Zonal network solution of temperature profiles in a ventilated wall module

A ventilated wall module is an outdoor air-intake device that can clean the drawn air, reduce heat loss or gain, and insulate outdoor noises. It contains a solar board, air cavities, and an air filter. This investigation proposes a zonal network model to efficiently predict temperature profiles in a ventilated wall module. The thermal network is established by applying an energy balance to each network node. The outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, and solar irradiation intensity are specified as boundary parameters. The proposed model is validated by the measured temperatures in a prototype model. The results show that the proposed model provides reasonably accurate temperatures with a maximum gap of 3°C between the prediction and the measurement. The temperature profiles approach straight lines when the mass flow rate significantly increases. A similar trend is observed when the solar irradiation intensity, the solar board absorptivity, or the glass transmitivity dramatically decreases.