Abstract
This article describes a novel application of thermal anisotropy for improving the energy efficiency of building envelopes. The current work was inspired by existing research on improved heat dissipation in electronics using thermal anisotropy. Past work has shown that thermally anisotropic composites (TACs) can be created by the alternate layering of two dissimilar, isotropic materials. Here, a TAC consisting of alternate layers of rigid foam insulation and thin, high-conductivity aluminum foil was investigated. The TAC was coupled with copper tubes with circulating water that acted as a heat sink and source. The TAC system was applied to a conventional wood-framed wall assembly, and the energy benefits were investigated experimentally and numerically. For experimental testing, large scale test wall specimens were built with and without the TAC system and tested in an environmental chamber under simulated diurnal hot and cold weather conditions. Component-level and whole building numerical simulations were performed to investigate the energy benefits of applying the TAC system to the external walls of a typical, single-family residential building.
Highlights
Buildings consume about 40% of the total energy, and are responsible for 30% of carbon dioxide emissions [1]
Vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) and aerogels are among the new generation of high-performance insulation materials being investigated for building envelope applications [6,7,8], but suffer from high cost and/or durability-related questions
This study investigates the feasibility of applying thermal anisotropy [9] for improved thermal management in building envelopes
Summary
Buildings consume about 40% of the total energy, and are responsible for 30% of carbon dioxide emissions [1]. Thermal management is important from both energy conservation and thermal comfort perspectives [1,2,3]. Thermal management to reduce unwanted heat flows through the opaque building envelope sections (walls, roof, and foundation) has traditionally been done via insulation materials. Phase change materials (PCMs), used as latent thermal storage technologies, have shown the potential for reductions in envelope-generated heating and cooling loads [4,5], but systematic studies evaluating the benefits of PCMs in large-scale, real building applications are missing. Vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) and aerogels are among the new generation of high-performance insulation materials being investigated for building envelope applications [6,7,8], but suffer from high cost and/or durability-related questions
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