Microclimate numerical simulation to obtain the minimum safe distances between a painted wood panel and the inner face of an exterior wall

Santi Ferrer,Marta Oriola-Folch,Cristina Ruiz-Recasens,Gema Campo-Francés

doi:10.1186/s40494-020-00376-1

Santi Ferrer, Marta Oriola-Folch + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-020-00376-1

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Journal: Heritage Science	Publication Date: Apr 10, 2020
Citations: 1	License type: open-access

Affiliation: University of Barcelona

Abstract

This study provides a detailed understanding of the heat fluxes and temperatures that take place in the channel between the inner face of an exterior wall and the back of a painted wood panel hung on it. This is performed by means of a numerical simulation with a 2 dimensional CFD software. Distributions of temperatures, heat fluxes, and other parameters are quantified for 56 cases where the classical equations—Raithby-Hollands and similar—cannot be applied as these require vertical isothermal plates or isofluxes. Studied scenarios include different panel heights, channel widths, and room heights. Combining these data with outside temperature (− 3 °C) and heating air supply temperature (20 °C), to provide a nearly constant 19.6 °C in the room except in the channel between panel and wall, and with two values of specific humidity in the room, we provide for every studied case, advised distances, for these conditions, between the panel and the wall.

Highlights

If we place an easel painting or a painted wood panel in the interior face of an exterior wall both act as thermal insulators
In historical buildings with non-thermally insulated exterior walls and low outside temperatures, the inside wall face and the painting back temperatures can drop some degrees below the room temperature and the relative humidity (RH) in these places can rise to unacceptable levels for the proper conservation of paintings [1]
The aim of this research is not to set the exhibition room climatic conditions in historical buildings, which today in Europe are established by the CEN recommendations but to calculate the temperatures and heat flux distributions in the channel between a cold exterior wall and painted wood panels of different sizes placed at varying distances from the wall and at two different relative humidity values, to extend the general recommendation given in the Padfield study

Summary

Introduction

If we place an easel painting or a painted wood panel in the interior face of an exterior wall (either touching the wall or very close to it) both act as thermal insulators. In historical buildings with non-thermally insulated exterior walls and low outside temperatures, the inside wall face and the painting back temperatures can drop some degrees below the room temperature and the relative humidity (RH) in these places can rise to unacceptable levels for the proper conservation of paintings [1]. The aim of this research is not to set the exhibition room climatic conditions in historical buildings, which today in Europe are established by the CEN recommendations but to calculate the temperatures and heat flux distributions in the channel between a cold exterior wall and painted wood panels of different sizes placed at varying distances from the wall and at two different relative humidity values, to extend the general recommendation given in the Padfield study.

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