scholarly journals Energy, Economic and Environmental Assessment of Thermal Barrier Application in Building Envelope Structures

Coatings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1538
Author(s):  
Daniel Kalús ◽  
Veronika Mučková ◽  
Daniel Koudelková

Thermal engineering requirements for building structures are becoming more and more strict. Thermal barriers (TBs) are energy-active elements integrated into the building structure in which a heat transfer medium (water or air) flows. A survey of the scientific literature on the subject points to the fact that this is a very topical and promising area of research and, so far, most studies on TBs are based on calculations, computer simulations and experimental measurements. Few studies have focused on the economic and environmental aspects of TB use. Following the research results presented by authors from all over the world, as well as our contributions in this scientific field that are described in a European patent, three utility models and scientific articles, in this study we have focused on the evaluation of the TB in terms of energy performance, economic efficiency and environmental friendliness by comparing the use of a classical envelope wall with the required thickness of thermal insulation meeting the normative requirements for thermal resistance R ((m2K)/W) and a perimeter wall with an integrated TB significantly eliminating the thermal insulation thickness. We evaluate the use of the thermal barrier using: economic indicator one, where we compare the cost of heat delivered to the TB in a structure with significantly eliminated thermal insulation and the saved cost of thermal insulation at the standard thickness; economic indicator two, where we compare the cost of heat delivered to the TB in a structure with significantly eliminated thermal insulation with the potential gain from the sale of the useful area of the building gained compared to the area at the normative thickness of thermal insulation; and economic indicator three, where we compare the cost of heat delivered to the TB in a structure with significantly eliminated thermal insulation with the cost of grey energy at the normative thickness of thermal insulation. Based on a parametric study based on theoretical assumptions, it can be concluded that the thermal barrier shows a very promising and efficient solution in terms of the evaluation of economic indicators one to three, which are even more significant if we use heat for the TB from renewable energy sources (RES) or waste heat.

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-133
Author(s):  
Gennadiy Farenyuk

The paper presents the basic methodical principles for the time analysis of the variations of envelope structures’ thermal insulation properties and for the substantiation of the thermal reliability criterion, which should allow the analysis of the actual parameters of heat losses during the operation of buildings. In the paper, the state of the envelope structures thermal failure, the concept of building thermal envelope thermal reliability and the principles of its rating are defined. The physical meaning and basic criterion of the envelope structure thermal reliability are formulated. The application of the thermal reliability criterion allows determining the probable variations in the thermal insulation properties during the building operation and, accordingly, the changes of the building energy performance over time.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-233
Author(s):  
Ewa Figiel ◽  
Dorota Leciej-Pirczewska

New demands for lowering energy consumption of buildings lead to many new solutions including, amongst others, the introduction of an outer wall thermal barrier for both heating and cooling effect. The analysed thermo-active-wall-barrier is a water-based system, where the pipes are embedded in the wall construction. It enables the use of a low-temperature barrier medium for space heating, thereby increasing the efficiency of all potential energy supply systems using renewable energy sources. The pipes form an active thermal barrier for heat transfer between the outer and the heated space. There are many possibilities to place the pipes in the wall for example in the case of energetic thermo-modernisation. Our research and calculations have shown that thermo-active-wall-barrier is sensitive to the location of pipes. The following paper also provides a study of the impact of thermal barrier on a building’s energy performance. The analysis was conducted for a single-family house in a temperate climate based on parameters taken from one of the Polish meteorological data-bases. Calculations using current procedure of evaluating building energy performance show, that the thermal barrier can contribute to signifi cant reduction of transmission energy loss thus lowering the environmental impact.


2020 ◽  
Vol 197 ◽  
pp. 02010
Author(s):  
Giada Romano ◽  
Elisa Pennacchia ◽  
Sofia Agostinelli

Buildings with architectural constraints and recognized historical values require a careful design process, aiming to combine the needs of conservation and the adaptation of the buildings to the modern use and its accessibility. The feasible interventions consist in improving the energy performance of the building envelope, in inserting efficient technological systems and using renewable energy sources where possible. The compatibility between the architectural constraints of the building and its more sustainable future use represents a crucial challenge. This work presents the interventions designed and realized on a small villa located in the Prati district, in Rome. Starting from the requests of the client, the primary objective was to create a comfortable house both in the winter and in the summer season, with widespread use of automation systems for managing the utilities. In line with the current energy scenario, the interventions were oriented to energy efficiency, the reduction of polluting emissions, the electrification of utilities and the use of renewable energy sources. The proposed solutions showed high gains in terms of energy saving even if the changes to the building envelope were limited by the desire to preserve the values of the cultural heritage. Therefore, a virtuous refurbishment can effectively respond to current energy efficiency goals.


2016 ◽  
Vol 824 ◽  
pp. 598-605
Author(s):  
Jitka Hroudova ◽  
Martin Sedlmajer ◽  
Vitezslav Novak ◽  
Jiri Zach

Recently, there has been increased interest in the rehabilitation of existing buildings especially in order to improve their energy performance. Thermal insulation brings not only savings in the cost of heating or cooling but also contributes to the reduction of harmful emissions such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide or nitrogen dioxide. However, the thermal insulation of historical buildings or buildings listed as cultural heritage brings some problems due to architectural features. It is therefore necessary to choose an alternative whether it is the use of an internal thermal insulation system or to repair and rehabilitate the existing plaster with materials compatible with the original ones. The newly developed thermal insulation plasters based on silicate and using lightweight aggregate and natural fibres are optimum materials for the thermal insulation of both existing and newly constructed buildings. The paper describes the results of research focused on the examination of the behaviour of thermal insulation plaster mainly in terms of heat and moisture transport. Using a computational programme, this behaviour was simulated for a chosen detail of a real building in the vicinity of a window jamb.


2014 ◽  
Vol 564 ◽  
pp. 315-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maatouk Khoukhi ◽  
Mahmoud Tahat

The impact of the thermal conductivity (k-value) change of polystyrene insulation material in building envelope due to changes in temperature on the thermal and energy performance of a typical residential building under hot climate is investigated. Indeed, the thermal and energy performance of buildings depends on the thermal characteristics of the building envelope, and particularly on the thermal resistance of the insulation material used. The thermal insulation material which is determined by its thermal conductivity, which describes the ability of heat to flow cross the material in presence of a gradient of temperature, is the main key to assess the performance of the thermal insulation material. When performing the energy analysis or calculating the cooling load for buildings, we use published values of thermal conductivity of insulation materials, which are normally evaluated at 24°C according to the ASTM standards. In reality, thermal insulation in building is exposed to significant and continuous temperature variations, due essentially to the change of outdoor air temperature and solar radiation. Many types of insulation materials are produced and used in Oman, but not enough information is available to evaluate their performance under the prevailing climatic condition. The main objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between the temperature and thermal conductivity of various densities of polystyrene, which is widely used as building insulation material in Oman. Moreover, the impact of thermal conductivity variation with temperature on the envelope-induced cooling load for a simple building model is discussed. This work will serve as a platform to investigate the effect of the operating temperature on thermal conductivity of other building material insulations, and leads to more accurate assessment of the thermal and energy performance of buildings in Oman.


2018 ◽  
Vol 196 ◽  
pp. 02035 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Umnyakova ◽  
Mikhail Gandzhuntsev

Materials with a low coefficient of surface radiation intensively reflect the radiant component of the heat flux and reduce heat losses through the building envelope. When designing building structures with reflective thermal insulation it is necessary to evaluate the efficiency of its application. However, at present there are no methods for calculating the value of thermal losses through external walls in the presence of reflective thermal insulation on internal surface of the wall, as well as there are no data on the values of heat transfer coefficients at the inner surface of building envelope with reflective thermal insulation. In this regard, in the climatic chambers of NIISF RAABS, complex thermal engineering studies were carried out. For this a cellular concrete wall 2,8 x1,2 m was put up into the chamber with reflective thermal insulation on the inner surface and without it. The obtained results of experimental studies, presented in the work, allowed obtaining numerical values of heat transfer coefficients at the inner surface of walls with reflective thermal insulation, and use the obtained data in further calculations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 1285 ◽  
Author(s):  
José D. Silvestre ◽  
André M. P. Castelo ◽  
José J. B. C. Silva ◽  
Jorge M. C. L. de Brito ◽  
Manuel D. Pinheiro

This paper analyses the environmental, energy, and economic performances of the External Thermal Insulation Composite System (ETICS) using agglomerated insulation cork board (ICB) or expanded polystyrene (EPS) as insulation material applied in the energetic renovation of the building envelope during a 50-year study period. A comparison between ETICS using ICB and EPS, for the same time horizon, is also presented. The environmental balance is based on “Cradle to Cradle” (C2C) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), focusing on the carbon footprint and consumption of nonrenewable primary energy (PE-NRe). The characteristics of these products in terms of thermal insulation, the increased energy performance provided by their installation for retrofit of the buildings’ envelope, and the resulting energy savings are considered in the energy balance. The estimation of the C2C carbon and PE-NRe saved is considered in the final balance between the energy and environmental performances. ETICS with ICB is environmentally advantageous both in terms of carbon footprint and of PE-NRe. In fact, the production stage of ICB is less polluting, while EPS requires lower energy consumption to fulfil the heating and cooling needs of a flat, due to its lower U-Value, and its lower acquisition cost results in a lower C2C cost. Comparing both ETICS’ alternatives with reference solutions, it was found that the latter only perform better in the economic dimension, and only for an energy consumption to fulfil less than 25% of the heating and cooling needs. This paper represents an advance to the current state-of-the-art by including all the life-cycle stages and dimensions of the LCA in the analysis of solutions for energy renovation of building envelopes.


Author(s):  
Daniel Kalús ◽  
Zuzana Straková ◽  
Matej Kubica

A qualitatively new dimension has been introduced to the issue of building structures for energy-efficient buildings by the system of Active Thermal Insulation (ATI), which is already applied in the construction of such buildings. ATI are embedded pipe systems in the envelope structures of buildings, into which we supply a heat-carrying medium with adjusted temperature, so this constitutes a combined building-energy system. This introduces the concept of an internal energy source understood as an energy system integrated into the zone between the static part and the thermal insulation part of the building structure envelope. Under certain conditions, the ATI can serve as a heat recuperator or as an energy collector for a heat pump application. ATI consists of pipe systems embedded in building structures, in which the medium circulates heated by energy from any heat source. The function of the system is to reduce or eliminate heat losses through non-transparent structures in the winter and at the same time to reduce or eliminate heat gains in the summer. It is especially recommended to apply heat sources using renewable energy sources due to the required low temperatures of the heating medium and thus shorten the heating period in the building. Also recommended is to apply ATI for the use of waste heat. Buildings with a given system show low energy consumption and therefore meet the requirements of Directive no. 2018/844/EU, according to which, from 01.01.2021, all new buildings for housing and civic amenities should have energy needs close to zero.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (16) ◽  
pp. 5137
Author(s):  
Paweł Ocłoń ◽  
Maciej Ławryńczuk ◽  
Marek Czamara

The objectives of this work are: (a) to present a new system for building heating which is based on underground energy storage, (b) to develop a mathematical model of the system, and (c) to optimise the energy performance of the system. The system includes Photovoltaic Thermal Hybrid Solar Panels (PVT) panels with cooling, an evacuated solar collector and a water-to-water heat pump. Additionally, storage tanks, placed underground, are used to store the waste heat from PVT panels cooling. The thermal energy produced by the solar collectors is used for both domestic hot water preparation and thermal energy storage. Both PVT panels and solar collectors are assembled with a sun-tracking system to achieve the highest possible solar energy gain. Optimisation of the proposed system is considered to achieve the highest Renewable Energy Sources (RES) share during the heating period. Because the resulting optimisation problem is nonlinear, the classical gradient-based optimisation algorithm gives solutions that are not satisfying. As alternatives, three heuristic global optimisation methods are considered: the Genetic Algorithm (GA), the Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO) algorithm, and the Jaya algorithm. It is shown that the Jaya algorithm outperforms the GA and PSO methods. The most significant result is that 93% of thermal energy is covered by using the underground energy storage unit consisting of two tanks.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Brittany Grieve

<p>This thesis explored the impact of thermal insulation on the energy performance of New Zealand air-conditioned commercial office buildings. A sample of calibrated energy models constructed using real building performance data and construction information was used to ensure that the results produced were as realistic as possible to the actual building performance of New Zealand commercial office buildings. The aim was to assess how different climates and building attributes impact thermal insulation's ability to reduce energy consumption in New Zealand commercial office buildings.   Driven by the ever increasing demands for healthier, more comfortable, more sustainable buildings, building regulations have steadily increased the levels of insulation they require in new buildings over time. Improving the thermal properties of the building envelope with the addition of thermal insulation is normally used to reduce the amount of heating and cooling energy a building requires. Thermal insulation reduces the conductive heat transfer through the building envelope and with a higher level of thermal resistance, the less heat would transfer through the envelope. Consequently, the common expectation is that the addition of thermal insulation to the building envelope will always reduce energy consumption. However, this assumption is not always the case. For internal load dominated buildings located in certain climates, the presence of any or a higher level of thermal insulation may prevent heat loss through the wall, increasing the cooling energy required. This issue is thought to have not been directly examined in literature until 2008. However, an early study undertaken in New Zealand in 1996 found that for climates similar or warmer than Auckland, the addition of insulation could be detrimental to an office building's energy efficiency due to increased cooling energy requirements.  The energy performance of a sample of 13 real New Zealand office building energy models with varying levels of thermal insulation in 8 locations was examined under various scenarios. A parametric method of analysis using building energy modelling was used to assess the energy performance of the buildings. Buildings were modelled as built and standardised with the current NZS4243:2007 regulated and assumed internal load and operational values. The effect the cooling thermostat set point temperature had on the buildings' energy performance at varying levels of insulation was also tested.   The study concluded that the use of thermal insulation in New Zealand office buildings can cause an increase in cooling energy for certain types of buildings in any of the eight locations and thermal insulation levels explored in the study. The increase in cooling energy was significant enough to increase the total energy consumption of two buildings when modelled as built. These buildings were characterised by large internal loads, low performance windows with high window to wall ratios and low surface to volume ratios. The current minimum thermal resistance requirements were found to not be effective for a number of buildings in North Island locations.</p>


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