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Pipe-embedded concrete radiant floor system has gained much popularity due to its higher energy efficiency and better thermal comfort. Simplified yet accurate heat transfer models are essential for energy simulation of this system. This study presents the development and validation of a simplified RC-network model for the pipe-embedded concrete radiant floors. A concrete radiant floor mainly consists of three parts which are the cover layer, the pipe-embedded concrete slab and the insulation layer. The cover layer and the insulation layer are simplified as one-dimensional and represented by RC models with two resistances and one capacitance (2R1C). Within the pipe-embedded concrete slab, the complex heat transfer is represented by a coupled RC model which includes two parts describing the heat transfers of the concrete slab and the water loop respectively. In the case studies, the coupled RC model for the pipe-embedded concrete slab has been validated in both numerical and experimental ways. The experimental validation results show that the average relative errors of the coupled RC model in predicting the upper and bottom surface heat fluxes are all less than 5.5%. Validation has also been conducted to demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of this developed simplified RC-network model in predicting the dynamic thermal performance of a multi-layer pipe-embedded concrete radiant floor. The developed simplified RC-network model can be beneficial for design and optimal control of the pipe-embedded concrete radiant floor system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hollow blocks or bricks are widely used due to the good thermal insulation, lightweight, acoustic insulation, etc. This paper presents the development of a simplified heat transfer model of hollow block for simple and efficient heat flow calculation. This model is developed based on parameter identification in frequency domain by using finite element method in frequency domain. Firstly, the frequency domain finite element model (FDFEM) of the hollow block is developed by using finite element method in frequency domain to obtain the theoretical frequency characteristics of this structure. Then, the heat transfer function model in the form of s -polynomial (i.e., the s -polynomial heat transfer function model) is identified by using a parameter identification procedure based on the calculated theoretical frequency thermal characteristics. Finally, the simplified heat transfer model, i.e., the Conduction Transfer Function (CTF) coefficients, of this hollow block are derived from the identified s -polynomial heat transfer function model. A case study is presented for the prediction of the dynamic heat transfer of this hollow block by using the simplified heat transfer model. The predicted dynamic heat transfer of this block is validated by experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active pipe-embedded building envelope is a new kind of external building wall or roof which usually has pipes embedded in it to let water circulate in these pipes for heat transfer. This structure may effectively intercept the heat/coolth from the ambient environment to indoor space and provide extra space conditioning for the indoor space. Frequency-domain finite-difference (FDFD) model can predict the frequency thermal response of active pipe-embedded building envelope directly and provide some important guidelines for system control and system sizing. This paper presents the experimental validation of this model in time domain by using Fourier series analysis. An experiment test rig was developed for the thermal response measurements of the pipe-embedded building envelope under pre-defined conditions. First, the measured time series of surface temperatures are transformed into complex Fourier series by using Discrete Fourier Transform and applied into the FDFD model as the boundary condition for calculation. Then, the calculated frequency thermal responses by FDFD model can be easily transformed into time series by using Inverse Discrete Fourier Transform. Finally, the time-domain thermal responses of FDFD model are obtained. The results show that the calculated time-domain thermal responses of the active pipe-embedded building envelope by using FDFD model agree well with the experimental measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Low-grade energy sources such as geothermal energy, favorable ambient air and industrial waste heat etc. exist widely. Sufficient utilization of these low-grade energy sources may reduce our daily dependence on high-grade energy sources such as electricity resulting in reduced emission of green house gas for environmental conservation. Active pipe-embedded structure as floor/ceiling usually with water as the medium to carry heat or coolth may utilize these low-grade energy sources for providing space air-conditioning. Compact arrangement of pipes in the structure may significantly enlarge heat transfer surface between the slab mass and water in the pipe allowing substantial heat flows even for relatively small temperature differences. Application of the heat or coolth storage capacity of this structure for preheating or pre-cooling is also one among the advantages of this structure for shifting load and exploiting the nighttime cheap electricity tariff in some regions. This paper presents the technology of the active pipe-embedded structure for utilizing widely existing low-grade energy sources following by a comprehensive review on the heat transfer calculation models of this structure and its practical applications in real building systems for space air-conditioning. This review shows that more works on the active structure, especially simple and transient models for dynamic and accurate performance prediction and easy integration with existing building energy simulation packages, are worthwhile for further promoting the practical application wherever the low-grade energy sources are favorable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents a simple time domain calculation method to derive thermal response factors and conduction transfer conduction (CTF) coefficients of finite differential models for estimating transient heat transfer through building structures. It is developed on the basis of converting the matrix exponential function, which is a part of the solution of the state equation established from the finite differential equations of building finite differential models, to matrix polynomial. The thermal response factors and CTF coefficients can be easily derived from the matrix polynomial with simple arithmetic and integral in time domain. This method avoids the time-consuming root-finding process of conventional methods and the computation of all the internal temperature of the finite differential model, while utilizing the advantage of the thermal response factors/CTF coefficients which relate the desired outputs at a moment to the previous inputs through a set of coefficients. Various case studies were conducted to validate the performance of this time domain calculation method in calculating the thermal response factors and CTF coefficients of various order finite differential models. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Simple and effective building energy models are essentially needed for many applications, such as building performance diagnosis and optimal control, etc. The energy model involves two important parts of building components, i.e., building envelopes and building internal mass. This paper presents a methodology for parameter optimization of 3R2C thermal network model of building envelopes (composed of three resistances and two capacitances) based on frequency domain regression using genetic algorithm (GA). First, the theoretical frequency characteristics of heat transfer through building envelope are calculated using detailed physical description within the frequency range of concern. Second, the frequency characteristics of the simplified 3R2C model are calculated with random values of individual resistances and capacitances which constrain to total thermal resistance and capacitance. Then, the errors between the theoretical frequency characteristics and the frequency characteristics of the simplified model are calculated. Finally, GA estimator is developed to optimize the parameters of the simplified model, allowing the frequency responses of the simplified model match the actual heat transfer through building envelope the best. Various case studies are conducted also to validate the parameter optimization method of the simplified 3R2C model. The accuracy of simplified models for constructions of different weights is studied. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The hollow block ventilated wall is a new kind of ventilated wall, the exhaust air of HVAC system is used as the supply air to flow through the cavity of this wall in this paper. The heat or cool storage in the wall is reduced by using the heat recovery technology; the temperature of internal surface is lowered in summer and increased in winter, and the human thermal comfort is enhanced. A semi-dynamic heat transfer model of the ventilated wall is presented for thermal performance prediction. The dynamic optimized resistance-capacitance (ORC) model and the number of transfer units (NTU) model are joined together to develop the semi-dynamic heat transfer model of this ventilated wall. The experimental study is carried out for validating the semi-dynamic heat transfer model. The maximum relative error is 4.3% for mean internal and external surface temperatures, and it is 2.6% for the outlet air temperature of the cavity. The heat transfer model established for hollow block ventilated wall is fairly reasonable and possesses high accuracy. This model can be used to predict the surface temperature of the hollow block ventilated wall and the heat flux removed by the airflow in the cavity for performance evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Sensitivity analysis of energy performance is performed for residential envelope. [•] EETP method is introduced to calculate cooling and heating energy use. [•] Shading coefficient and window to wall ratio are the most vital factors in summer. [•] Wall heat transfer coefficient and shape coefficient have crucial effect in winter. [•] Wall heat transfer coefficient and window to wall ratio weight the most in a year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coupled pipe-encapsulated PCM wall system with a nocturnal sky radiator is a novel type of building envelope structure for low energy buildings. It absorbs outdoor heat and stored it by using the pipe-encapsulated PCM inside the wall in the daytime, and the stored heat is automatically discharged into space through the sky radiator by the effect of the gravity heat pipe at nighttime. It makes full use of the natural cooling source, which can effectively reduce indoor heat gain through the envelope and improve the utilization efficiency of PCM. In this paper, an experiment platform integrating the pipe-encapsulated PCM wall module, the nocturnal radiator module, the heat pipe circulation module and measurement system together is established. The heat transfer characteristics of the wall system in four cases under the dynamic boundaries are tested, and the performances are contrastively discussed. Comparing to the wall without nocturnal radiation, the coupled wall system can well reduce the indoor cooling load and the wall internal surface temperature. The wall internal surface average heat flux can reduce 10.2 W/m2, and the cumulative indoor heat gains can reduce 29.7%. The results show the good thermal performance and energy-saving potential of this coupled pipe-encapsulated PCM wall system with a nocturnal sky radiator. With the development of new materials for enhancing the capability of radiative cooling such as the glass-polymer hybrid metamaterial, the performance of the coupled wall system may be significantly improved when these materials are used in the sky radiators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]