORI
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Scale ◽  
Combustion Behavior ◽  
Wall Assembly

Determining the thermal resistance of a highly insulated wall containing vacuum insulation panels through experimental, calculation and numerical simulation methods

2020 ◽  
pp. 174425912098003
Author(s):  
Travis V Moore ◽  
Cynthia A. Cruickshank ◽  
Ian Beausoleil-Morrison ◽  
Michael Lacasse
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Thermal Resistance ◽  
Effective Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Edge Effect ◽  
3D Simulation ◽  
Simulation Methods ◽  
Zone Method ◽  
Vacuum Insulation ◽  
Thermal Bridges ◽  
Wall Assembly

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential for calculation methods to determine the thermal resistance of a wall system containing vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) that has been experimentally characterised using a guarded hot box (GHB) apparatus. The VIPs used in the wall assembly have not been characterised separately to the wall assembly, and therefore exact knowledge of the thermal performance of the VIP including edge effect is not known. The calculations and simulations are completed using methods found in literature as well as manufacturer published values for the VIPs to determine the potential for calculation and simulation methods to predict the thermal resistance of the wall assembly without the exact characterisation of the VIP edge effect. The results demonstrate that disregarding the effect of VIP thermal bridges results in overestimating the thermal resistance of the wall assembly in all calculation and simulation methods, ranging from overestimates of 21% to 58%. Accounting for the VIP thermal bridges using the manufacturer advertised effective thermal conductivity of the VIPs resulted in three methods predicting the thermal resistance of the wall assembly within the uncertainty of the GHB results: the isothermal planes method, modified zone method and the 3D simulation. Of these methods only the 3D simulation can be considered a potential valid method for energy code compliance, as the isothermal planes method requires too drastic an assumption to be valid and the modified zone method requires extrapolating the zone factor beyond values which have been validated. The results of this work demonstrate that 3D simulations do show potential for use in lieu of guarded hot box testing for predicting the thermal resistance of wall assemblies containing both VIPs and steel studs. However, knowledge of the VIP effective thermal conductivity is imperative to achieve reasonable results.

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