Effect of Air flow on Heat transfer within Dynamic Building Walls

Abstract

In this work, an analytical model is presented to show the air leakage effect on the heat transfer within a permeable 120 mm thick, fiber glass wall. Both steady-state and steady periodic conditions are considered for the inner and the outer surfaces of the wall. Computer calculations are made to determine the temperature profiles and heat flux variations within the wall taking into consideration the infiltration and exfiltration of air. The effect of air flows on the heat transmission through the wall is studied and the thermal advantages of the circulating air through the building walls are analyzed.
The study is concentrating on the thermal performance of dynamic walls integrated in a whole building, as a function of the infiltration and exfiltration rates and the building thermal load. The results indicate that the dynamic walls can save energy of up to 20 percent of the total building thermal load