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Building Science 1
Sujatavani Gunasagaran
Thermal performance of buildings
Conduction
Convection
Radiation
What is Conduction?
• Heat energy travels through/transfer between
bodies in direct contact.
• Heated excited molecules bump into and
transfer some of their energy into adjacent,
cooler ones.
• The faster the rate of heat flow, or molecular
interaction at a given temperature through a
material, the higher the conductivity.
What is Convection?
• Heat is transferred by the bodily movement of
a carrying medium (gas or liquid). Movement
maybe self-generating due to temperature
differences or propelled by an applied force.
• The rate of heat transfer in convection
depends on:
• Temperature difference
• The rate of movement of carrying medium
• Specific heat of the carrying medium.
What is Radiation?
• Heat energy transmitted from the source
through the space to the bodily contact
without a medium.
• Radiant energy is transmitted as
electromagnetic waves.
• Rate of heat flow depends on:
• Temperature of emitting and receiving surfaces.
• Certain qualities of these surfaces.
• Radiation received by a surface can be partly
absorbed and partly reflected (a + r =1).
What is Radiation?
• Light coloured, smooth & shiny surfaces
tend to have higher reflectance.
• A perfect reflective surface : r=1, a=0
• A perfect absorber (black surface : r=0,
a=1
• Measurement of radiation = W/m2.
Thermal balance
• Insulation
• Thermal mass heat storage
Insulation
• Insulation is the use of a material with a
low overall conductance to reduce the
energy flow across another material.
• The insulation acts to retard and/or
reduce the flow of heat, thus it must
have a high resistance (resistance
being the inverse of conductance).
Thermal Mass Heat Storage
• Solid mass
elements such as
concrete, solid brick,
stone, earth,
rammed earth,
absorb and release
heat slowly.
• The effect is to
stabilize the effects
of diurnal
temperature
changes.
Airtightness and Ventilation
• Heat may be lost (exfiltration), or gained
(infiltration)
• Control of airflow in and out of a
building is an essential design
consideration.
- Window design,
- vent and opening location
- avoid uncontrollable gaps and cracks
Conductivity, k-value (M&E Book pg 179)
• In order to calculate heat transfer and to
compare different materials it is necessary to
quantify just how well a material conducts
heat.
• k = rate of heat flow in watts across a
thickness of 1m for a temperature difference
of 1 degree C.
• Or a measure of the rate at which heat is
conducted through a particular material under
specified conditions
• Unit measurement is W/m deg C.
• The lower the k-value, the better the
insulation (good insulator = 0.03 W/m deg.C)
• (tables M&E page 1547 and Metric Handbook page 38-3)
Conductivity and
resistivity of some
materials –
(Book: Manual of Tropical Housing
and Building page 285)
Resistance (R) and Resistivity
R=t/k m2 C/W
where: R is the resistance of the material (m²C/W),
t is the thickness of the material (m), and
k is the conductivity of the material (W/mC).
C = 1 = k W/m²
W/m²C
R t
Rt-value and U-value
• Resistance is usually given as an "R" value
which is given as the resistance of one square
metre of the structural element subject to a
one degree temperature difference. R
includes surface air resistances.
Rt = Rso + ΣR
Rn + Rsi m2C/W
• The U-Value is the overall heat transfer
property of a structural element (W/m² K) and
is the reciprocal of its total resistance.
U= 1 W/m²
W/m² C
Rt
Transmittance, U-value
• The reciprocal of the air to air resistance
is the air to air transmittance or U-value
(use for heat gain/loss calculation)
• U = 1/Rt (total thermal resistance) or U
= 1/Rsi+1/R1+1/R2+….+1/Ra+Rso
• unit is the same as conductance ie.
• W/m2 deg C except that the difference
is the air temperature difference and not
the surface temperature difference.
Overall heat transfer property
U = 1/Rsi+1/R1+1/R2+….+1/Ra+Rso
• U = U value
• Rsi= standard inside surface resistance
• R1, R2= Resistance of that particular
material
• Ra = Standard resistance of air space
• Rso= standard outside surface
resistance
Transmittance of
some
constructions –
(Book: Manual of Tropical Housing
and Building page 287)
REFERENCES
• Introduction to Architectural Science:
Steven V Szokolay
• Metric Handbook: David Adler
• Manual of Tropical Housing & Building:
Koenigsberger
• Mechanical & Electrical Equipment for
Buildings: Benjamin Stein
Worked example 1
Using U-value = 1 / Rt
= 1/2.353
= 0.43 W/m2K
Worked Example 2
• A certain uninsulated cavity wall has a U-value of 0.91W/m2K. If
expanded polyurethane board is included in the construction what
minimum thickness of this board is needed to reduce the U-value to
0.45W/m2K? Given that the thermal conductivity of expanded
polyurethene = 0.025W/mK.
R=d/k
Thickness of material d = R x k
= 1.123 x 0.025
= 0.028meters