Efficiency Comparison between Two Masonry Wall Drying Devices Using In Situ Data Measurements

Piotr Łapka,Łukasz Cieślikiewicz

doi:10.3390/en14217137

Abstract

In this paper, an in situ investigation and comparison of energy consumption and efficiency of two devices for implementation of the thermo-injection masonry wall drying method are presented. The following drying devices were considered: the currently used device (CUD) and the novel prototype device (NPD) with optimized control of the operating parameters. The historic building subjected to the drying and renovation was located in the city of Łowicz (Poland). The temperature and relative humidity of the air in several points in the basement and the temperature and moisture content at various locations in the considered masonry wall segments, as well as the electrical parameters for both devices, were measured in the real time and registered by applying a dedicated data acquisition system. The specific energy consumption during drying, defined as the energy consumption divided by the length of the drying wall section and by the mean volumetric moisture content change in the wall, was equal to 16.58 and 10.44 kWh/m/moisture content vol.% for the CUD and NPD, respectively. Moreover, the moisture content in the wall decreased by an average of 2.13 and 3.22 vol.% for the CUD and NPD, respectively, while the temperature of the wall surface in the drying zone was increased to approximately 35–40 °C and 40–65 °C for the CUD and NPD, respectively. The obtained results showed that the NPD was much more efficient than the CUD and that the building renovation process may be more environmentally friendly by applying more efficient drying devices and strategies.

Highlights

The masonry wall drying process using the currently used device (CUD) was implemented with the heating on and the fan running from the onset of drying
A comparison of two drying devices—the CUD and novel prototype device (NPD), applied in the first step of the building renovation process—was presented. Both devices were used to implement the thermo-injection drying method during basement renovation of a historic building located in the city of Łowicz in Poland
The drying process was monitored using the dedicated data acquisition system with the set of measuring sensors. Both devices were compared in terms of the specific energy consumption, the mean moisture content reduction in the masonry wall, the total energy consumption by the devices and the energy consumption per meter of the dried masonry wall

Summary

Introduction

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Healthy masonry walls in buildings are required to preserve the good conditions of building elements, efficient heating and cooling of the building and the wellbeing of the occupants [1]. Many buildings have problems with excessive moisture in some building elements. There are many sources of dampness in building structures, such as leakage of roofs or hydraulic installations, water uptake from the ground or flooding. In the case of historical buildings, a lack of or wearing out of waterproofing of foundations and masonry walls is the main reason for excessive moisture content in buildings [2]. If the excessive moisture is found in the building’s elements, the building must be renovated

Methods

Results

Conclusion