Measured effects of dust on the performance of radiant barriers installed on top of attic insulation
- Oak Ridge National Lab., Oak Ridge, TN (US)
- Tennessee Valley Authority, Chattanooga, TN (US)
The rate of dust accumulation and the effect of this dust accumulation on a horizontal radiant barrier (HRB) are of special interest because the HRB may perform better in both summer and winter than a truss radiant barrier (TRB), is much easier to install for retrofits in existing homes, and requires less radiant barrier (RB) material than a TRB. However, an HRB has two important potential disadvantages-condensation during winter, which might cause structural damage, and dust accumulation which could significantly degrade thermal performance. Results of a winter moisture field test were reported previously by the authors of this paper. Dusted HRB performance was tested in small 48 ft{sub 2} test cells in the summer of 1987. The dust loadings, resultant HRB emissivity and relative attic heat fluxes are presented. The results indicate that dust accumulation may not be a prohibitive problem for HRB installations. However, the researchers believed further study of this subject was needed. A national laboratory conducted tests on dusted HRBs at three research houses near Oak Ridge, Tennessee, during the summer of 1988. Results showed that the lighter dust loading increased total house cooling loads, compared to a clean HRB, by 2.3%. The heavier dust loading increased house cooling loads by 8.4%, again compared to a clean HRB. However, horizontal radiant barriers with these dust loadings still decreased house cooling loads by 7% when compared to the same house with no radiant barrier.
- OSTI ID:
- 5162138
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9006117-; CODEN: ASHTA
- Journal Information:
- ASHRAE Transactions (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers); (United States), Vol. 96:2; Conference: Annual meeting of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), St. Louis, MO (United States), 9-13 Jun 1990; ISSN 0001-2505
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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