Los Alamos test-room results

Conference · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:5247818

McFarland, R D; Balcomb, J D

Fourteen Los Alamos test rooms have been operated for several years; this paper covers operation during the winters of 1980-81 and 1981-82. Extensive data have been taken and computer analyzed to determine performance parameters such as efficiency, solar savings fraction, and comfort index. The rooms are directly comparable because each has the same net coefficient and solar collection area and thus the same load collector ratio. Configurations include direct gain, unvented Trombe walls, water walls, phase change walls, and two sunspace geometries. Strategies for reducing heat loss include selective surfaces, two brands of superglazing windows, a heat pipe system, and convection-suppression baffles. Significant differences in both backup heat and comfort are observed among the various rooms. The results are useful, not only for direct room-to-room comparisons, but also to provide data for validation of computer simulation programs.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 5247818
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-82-1836; CONF-820819-2; ON: DE82018389
• Resource Relation: Conference: 7. national passive solar conference, Knoxville, TN, USA, 29 Aug 1982; Other Information: Portions of document are illegible
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
PASSIVE SOLAR HEATING SYSTEMS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
ATTACHED GREENHOUSES
AUXILIARY HEATING
BAFFLES
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
DIRECT GAIN SYSTEMS
EFFICIENCY
GLAZING MATERIALS
HEAT PIPES
PHASE CHANGE MATERIALS
SOLAR FRACTION
SPECTRALLY SELECTIVE SURFACES
THERMAL COMFORT
TROMBE WALLS
WATER WALLS
BUILDINGS
CONTROL EQUIPMENT
ENERGY SYSTEMS
EQUIPMENT
FLOW REGULATORS
GREENHOUSES
HEATING
HEATING SYSTEMS
MATERIALS
SIMULATION
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SOLAR HEATING SYSTEMS
SPACE HEATING
SURFACES
TESTING
WALLS
140901* - Solar Thermal Utilization- Space Heating & Cooling