Thermal analysis of a building brick containing phase change material

This paper presents the thermal analysis of a building brick containing phase change material (PCM) to be used in hot climates. The objective of using the PCM is to utilize its high latent heat of fusion to reduce the heat gain by absorbing the heat in the bricks through the melting process before it reaches the indoor space. The considered model consists of bricks with cylindrical holes filled with PCM. The problem is solved in a two-dimensional space using the finite element method. The thermal effectiveness of the proposed brick-PCM system is evaluated by comparing the heat flux at the indoor surface to a wall without the PCM during typical working hours. A paramedic study is conducted to assess the effect of different design parameters, such as the PCM's quantity, type, and location in the brick. The results indicate that the heat gain is significantly reduced when the PCM is incorporated into the brick, and increasing the quantity of the PCM has a positive effect. PCM cylinders located at the centerline of the bricks shows the best performance.     

Study of the geometry of a voided clay brick using non-rectangular perforations to optimise its thermal properties

This study seeks to improve the geometrical distribution of bricks to optimise the equivalent thermal transmittance of a wall built of Termoarcilla^® ECO 29 voided clay bricks, using calculations according to Spanish UNE [1], AENOR [10], European EN [6], [7], [8] and [9] and international ISO [11] and [12] standards.The objective is to study improvements in the wall's thermal conductivity, always remembering the limitations imposed by the manufacturing process. Simulations are made using a finite elements application [14].It is concluded that, within the possibilities allowed by the manufacturing process, with non-rectangular voids the heat flux has to cross a higher number of voids, which improves its thermal properties. A rhomboid layout of voids with the longer diagonal at right angles to the heat flux is the best internal void layout. If the internal perforations are also extended to the end of the tongue and groove, the direct thermal bridge in this type of brick is broken.Finally, a 290 mm wide brick with 25 rows is obtained with the geometrical properties described above which shows an improvement of almost 16% over the original ECO 29 brick, performing well in all climatic areas of Spain, with a full-bed mortar joint 30 mm thick.     

Thermal storage and nonlinear heat-transfer characteristics of PCM wallboard

For the materials with constant thermophysical properties, the thermal performance of wallboards (or floor, ceiling) can be described by decrement factor f and time lag φ. However, the phase change material (PCM) may charge large heat during the melting process and discharge large heat during the freezing process, which takes place at some certain temperature or a narrow temperature range. The behavior deviates a lot from the material with constant thermal physical properties. Therefore, it is not reasonable to analyze the thermal performance of PCM wallboard by using the decrement factor f and time lag φ. How to simply and effectively analyze the thermal performance of a PCM wallboard is an important problem. In order to analyze and evaluate the energy-efficient effects of the PCM wallboard and floor, two new parameters, i.e., modifying factor of the inner surface heat flux ‘α’ and ratio of the thermal storage ‘b’, are put forward. They can describe the thermal performance of PCM external and internal walls, respectively. The analysis and simulation methods are both applied to investigate the effects of different PCM thermophysical properties (heat of fusion H_m, melting temperature T_m and thermal conductivity k) on the thermal performance of PCM wallboard for the residential buildings. The results show that the PCM external wall can save more energy by increasing H_m, decreasing k and selecting proper T_m (α < 1); that the PCM internal wall can save more energy by increasing H_m and selecting appropriate T_m, k. The most energy-efficient approach of applying PCM in a solar house is to apply it in its internal wall.     

Numerical simulation by the FVM of coupled heat transfers by conduction, natural convection and radiation in honeycomb’s hollow bricks

This paper presents a detailed numerical study, in steady state regime, of the interaction between two dimensional heat transfers by conduction, natural convection and radiation in double hollow bricks formed by two honeycomb walls separated by an air layer. The air motion in all cavities of the system is laminar. The left and right vertical sides of the hollow bricks are considered isothermal and maintained at different constant temperatures. The top and bottom horizontal sides are assumed to be adiabatic. The governing equations are solved using the finite volume method (FVM) and the SIMPLE algorithm. The impact of the thickness of the air layer on the global heat flux through the structure is discussed. The simulation results show that the variation of the overall heat flux through each hollow brick as a function of the temperature difference ΔT between the vertical sides of the system is almost linear for the different types of double hollow bricks considered. This linear thermal behaviour allowed the generation of appropriate overall heat exchange coefficients that permit fast and accurate prediction of heat transfers through the hollow bricks without solving the complex system of equations governing the coupled heat transfers. Comparison of the performance of different types of double hollow bricks is made.     

Untersuchung der thermisch‐hygrischen Eigenschaften von Ziegeln mit Hohlraumfüllung aus Recyclingmaterial

Investigation on the thermal‐hygral behaniour of bricks with canity filling by recycling meterials. In the investigation project was examined whether bricks with simple cavity structure have a higher heat resistance by use of a heat insulation material filling in the cavities. The insulation material is a recycled product made of polystyrene and wood covered and bonded with cement. The influence of the configuration and thickness of the perforated bricks with vertical perforations and the geometry of the cavities of the brick on the thermal moisture states was evaluated. For investigation of the thermal resistance and the heat transmission coefficients were used the simulation program THERM, that considered the heat transportation through conduction in the brick fragments and the transport mechanisms conduction, convection and radiation in the airfilled cavities. The software package WUFI 2D was employed for the investigation of moisture transfer in the bricks. The investigations showed that the composite brick insulation stone has a thermal resistance twice as high as the initial brick. The moisture states can be partially in the brick more than 80 % humidity. This load is estimated as uncritical because the wooden particles are covered with cement slime.     

Strength and thermal conductivity in lightweight building materials

Pumice can be used in bricks and concrete to produce lightweight building materials with high porosity, high thermal insulation and resistance to earthquake motion. The paper presents ongoing research to design a structural lightweight concrete and brick using Nevşehir pumice. The testing of four different brick types is reported. The density, thermal conductivity, compressive and tensile strengths and Young’s elastic modulus indicated that these lightweight materials had significant advantages as a construction material in earthquake-prone areas.      

Heat conduction across double brick walls via BEM

The Boundary Element Method (BEM) is used to compare the steady-state heat and moisture diffusion behaviour across double brick walls provided by two different models: in the first one, the brick wall is assumed to be composed of a set of homogeneous layers bonded together, which is the model frequently used to predict internal condensation; in the second model, the geometrical modelling and hygrothermal properties of the individual bricks are taken into account.The BEM is implemented allowing the use of multi boundaries, which permits the full discretization of the brick cavities.Three different construction solutions are analysed. In the first, the double-brick wall is assumed not to be thermally insulated; in the second, the space between the two layers of bricks is filled with thermal insulation material; in the third solution, both the space between the brick layers and the holes of the inner brick layer are filled with thermal insulating material.     

Thermal performance of non air-conditioned buildings with vaulted roofs in comparison with flat roofs

Vaulted or domed roofs have been frequently adopted by builders and architects throughout the Middle East and other hot dry areas. However, the thermal performance of such buildings under hot dry climatic conditions has rarely been quantitatively studied. In this paper, a detailed finite element model for the investigation of the thermal performance of non air-conditioned buildings with vaulted roofs (VR) is suggested based on two-dimensional unsteady heat transfer in such roofs and solar geometry. This model allows a comparison of the thermal performance of non air-conditioned buildings with a VR and a flat roof (FR) under different climatic conditions. Results obtained by numerical calculation show that, irrespective of building type the VRs are applied to, buildings with a VR have lower indoor temperatures as compared to those with a FR. The reason is that such roofs dissipate more heat than a FR does by convection and thermal radiation at night due to the enlarged curved surfaces. This implies that such roof forms are suitable for buildings located in hot dry regions but not for those located in hot humid areas, and reasonably explains why curved roofs have been extensively adopted by builders and architects in the hot dry areas in the past. However, with the decrease in the half rim angle of a VR, the difference of indoor thermal condition between a VR and a FR building becomes small and insignificant. Results also indicate that the indoor air temperature is slightly influenced by the half rim angle _θ0${\theta }_0$ and the orientation _φv${\phi }_v$ of the VR. To be effective to create a favorable thermal condition inside buildings with a VR under hot dry climatic conditions, the half rim angle of a VR should be θ₀>50°, instead of _θ0<50^°${\theta }_0<50^{°}$, which is the optimal half rim angle of a VR of air-conditioned buildings, as found by the present authors in a previous study.     

Flashover and boundary properties

A non-linear model of flashover, FLASHOVER A1, which has been described in earlier work, has been used to explore the dependence of the critical heat release rate (Q_fc) for flashover on the properties of the boundary of the enclosure. The compartment is assumed to have a single ventilation opening stretching from floor to ceiling. Specifically, the dependence of Q_fc upon the thermal inertia of the boundary has been calculated for several different compartment sizes. The boundary materials considered are: marinite, gypsum, brick and concrete. Variations in Q_fc with thermal inertia of the boundary and compartment size have been computed. The findings should be tested by experiment.     

Thermal conditions and ventilation in an ideal city model of Hong Kong

Urban heat island can significantly increase the demand for cooling of buildings in cities. This paper investigates one of the main causes of the urban heat island phenomenon, i.e. reduced city ventilation. Two simple Hong Kong city models with relatively complex terrain were considered here under different atmospheric conditions. A 3D RNG k-? turbulence model was used for modeling turbulence effects. The simulation results showed that the influence of thermal stratification can be significant on city ventilation driven partially by thermal buoyancy. When the wind speed is relatively large, the impact of thermal stratification on air flow in city street canyons is minor. When the wind speed is small relative to the buoyancy force, the airflow in the street canyons is dependent on thermal stratification. When there is an adverse vertical temperature gradient, the greater the instability, the stronger the vertical mixing and the greater the flow rate caused by turbulence. The heat and pollutants can easily accumulate under stable atmospheric conditions when there is only a weak background wind or none at all.     

Evaluation of heat flux reduction provided by the use of radiant barriers in clay tile roofs

In Brazilian towns and cities the greatest thermal gain occurs through the roof of single-storey buildings. In this regard, the use of thermal radiation barriers has the function of minimizing the heat flux through the roof. Even though the use of this type of thermal insulation has increased in recent years; there are still no technical standards which address the subject. Thus, many products have become available on the market which have the appearance of a radiant barrier, but without low emissivity, and not functioning properly as thermal insulation. The objective of this study is to analyze the efficiency of some types of radiant barriers found on the civil construction market, as well as to analyze the efficiency of sheets made from the joining together of a solid urban waste, long-live carton packaging, in loco and in the laboratory. The in loco measurements were carried out in a roof of a residence in the city of Florianópolis, where the heat flux, surface temperatures of the tiles and the ceiling, and the internal and external temperatures, were monitored. The laboratory experiments were carried out with an apparatus which simulates the thermal resistances of a real roof. The results allowed the verification of which is the best type of radiant barrier, that is, which achieves the greatest reduction in heat flux through the roof. This study also allowed a comparison between the in loco and laboratory results.     

Steady state theoretical model of fired clay hollow bricks for enhanced external wall thermal insulation

This paper proposes a theoretical model to study the steady state thermal behavior of fired clay hollow bricks for enhanced external wall thermal insulation. The study aims at the development of new materials and structural components with good thermal material properties, with respect to energy saving and ecological design. Thermal insulation capacity of two external walls of different thicknesses, constructed of locally produced bricks, is studied. The basic brick units used for the investigation are small-size bricks with eight equal cavities or recesses and big-size bricks with twelve equal recesses. Their recesses configuration has been varied to perform the assessment. The insulation materials injected within brick recesses during the assessment are granulated cork and expanded polystyrene. The improvement in the thermal performance of the walls will be the result of optimization among the various factors such as brick cavity configurations, integration of insulation within brick recesses and the cavity surface emissivities. So emphasis is given to the study of the impact of these factors singly or in combination on the overall thermal resistance of walls in order to find out the best design solutions to maximize their thermal insulation capacity. Computer modeling and calculations performed, for steady state conditions, show that the increase in hollow brick cavity height contributes to the improvement of the overall thermal resistance of the order of 18–20%. The improvement could significantly increase to the range of 88.64% and 93.33%, if the bricks used are injected with the insulating material. If the cavity surface emissivities are lowered to 0.3, the improvement will be 72.73–78.33%. The results have also shown that replacing the cork by expanded polystyrene (EPS), having lower thermal conductivity, would not improve significantly the overall thermal resistance. This improvement is 9.08% for a wall of small-size bricks having configuration BS2CV and 8.34% for a wall of big-size bricks having configuration BB3CV.     

A simple method to assess the quenching effectiveness of fire suppressants

A screening concept is suggested for evaluating the effectiveness of fluids to thermally suppress fires. It is based on measuring a fluid's ability to inhibit (or quench) the temperature rise of a material that is rapidly heated. The experimental design is similar to the transient hot wire technique, in which the evolution of the average material temperature is recorded for a given input power, and internal temperature gradients in the material are minimized. A gold wire (100 μm long and 5 μm diameter) is used as the surface which heats the fluid. The wire temperature response due to a power pulse provides a measure of the effectiveness of the fluid to suppress thermally the temperature increase. The results indicate that the “quenching effectiveness”, QE=(_Tmax−_T∞)/(_Tmax,ref−_T∞)$\mathit{QE}=(T_{\max }-T_{\infty })/(T_{\max ,\mathit{ref}}-T_{\infty })$, correlates with the ratio of the fluid thermal conductivity to that of the wire, k_fluid/k_solid, using different Nusselt numbers (representing both conduction and natural convection) for the liquids or gases. The concept developed here could be included in a more comprehensive screening protocol, which would assess the thermal potential of candidate fire suppressants.     

Characterization of bacterial community inhabiting the surfaces of weathered bricks of Nanjing Ming city walls

Nanjing Ming city wall, one of the important historic heritages in China, has greatly suffered weathering. Microbes play an important role in the weathering of historic buildings. However, little is known about the microbial community inhabiting naturally weathered brick minerals and their roles in the mineral weathering. To examine the associations between microorganisms and brick weathering process, we compare the phylogenetic diversity, abundance, community structure, and specific functional groups of bacteria existing in weathered bricks by using a coupled approach involving cultivation-independent analysis of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) as well as cultivation-based analysis of Si-releasing bacteria. DGGE and sequence analyses show that the bacterial communities were different along a weathering gradient and the abundance of bacterial communities positively and significantly correlates with the extent of brick weathering. Laboratory brick mineral dissolution experiments indicate that bacteria isolated from the surfaces of weathered brick were very effective in enhancing brick dissolution. Phylogenetic analyses show that the weathered bricks were inhabited by specific functional groups of bacteria (Bacillus, Massillia, Brevibacillus, Glacialice, Acinetobacter, Brachysporum, and Achromobacter) that contribute to the brick weathering.     

Efficient calculation of the radiation heat flux surrounding a jet fire

The major objective of the paper is to address the main weakness of the reverse Monte-Carlo method applied to jet fire simulation; its slow convergence rate. This is done by replacing the use of a pseudo-random number generator for calculating ray orientations with a ray direction specification based on Sobol sequences. Sobol sequences produce sequences of points on the unit hemisphere that are not independent of each other in that new points in the sequence avoid previous points generated. This has the property that a more uniform pattern of rays on the unit hemisphere is produced, giving a ray convergence rate for the incident heat flux that is asymptotically equivalent to O(N_Ray⁻¹). The use of Sobol sequences to accelerate convergence of the Monte-Carlo method has been applied in mathematical physics and financial modelling but the results presented here are the first study of quasi-Monte-Carlo methods applied to the incident heat flux integral. The use of Sobol sequences to generate ray directions means that the Central Limit Theorem no longer holds. In its place, it has been demonstrated that it is possible to construct a Gaussian variable from the incident intensity distributions calculated using Sobol sequences. This means it is possible to calculate confidence limits for a prediction of incident heat flux and the confidence limits contract with ray number at a rate of O(N_Ray⁻¹ ln(N_Ray)).     

Thermal isolation and mechanical properties of fibre reinforced mud bricks as wall materials

Fibre reinforced mud bricks, which are studied in this paper, provide the expected technical performance for the thermal isolation and mechanical properties, according to ASTM and Turkish standards. The mechanical properties of waste materials and some stabilisers were investigated thoroughly and some concrete conclusions were drawn. The fibre reinforced mud bricks fulfill the compressive strength and heat conductivity requirements of the ASTM and Turkish standards. Mud bricks with plastic fibers showed a higher compressive strength than those with straw, polystyrene and without any fibers. Basaltic pumice as an ingredient was found to decrease the thermal conductivity coefficient of fibre reinforced mud bricks. The fibre reinforced mud brick house has been found to be superior to the concrete brick house for keeping indoor temperatures stationary during the summer and winter.     

Simplified analytical model for thermal transfer in vertical hollow brick

A modern building envelope has a lot of little cavities. Most of them are vertical with a high height to thickness ratio. We present here the conception of a software to determine heat transfer through terra-cotta bricks full of large vertical cavities. After a bibliographic study on convective heat transfer in such cavities, we made an analytical model based on Karman-Polhausen's method for convection and on the radiosity method for radiative heat transfer. We used a test apparatus of a single cavity to determine the temperature field inside the cavity. Using these experimental results, we showed that the exchange was two-dimensional. We also realised heat flux measurements. Then we expose our theoretical study: we propose relations between central core temperatures and active face temperatures, then between outside and inside active face temperatures. We calculate convective superficial heat transfer because we noticed we have boundary layers along the active faces. We realise a heat flux balance between convective plus radiative heat transfer and conductive heat transfer, so we propose an algorithm to calculate global heat transfer through a single cavity. Finally, we extend our model to a whole hollow brick with lined-up cavities and propose an algorithm to calculate heat flux and thermal resistance with a good accuracy (≈ 7.5%) compared to previous experimental results.     

Preparation of load-bearing building materials from autoclaved phosphogypsum

Previous studies have been carried out on calcined phosphogypsum (PG) for making the building materials. The present study was focused on autoclaved PG and its use in making load-bearing wall bricks. Autoclaved PG was prepared from original waste PG with steam pre-treatment. The crystalline phase, morphology, and thermal characteristics of original waste PG and autoclaved PG were investigated by XRD, SEM, and SDT. Then bricks of the size of Chinese standard brick were prepared from different types of PG in the PG-fly ash–lime–sand system. Results showed that the compressive strength of bricks from autoclaved PG by lower-pressure steam of 0.12 MPa, 120 °C for 16 h was much higher. The flexural strength and compressive strength of the bricks could reach 4.0 MPa and 15.0 MPa, respectively. The durability of the bricks was investigated by 15 freezing–thawing cycles at temperatures from ?20 °C to 20 °C, and the weight loss was only 0.029% after all of cycles. Hemihydrates (CaSO₄ · 0.5H₂O) were dehydrated products from dihydrates in original PG with lower-pressure steam treatment, and hemihydrates were susceptible to absorbing the humidity and were transformed into densified re-crystallization gypsum (CaSO₄ · 2H₂O) that contributed to the final strength of bricks. Microstructural characteristics of bricks were investigated by XRD and SEM. Tobermorite was the significant hydrated product, which contributed to the strength of bricks. The use of autoclaved PG for making load-bearing wall bricks was recommended instead of conventional burnt clay bricks.     

Energy savings potential by integrating Phase Change Material into hollow bricks: The case of Moroccan buildings

The building sector in Morocco represents 25% of the country’s total energy consumption. The poor thermal performance of the building envelopes is one of the principal reasons for this consumption rate. In this study, the efficiency of integrating Phase Change Materials (PCM) into hollow bricks used in three typical housing types in the six climate zones in Morocco is investigated. The numerical model is based on the heat transfer equation and the apparent heat capacity formulation to model the phase change. A heat flux analysis is performed at the internal surface of the wall, giving a good understanding of the thermal behavior of hollow bricks with PCMs compared with hollow bricks with air. The results show that the heat flux density at the internal face of the wall is constant when the PCM is partially solid/liquid, and follows the outdoor conditions when the PCM is fully solid or fully liquid. Irrespective of the climate zone, the PCM with a 32 °C median melting temperature reduces the heat flux peak value in the hotel housing while the PCM with a 37 °C median melting temperature is better for the individual and collective housing. On the other hand, the PCM with a 27 °C median melting temperature is able to save up to 25% and 40% of energy consumption in the Saharan climate and oceanic climate, respectively.