Abstract
Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) is commonly used as a modern, energy-efficient construction material in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan—the second-coldest national capital in the world after Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The autoclave curing method used to manufacture the AAC has potential risks and is environmentally costly because of its high-pressure and -temperature operation. Therefore, for phase I and II studies, non-autoclaved aerated concrete (NAAC) was cast, and its properties were evaluated in terms of compressive strength, density, porosity, and thermal conductivity. Moreover, the thermal conductivity prediction model of NAAC was successfully developed. In this Phase III study, the energy behavior of the NAAC was evaluated by energy simulation for a typical two-story residential house model in Kazakhstan. Different wall materials, such as fired brick and normal concrete, were adapted to compare the energy performance of NAAC. Finally, the annual heat loss and amount of heat transferred through the wall of the house were calculated to cross-check the energy-saving effect of NAAC. It was found that the NAAC conserved energy, because the heating and cooling loads, annual heat loss, and amount of heat transfer of NACC were lower than those of fired brick and normal concrete.
Highlights
In the past decade, sustainable or green building technology in the construction industry has been adapted and has grown continuously
As a phase III work, this paper mainly focuses on evaluating the contribution of non-autoclaved aerated concrete (NAAC) to energy conservation
During the casting process for the thermal conductivity samples, the concrete mixture was placed into a mold with two layers, and 25 strokes of the tamping rod per layer were applied by a metal rod
Summary
Sustainable or green building technology in the construction industry has been adapted and has grown continuously. Despite depending on the mixture proportions, the typical porosity of AC ranges from 75 to 90% [14] This unique property gives AAC a thermal conductivity (λ) as low as 0.085–0.30 W/(m·K), depending on density, curing method, moisture content, mixture proportions, and ingredients [13,15]. Narayanan and Ramamurthy [7] described how AAC provides better thermal insulation than conventional concrete blocks, and is considered to be an energy-efficient material, conserving temperature and reducing energy consumption. Kaşka and Yumrutaş [19] examined various multilayer building walls consisting of materials commonly used in Turkey, which include briquettes, bricks, blokbims, and AAC.
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