Thermal behavior of an alveolar structure submitted to a sinusoidal excitation

Abstract

Abstract The aim of the present work is to study numerically, in a transient state, the thermal behavior of an alveolar structure submitted to a sinusoidal excitation. The coupled heat transfers by conduction through the surrounding walls, natural convection and surface radiation are taken into account. The outside vertical surface of the structure is submitted to a sinusoidal thermal excitation, while the inside vertical surface is maintained at a constant temperature. The top and bottom horizontal sides are assumed to be adiabatic. The governing equations for conservation of mass, momentum and energy are discretized by the finite volume approach and solved by the SIMPLE algorithm. The main parameters governing the problem are the amplitude and the period of the exciting temperature and the emissivity of the walls. The effect of these parameters on the global heat transfer through the structure is presented and examined. The results report that the amplitude of the exciting temperature and the emissivity of the internal surfaces affect considerably the heat transfer through the alveolar structure. The use of low emissivity products on internal surfaces of the alveolar structures would greatly help in improving the energy consumption in buildings.