Abstract
Silica aerogel possesses an ultra-low thermal conductivity by virtue of its nano-structure. Owing to the fragility of monolithic aerogel, the development and production of aerogel-based insulation materials involve the incorporation of granular aerogel with other materials to form composite materials. In the present study, the application of silica-aerogel-incorporated composite cement paste as render on the roof-top surface is coupled with the installation of a novel silica-aerogel-incorporated composite insulation board below the roof tiles. Control and silica-aerogel-incorporated samples of the composite cement paste and insulation were prepared. Thermal conductivity and strength tests were performed on the samples. A simulation study was performed on a Building Information Model subjected to a tropical climate to project the resultant impact of the cement render coupled with the insulation board on the thermal-energy-efficiency of the roof. For optimization of thermal and strength performances, silica aerogel contents of 4 wt.% and 3 wt.% were selected for the cement render and insulation board, respectively. The projected annual cooling load and energy savings revealed that the application of a 20-mm cement render, coupled with the installation of a 100-mm thick insulation board, is recommended as the optimum roof configuration.
Highlights
Aerogel was developed by Samuel Stephens Kistler in 1931 [1] and is, presently, known to man, the lightest solid in the world [2]
A simulation study was performed on a Building Information Model (BIM) that adopted a pitched roof to project the resultant impact of the application of silica-aerogel-incorporated composite cement paste as render on the roof-top surface coupled with the installation of a silica-aerogel-incorporated composite insulation board below the roof tiles on the thermalenergy-efficiency of the roof, based on the annual cooling load and energy savings
Morphology of the silica aerogel sample was studied by performing imaging using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) of model Quanta FEG 650 that was manufactured by the FEI Company (Hillsboro, OR, USA)
Summary
Aerogel was developed by Samuel Stephens Kistler in 1931 [1] and is, presently, known to man, the lightest solid in the world [2]. Kosny et al [26], where the thermal performance of residential steel- and wood-framed walls and commercial low-sloped roofs that were insulated with a fiber-reinforced silica aerogel composite material were evaluated using three-dimensional computer simulations and a series of hot-box tests. Puad et al [28] explored the potential application of a composite insulation material, which was composed of kapok fiber and silica aerogel that were incorporated with low-density polyethylene, for residential roof under the climate of Malaysia, by concurrently evaluating its thermal and tensile strength performances. Research on the adoption of aerogel in the building envelope is predominated by the development and evaluation of aerogel-based composite insulation materials that can be installed in the roof, on the interior wall or on the window reveal, as well as aerogel-filled glazing for the window and skylight. Findings of the present study are most applicable to pitched roof assemblies in tropical regions and, are relevant to those in other regions with similar climate where intense solar radiation is present
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