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Full-Text Articles in Physics

Moisture Monitoring Of Wood-Frame Walls With And Without Exterior Insulation In A Midwestern U.S. Cold Climate, Samuel V. Glass, C. R. Boardman, Borjen Yeh, Kingston Chow Sep 2018

Moisture Monitoring Of Wood-Frame Walls With And Without Exterior Insulation In A Midwestern U.S. Cold Climate, Samuel V. Glass, C. R. Boardman, Borjen Yeh, Kingston Chow

International Building Physics Conference 2018

Continuous exterior insulation is becoming more common in North American above-grade walls in both retrofit applications and new construction, as a means to improve the thermal performance of wall assemblies. Although moisture performance of wood-frame wall assemblies has been studied extensively, the drying capability of wall assemblies with exterior insulation and an interior vapor retarder in cold climates is not well characterized. This study monitored the hygrothermal performance of wall assemblies with and without exterior insulation under high and low interior humidity conditions and with intentional wetting of the wood structural panel sheathing. Moisture content and temperature of standard 38 …


Studying The Impact Of Local Urban Heat Islands On The Space Cooling Demand Of Buildings Using Coupled Cfd And Building Energy Simulations, Jonas Allegrini, Jan Carmeliet Sep 2018

Studying The Impact Of Local Urban Heat Islands On The Space Cooling Demand Of Buildings Using Coupled Cfd And Building Energy Simulations, Jonas Allegrini, Jan Carmeliet

International Building Physics Conference 2018

Surface as well as air temperatures are due to the urban heat island effect higher in urban compared to their surrounding rural areas. These increased temperatures have a strong impact on the building energy performance in urban environments and thermal comfort as well as health of inhabitants of these environments. At smaller scales, local heat islands are formed within urban environments, which have the same negative impacts. In this study, we investigate the influence of local heat islands on the space cooling demand of buildings. Commonly, climate information from one weather station is used for building performance simulations within a …


Extracting Radiant Cooling From Building Exhaust Air Using The Maisotsenko Cycle Principle, Théo Keeley-Leclaire, Eric Teitelbaum, Suin Shim, Michael Bozlar, Howard A. Stone, Forrest Meggers Sep 2018

Extracting Radiant Cooling From Building Exhaust Air Using The Maisotsenko Cycle Principle, Théo Keeley-Leclaire, Eric Teitelbaum, Suin Shim, Michael Bozlar, Howard A. Stone, Forrest Meggers

International Building Physics Conference 2018

Indirect evaporative cooling has exciting implications for air based thermal comfort. With recent advances in the research and commercialization of Maisotsenko Cycle (M-Cycle), or dew-point, evaporative cooling, thermodynamics can be fully leveraged to provide effectively free air cooling. However, few studies seek to generate cool surfaces by evaporation for radiant cooling. As a method to reduce building energy consumption, such an evapo-radiative system would maintain occupant thermal comfort at higher ventilation air temperatures and provide cooling at low cost. This study explores an analytical model for an M-Cycle evapo-radiative cooling system that derives a 1-D temperature profile throughout an experimental …


Adsorption And Film Forming Of Train Of Water Droplets Impacting Porous Stones, Dominique Derome, Stephan Carl, Peter Vontobel, Jan Carmeliet Sep 2018

Adsorption And Film Forming Of Train Of Water Droplets Impacting Porous Stones, Dominique Derome, Stephan Carl, Peter Vontobel, Jan Carmeliet

International Building Physics Conference 2018

The phenomenon of droplets impacting porous media is ubiquitous in rain events. Rain is a major source of moisture in buildings. When a water droplet impacts a permeable surface, it spreads on the surface and is absorbed into the porous material due to capillary action. This paper presents an experimental investigation of the absorption and film forming during train of liquid droplets impacting porous stones, towards establishing the fate of rain droplets during rain events.


Water Uptake In Masonry: Effect Of Brick/Mortar Interface, Xiaohai Zhou, Guylaine Desmarais, Peter Vontobel, Jan Carmeliet, Dominique Derome Sep 2018

Water Uptake In Masonry: Effect Of Brick/Mortar Interface, Xiaohai Zhou, Guylaine Desmarais, Peter Vontobel, Jan Carmeliet, Dominique Derome

International Building Physics Conference 2018

Water transport in masonry walls composed of bricks and mortar joints can be strongly affected by the interface between brick and mortar. In this study, water uptake experiments and numerical simulations are performed to study the effect of interface resistance on moisture transport in masonry samples with horizontal and vertical interfaces. Neutron radiography is used to measure moisture content distribution in different masonry samples. An interface resistance is introduced to consider the imperfect contact between brick and mortar in the numerical model. A good agreement between measured and simulated moisture contents is found for different masonry samples. The orientation, horizontal …


Towards Validation Of A Numerical Model Of A Test Cell Laboratory, Johannes Brozovsky, Matthias Haase, Alessandro Nocente, Nicola Lolli Sep 2018

Towards Validation Of A Numerical Model Of A Test Cell Laboratory, Johannes Brozovsky, Matthias Haase, Alessandro Nocente, Nicola Lolli

International Building Physics Conference 2018

No abstract provided.


Application Of Rain Intensity Dependent Rain Admittance Factor (Raf) In Hygrothermal Performance Assessment Of Wall Systems, Emishaw Iffa, Fitsum Tariku Sep 2018

Application Of Rain Intensity Dependent Rain Admittance Factor (Raf) In Hygrothermal Performance Assessment Of Wall Systems, Emishaw Iffa, Fitsum Tariku

International Building Physics Conference 2018

Wind-driven rain (WDR) is one of the main moisture loading sources on the exterior enclosures. The direct impact of wind-driven rain on the hygrothermal performance of building envelope has been well documented. Rain admittance factor (RAF) and rain penetration values characterize the amount of water reaching the exterior surface and the exterior surface of the water-resistive barrier respectively based on measured horizontal rain intensity. In common RAF factor calculation from horizontal rainfall data procedures, such as ASHRAE 160, RAF values are not affected by the intensity of the rainfall. However, a previous study shows RAF coefficients are sensitive to the …


A State-Space Based Method To Predict Thermal Performance Of Pipeembedded Double Skin Façade: Case Study In Guangzhou, Shuai Yan, Weihua Lv, Chong Shen, Xianting Li Sep 2018

A State-Space Based Method To Predict Thermal Performance Of Pipeembedded Double Skin Façade: Case Study In Guangzhou, Shuai Yan, Weihua Lv, Chong Shen, Xianting Li

International Building Physics Conference 2018

Pipe-embedded double skin facade, which arranges pipes in shading device, is an alternative to reduce indoor demand and save energy. To simulate annual performance of this system, a simplified approach based on optical and thermal property is proposed at first, in which dynamic performance is acquired through state-space method. Then the model is validated with former investigation and shows good accuracy. Indoor room temperature with the pipe-embedded double skin façade is analyzed under different types of room in Guangzhou at last. Results show that the pipe-embedded double skin façade could guarantee a barely satisfactory indoor environment where indoor heat gain …


Drainage And Retention Of Water In Small Drainage Cavities: Experimental Assessment, Stéphanie Van Linden, Michael Lacasse, Nathan Van Den Bossche Sep 2018

Drainage And Retention Of Water In Small Drainage Cavities: Experimental Assessment, Stéphanie Van Linden, Michael Lacasse, Nathan Van Den Bossche

International Building Physics Conference 2018

Water that enters the drainage cavity of a rain screen wall assembly through deficiencies in the cladding will either be drained or retained by absorption or adhesion on the drainage surfaces. The objective of this study is to gain insight into the different factors that affect the quantity of water drained or retained in a drainage cavity. Drainage tests have been conducted for water flowing between two vertical polycarbonate plates with different gap widths to determine the effect on the drainage rate. Tests showed that even small cavities with a width of 1 mm can already drain more water than …


Determination Of The Input Data For Computational Simulation Of Active Glazing With Changeable Optical Properties, Dariusz Heim, Dominika Knera, Anna Wieprzkowicz Sep 2018

Determination Of The Input Data For Computational Simulation Of Active Glazing With Changeable Optical Properties, Dariusz Heim, Dominika Knera, Anna Wieprzkowicz

International Building Physics Conference 2018

No abstract provided.


Influence Of Illumination On Paper And Silk Used In Chinese Traditional Painting And Calligraphy Based On Raman Spectroscopy In Museum, Rui Dang, Huijiao Tan, Gang Liu, Nan Wang Sep 2018

Influence Of Illumination On Paper And Silk Used In Chinese Traditional Painting And Calligraphy Based On Raman Spectroscopy In Museum, Rui Dang, Huijiao Tan, Gang Liu, Nan Wang

International Building Physics Conference 2018

As the substrate of Chinese traditional painting and calligraphy, the paper and silk are susceptible to optical radiation in the museum illumination and appear mechanical damage such as brittleness, chalking, deformation, etc. However, there is no effective method now of quantitatively evaluating the mechanical damage of cultural relics caused by illumination. In this paper, Raman spectroscopy used in the analytical chemistry field was introduced into the illumination research of the cultural relics in museum. The four light sources with different center wavelengths of 450nm, 510nm, 583nm, and 650nm, which constitute the spectra of the white light-emitting-diode (LED), were used as …


Evaluation Of The Impact Of Weather Variability On A Net Zero Energy Building: Advantage Of Sensitivity Analysis For Performance Guarantee, Jeanne Goffart, Monika Woloszyn Sep 2018

Evaluation Of The Impact Of Weather Variability On A Net Zero Energy Building: Advantage Of Sensitivity Analysis For Performance Guarantee, Jeanne Goffart, Monika Woloszyn

International Building Physics Conference 2018

Global sensitivity analysis associated with uncertainty analysis evaluates the robustness of a physical system and prioritises measurement and/or modelling efforts. The uncertainty analysis evaluates a confidence interval, whereas the sensitivity analysis quantifies the accountability of each uncertain input on the dispersion of the output. These statistical methods are usually used to account for the variability of the static inputs, which are constant regarding the evolution of the system, for example the physical properties of the materials modelled. Dynamic inputs however, i.e. parameters that are variable over time, are rarely taken into account in the statistical analyses because of the difficulty …


Numerical Analysis Of A Ground-Source Heat-Pump System In Traditional Japanese “Kyo-Machiya” Dwellings, Shun Takano, Chiemi Iba, Shuichi Hokoi Sep 2018

Numerical Analysis Of A Ground-Source Heat-Pump System In Traditional Japanese “Kyo-Machiya” Dwellings, Shun Takano, Chiemi Iba, Shuichi Hokoi

International Building Physics Conference 2018

Kyo-machiya, which is a traditional wooden dwelling in Kyoto, is generally equipped with a shallow well. The well water can be potentially utilized as a heat source with a geothermal heatpump system without incurring a high drilling cost. Hereby, more energy saving in the traditional dwelling can be realized with the heat-pump system. However, an appropriate technique to utilize geothermal heat from a shallow well has not been established yet in Japan. To promote the geothermal use, we have continued an experiment to evaluate the practicability of a simple geothermal heat-pump system installed in a shallow well since the winter …


Visualizing The Exergy Destructed In Exergy Delivery Chain In Relation To Human Thermal Comfort With Exflow, Hongshan Guo, Forrest Meggers Sep 2018

Visualizing The Exergy Destructed In Exergy Delivery Chain In Relation To Human Thermal Comfort With Exflow, Hongshan Guo, Forrest Meggers

International Building Physics Conference 2018

Exergy analysis is an important tool to fully appreciate the usability of energy at different levels and has been widely applied in the building system analysis domain. It has became more useful as low temperature heating and high temperature cooling began to attract more attention both in Europe and the United States. Using low-grade energy to supply for these systems have, in return, led to an increase in awareness of low exergy (LowEx) system designs. The possibility of modeling the last missing link in the system that is to delivery thermal comfort, the human body, have therefore became a topic …


Lightlearn: Occupant Centered Lighting Controller Using Reinforcement Learning To Adapt Systems To Humans, June Young Park, Thomas Dougherty, Hagen Fritz, Zoltan Nagy Sep 2018

Lightlearn: Occupant Centered Lighting Controller Using Reinforcement Learning To Adapt Systems To Humans, June Young Park, Thomas Dougherty, Hagen Fritz, Zoltan Nagy

International Building Physics Conference 2018

Humans spend up to 90% of their time indoors, thus building systems should maintain the indoor environment within the comfort range. In this paper, we present LightLearn, a reinforcement learning based occupant centered lighting controller. The control agent interacts with the occupant non-intrusively, learns her/his preferences, and determines actions for achieving both human comfort and energy saving. We present system hardware, control algorithm, and experimental results of LightLearn for an office space. Compared to the full (9am-5pm) and occupancy based control, LightLearn reduced 83% and 63% of operation time, respectively, by adapting to the occupant.


The Thermal Resistance Of Retrofitted Building Components Based On In-Situ Measurements, Evi Lambie, Dirk Saelens Sep 2018

The Thermal Resistance Of Retrofitted Building Components Based On In-Situ Measurements, Evi Lambie, Dirk Saelens

International Building Physics Conference 2018

Buildings are responsible for a large share of the worldwide energy use. For new buildings very strict objectives for the energy performance of buildings are set. The main energy use however occurs in existing buildings emphasizing the need for renovation of the older building stock. In order to detect deviations from the theoretical performance, in-situ measurements of the envelope performance after renovation can give insight in the workmanship and issues with different renovation techniques. Therefore, the focus of this paper is to determine the thermal resistance of building components from in-situ measurements, before and after renovation. Different methods were applied …


Wireless Sensor System For Intelligent Facades, Ayman Bishara, Helge Kramberger, Andreas Weder, Marcus Pietzsch Sep 2018

Wireless Sensor System For Intelligent Facades, Ayman Bishara, Helge Kramberger, Andreas Weder, Marcus Pietzsch

International Building Physics Conference 2018

The integration of a wireless-transponder system into building components (“intelligent building materials”) with built-in relative humidity and temperature sensors (RH, T) allows for a cost-efficient and non-destructive measurement of data regarding the current hygrothermal conditions of a building. Even during long-term use, quality assurance of the building system can be achieved by “looking into” the component. This supports the sustainability of the building from both a technical and an ecological point of view. In this paper, the development, the functionality and the exemplary application of Radio Frequency (RF), as well as an hygro-thermal analysis for solving the challenges of building-climatology …


Dynamic Life Cycle Assessment Integrating Cultural Value, Ming Hu Sep 2018

Dynamic Life Cycle Assessment Integrating Cultural Value, Ming Hu

International Building Physics Conference 2018

Lack of spatial and temporal flexibility is a well-known limitation of current life cycle assessment (LCA). Exclusion of human and time consideration in LCA can also limit the potential of results. This paper explicitly proposes a dynamic life cycle framework and assessment model and demonstrated the potential importance of the method by integrating the cultural theory of risk. Cultural theory (CT) of risk was developed by anthropologist Mary Douglas and is originally a societal social anthropology approach based on the structure and functioning of groups within societies. Different society produces its own selected view of the natural environment, a view …


Investigation Of Energy Modelling Methods Of Multiple Fidelities: A Case Study, Naveen Kumar Muthumanickam, Vaclav Hasik, Mehmet Unal, Simon W. Miller, Tina Unwalla, Melissa M. Bilec, Lisa D. Iulo Sep 2018

Investigation Of Energy Modelling Methods Of Multiple Fidelities: A Case Study, Naveen Kumar Muthumanickam, Vaclav Hasik, Mehmet Unal, Simon W. Miller, Tina Unwalla, Melissa M. Bilec, Lisa D. Iulo

International Building Physics Conference 2018

Building energy modelling has become an integral part of building design due to energy consumption concerns in sustainable buildings. As such, energy modelling methods have evolved to the point of including higher-order physics, complex interconnected components and sub-systems. Despite advances in computer capacity, the cost of generating and running complex energy simulations makes it impractical to rely exclusively on such higher fidelity energy modelling for exploring a large set of design alternatives. This challenge of exploring a large set of alternatives efficiently might be overcome by using surrogate models to generalize across the large design space from an evaluation of …


Pareto Optimality Analysis For Evaluating The Tradeoff Between Visual Comfort And Energy Efficiency, Maryam Hamidpour, Vincent Blouin Sep 2018

Pareto Optimality Analysis For Evaluating The Tradeoff Between Visual Comfort And Energy Efficiency, Maryam Hamidpour, Vincent Blouin

International Building Physics Conference 2018

Architectural designs are increasingly driven by both sustainability and health, which requires evaluating the tradeoff between visual comfort and energy consumption. Lack of daylight leads to poor visual comfort and health issues but reduces heat gains, while excessive daylight may lead to over-illumination, glare, and high heat gains. Identifying the tradeoff between multiple criteria is an intricate process that requires skill and experience, especially when dealing with complex phenomena such as visual comfort. In order to facilitate this process, this paper provides two contributions: (1) the description of a new single-valued visual comfort measure, and (2) the application of the …


Passive Survivability In Residential Buildings During Heat Waves Under Dynamic Exterior Conditions, Timothy Aduralere, Jacqueline Isaacs, David Fannon Sep 2018

Passive Survivability In Residential Buildings During Heat Waves Under Dynamic Exterior Conditions, Timothy Aduralere, Jacqueline Isaacs, David Fannon

International Building Physics Conference 2018

The increased frequency of heat waves around the world has prompted numerous studies to improve building resilience and maintain thermal comfort in the face of extreme conditions. However, previous studies rely on the assumption of steady-state conditions, including external temperature, which limits real-world applicability, demanding a more practical perspective. This paper presents the use of recorded heat wave temperatures for a specified location to simulate the effect of extreme temperatures on the interior temperature of buildings when air conditioning is not used. The objective of this study is to determine how a building becomes uninhabitable during extreme heat and to …


Optimal Passive Design Strategies For Nearly Zero-Energy Dwellings In Different Chilean Climates Using Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithms, Daniela Besser, Frank U. Vogdt Sep 2018

Optimal Passive Design Strategies For Nearly Zero-Energy Dwellings In Different Chilean Climates Using Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithms, Daniela Besser, Frank U. Vogdt

International Building Physics Conference 2018

At present, most developed countries attempt to highly diminish the energy consumption of buildings towards nearly zero-energy performances. This study assesses passive design strategies by means of multi-objective optimizations with genetic algorithms, aiming to minimize the heating and cooling demand of typical single-family dwellings in Chile. The results show that the thermal transmittance and airtightness of the whole building envelope should be highly improved from the current limiting values in all assessed locations. Complementarily, strategies for managing overheating would be crucial for avoiding to shift the heating demand into cooling. With this regard, the use of thermal mass, natural ventilation …


Ieq Measurement And Assessment Tools For Plug-And-Play Deep Renovation In Buildings, Marco Arnesano, Gian Marco Revel, Rizal Sebastian, Anna Gralka, Carlo Macciò, Eva Raggi, Michele Mililli Sep 2018

Ieq Measurement And Assessment Tools For Plug-And-Play Deep Renovation In Buildings, Marco Arnesano, Gian Marco Revel, Rizal Sebastian, Anna Gralka, Carlo Macciò, Eva Raggi, Michele Mililli

International Building Physics Conference 2018

This paper presents the approach developed for the monitoring and assessment of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) in the whole deep renovation process aimed at reducing energy consumptions and improving comfort. The research was performed by the P2Endure project, that aims to provide scalable, adaptable and ready-to-implement prefabricated Plug-and-Play systems for deep renovation of building envelopes and technical systems. The idea is to use IEQ as one of the design criteria supporting the decision-making process, included into the holistic renovation process developed by P2Endure and called “4M: Mapping-Modelling- Making-Monitoring”. For this reason, a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) was selected, …


Offsetting Peak Residential Cooling Loads Using A Medium Temperature Chiller And Sensible Cold Thermal Storage, Christopher Baldwin, Cynthia A. Cruickshank Sep 2018

Offsetting Peak Residential Cooling Loads Using A Medium Temperature Chiller And Sensible Cold Thermal Storage, Christopher Baldwin, Cynthia A. Cruickshank

International Building Physics Conference 2018

Space cooling places a significant peak load on the electrical grid during hot, sunny afternoons. With the introduction of time-of-use billing, space cooling during these periods has become very expensive. To reduce utility costs and shift peak loads, the use of a medium temperature chiller coupled with a sensible cold thermal storage system was investigated. Optimal configurations were found for seven cities located within each of the seven ASHRAE climate zones and an analysis on the energy consumption and annual utility costs are presented. It was found that in all locations, peak loads from air-conditioning could be reduced or eliminated, …


Sequential Monte Carlo For On-Line Estimation Of The Heat Loss Coefficient, Simon Rouchier, Maria José Jiménez, Sergio CastañO Sep 2018

Sequential Monte Carlo For On-Line Estimation Of The Heat Loss Coefficient, Simon Rouchier, Maria José Jiménez, Sergio CastañO

International Building Physics Conference 2018

The calibration of building energy models based on in-situ sensor information is generally performed after the measurement period, using all data in a single batch. Alternatively, on-line parameter estimation proposes updating a model every time a new data point is available: this allows observing a direct relation between external events and the identifiability of parameters. The present study uses the Sequential Monte Carlo method to train a RC model, and thus estimate a Heat Loss Coefficient, and other parameters, sequentially. Results show the direct impact of solicitations (solar irradiance and indoor heat input) on this estimation, in real time. The …


Implementation Of Integrated Wireless Sensors Technology In Renovation Of Social Housing Buildings. A Danish Case Study., Hagar Elarga, Danai Alifragki, Carsten Rode Sep 2018

Implementation Of Integrated Wireless Sensors Technology In Renovation Of Social Housing Buildings. A Danish Case Study., Hagar Elarga, Danai Alifragki, Carsten Rode

International Building Physics Conference 2018

Social housing units built in the 1960s and 1970s make up one-fifth of all housing units in Denmark. Their renovation is an important step towards meeting the goals of the national energy road map. Sensors based on wireless technology could be considered a feasible solution to increase occupant’s awareness towards their indoor climate and their energy consumption. In the present experimental study, a framework implementing wireless sensors to monitor energy and indoor climate before and after renovation has been applied in two apartments of a Danish social housing site. In the first phase of the study, the accuracy of some …


Computer Tomography As A Data Acquisition Tool For Quantifying And Modeling In-Pore Gypsum Crystallization In Building Materials, Steven Claes, Jelena Todorovic, Hans Janssen Sep 2018

Computer Tomography As A Data Acquisition Tool For Quantifying And Modeling In-Pore Gypsum Crystallization In Building Materials, Steven Claes, Jelena Todorovic, Hans Janssen

International Building Physics Conference 2018

In the last few decades a new type of persistent efflorescence has started appearing on ceramic brick facades in the UK, the Netherlands and in Belgium. Since the problem undermines the aesthetic appearance of masonry buildings, it results in a growing number of complaints from building owners. In the laboratory, gypsum efflorescence is typically studied via wicking tests. However, these often yield gypsum subflorescence instead, leading to significant pore clogging just below the evaporation surface. To gain further insight in that subflorescence and pore clogging, a correct quantification of the amount and the distribution of the gypsum crystalised in the …


Predicting The Thermal Conductivity Of Porous Building Materials With Nanopores Or Reduced Gas Pressures, Wouter Van De Walle, Hans Janssen Sep 2018

Predicting The Thermal Conductivity Of Porous Building Materials With Nanopores Or Reduced Gas Pressures, Wouter Van De Walle, Hans Janssen

International Building Physics Conference 2018

No abstract provided.


Rational Selection Of Experimental Readouts For Hygric Material Characterisation, Evy Vereecken, Hans Janssen, Staf Roels Sep 2018

Rational Selection Of Experimental Readouts For Hygric Material Characterisation, Evy Vereecken, Hans Janssen, Staf Roels

International Building Physics Conference 2018

No abstract provided.


Rain-Tightness Of Door Sill Sealing, Lars Gullbrekken, Steinar Grynning Sep 2018

Rain-Tightness Of Door Sill Sealing, Lars Gullbrekken, Steinar Grynning

International Building Physics Conference 2018

The harsh Norwegian climate requires buildings designed according to high standards. The airtightness of the building envelope is crucial to attain an energy efficient building and to avoid moisture problems. A considerable part of building defects registered in the SINTEF Building defects archive are related to leakages through door sills especially in combination with balconies. The aim of the study has been to examine the rain tightness of the joint below door sills. A laboratory investigation using a driving rain cabined according to EN 1027 has been conducted to provide answers to the matter. In total 14 different test were …