Search results for "Thermal insulation"
showing 10 items of 34 documents
Retrofitting existing buildings by means of innovative envelope components: low-impacting new assemblies
2020
Current policies addressing the energy efficiency of buildings aimed at the control of their overall primary energy demand, require not only that the edifice envelope has to be properly designed to optimize its thermal performances, but also that the eco-friendly properties of the involved building materials have to be properly taken into account, in order of assessing all the associated environmental costs. In fact, the design of envelope structures that are able to realize proper levels of thermal insulation and, in the same time, to employ materials characterized by low environmental impacts, are believed as the most effective strategies to be adopted in the aim of addressing the above-m…
Building Energy Performance: A LCA Case Study of kenaf-fibres insulation board
2008
Abstract The paper presents a life cycle assessment of a kenaf-fibre insulation board following the international standards of the ISO 14040 series. Each life-cycle step has been checked, from kenaf production and board manufacture by an Italian firm, to use and disposal. The aim is to assess the board eco-profile and to compare, on the basis of a life-cycle approach, the energy and environmental benefits and drawbacks related to its employment into a typical residential dwelling. A comparison among various insulating materials has been carried out. The study focuses also on processes and input materials which cause the main environmental impacts of the product, and points out critical issu…
Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Insulating Sustainable Mortars with Ampelodesmos mauritanicus and Pennisetum setaceum Plants as Aggregates
2021
The use of natural fibers in cement composites is a widening research field as their application can enhance the mechanical and thermal behavior of cement mortars and limit their carbon footprint. In this paper, two different wild grasses, i.e., Ampelodesmos mauritanicus, also called diss, and Pennisetum setaceum, also known as crimson fountaingrass, are used as a source of natural aggregates for cement mortars. The main purpose is to assess the possibility of using the more invasive crimson fountaingrass in place of diss in cement-based vegetable concrete. The two plant fibers have been characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), helium picnometry and thermogravimetric an…
Experimental Evidence on the Thermal Performance of Opaque Surfaces in Mediterranean Climate
2013
The thermal insulation of buildings, intended as wrap feature which determines the dispersion of heat, the reference parameter is necessary to contain the thermal losses during the winter season. The transmittance of the opaque components, used as an indicator of the energy quality of a casing, together with the overall coefficient of dispersion, represents a proper descriptor of the behavior during the heating season. However, if a strong insulation in winter conditions brings only positive effects, the same cannot be said for the summer conditions. A high value of the insulation in the casing is convenient only when the gains free, either in the form of solar contribution that of endogeno…
Experimental Evidence on the Thermal Performance of Opaque Surfaces in Mediterranean Climate
2013
The thermal insulation of buildings, intended as wrap feature which determines the dispersion of heat, the reference parameter is necessary to contain the thermal losses during the winter season. The transmittance of the opaque components, used as an indicator of the energy quality of a casing, together with the overall coefficient of dispersion, represents a proper descriptor of the behavior during the heating season. However, if a strong insulation in winter conditions brings only positive effects, the same cannot be said for the summer conditions. A high value of the insulation in the casing is convenient only when the gains free, either in the form of solar contribution that of endogeno…
Thermal conductivity measurement of insulating innovative building materials by hot plate and heat flow meter devices: A Round Robin Test
2019
Abstract The characterization of thermal insulation properties of construction materials represents a fundamental step on the building insulation assessment. In recent years innovative materials have been introduced in the market to fulfill the continuously growing requirements of energy saving and sustainability, and their performance is not so reliable and mature as it happens for traditional insulators. The work presents a Round Robin Test realised among six European laboratories hosting hot plates devices to measure the thermal conductivity of four different materials: aerogel, vacuum insulation panels, polystyrene and birch wood fibre insulation boards. After the definition of the comm…
Thermal conductivity of disperse insulation materials and their mixtures
2017
Development of new, more efficient thermal insulation materials is a key to reduction of heat losses and contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. Two innovative materials developed at Thermeko LLC are Izoprok and Izopearl. This research is devoted to experimental study of thermal insulation properties of both materials as well as their mixture. Results show that mixture of 40% Izoprok and 60% of Izopearl has lower thermal conductivity than pure materials. In this work, material thermal conductivity dependence temperature is also measured. Novel modelling approach is used to model spatial distribution of disperse insulation material. Computational fluid dynamics approach is also used to est…
Porous architecture and thermal properties of thermal barrier coatings deposited by suspension plasma spray
2020
Abstract Besides the intrinsic low heat transfer capability of material, the thermal insulation property of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) also relies on their microstructures. For better understanding the relationship between process parameters, porous architecture, and thermal properties of coatings, YSZ coatings were firstly manufactured by suspension plasma spray (SPS). Afterwards their total porosities were characterized by using the technique of X-ray transmission, the nano/submicro pores in those coatings were detected with Ultra-Small Angle X-ray Scattering (USAXS), and the thermal properties of coatings were measured using the laser flash method. The results indicated that: i) the…
Life Cycle Energy and Environmental Assessment of the Thermal Insulation Improvement in Residential Buildings
2021
The refurbishment of the building stock is a key strategy towards the achievement of the climate and energy goals of the European Union. This study aims at evaluating the energy and environmental impacts associated with retrofitting a residential apartment to improve its vertical envelope thermal insulation. Two insulation materials, stone wool and cellulose fibers, are compared. The life cycle assessment methodology is applied assuming 1 m2 of retrofitted vertical envelope as functional unit. Moreover, to estimate the net energy and environmental benefits achievable in the retrofitted scenario compared with the non-retrofitted one, a second analysis is performed in which the system boundar…
In-situ measurements of hemp-lime insulation materials for energy efficiency improvement
2018
Abstract Reduction of the CO2 emissions in the atmosphere is one of the goals set forth by the European Union, hence various directives have been adopted, such as the European directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency, i.e. ensuring from 2019 the construction of the near-zero energy buildings (nZEB). The construction segment plays a very important part in solving the current global problem of the greenhouse gas emissions and related processes of global warming, because in certain countries (i.e. in Latvia) it represents more than a half of the total energy consumption. Hence the necessity to elaborate means on how to boost the energy efficiency of the buildings meanwhile not rising pressure…