A reliable numerical model for assessing the thermal behavior of a dome building

Abstract

The thermal assessment of a building is very important for the selection of heating installations, ensuring the well-being of its users and a sustainable building lifecycle. The purpose of the research was to recreate numerically the thermal behavior of a building in time. Numerical analyses and in-situ tests were carried out. The temperature of the envelope surface of a dome-shaped building and climatic parameters were measured in real conditions. The results were used to verification of the numerical model of the building. The object was described by coupled equations of heat and mass transfer, which were solved by the finite volume method. The influence of time discretisation and the physical properties of the envelope materials (ρ, c, λ, ε, α) on the temperature of the external envelope surface were determined. It was demonstrated that the absorption coefficient of the external layer material was influential on the results. Based on the results of the numerical analyses and in-situ test was to ascertain the reliability of numerically recreate of the building thermal behavior. Method of creating reliable numerical model of a dome building, with application of general data from a typical meteorological year in order to assess its thermal behavior was determined.