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Title: Thermally Anisotropic Composites for Improving the Energy Efficiency of Building Envelopes

Abstract

This article describes a novel application of thermal anisotropy for improving the energy efficiency of building envelopes. The current work was inspired by existing research on improved heat dissipation in electronics using thermal anisotropy. Past work has shown that thermally anisotropic composites (TACs) can be created by the alternate layering of two dissimilar, isotropic materials. Here, a TAC consisting of alternate layers of rigid foam insulation and thin, high-conductivity aluminum foil was investigated. The TAC was coupled with copper tubes with circulating water that acted as a heat sink and source. The TAC system was applied to a conventional wood-framed wall assembly, and the energy benefits were investigated experimentally and numerically. For experimental testing, large scale test wall specimens were built with and without the TAC system and tested in an environmental chamber under simulated diurnal hot and cold weather conditions. Component-level and whole building numerical simulations were performed to investigate the energy benefits of applying the TAC system to the external walls of a typical, single-family residential building.

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [1]
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  1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
OSTI Identifier:
1570116
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC05-00OR22725
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Energies
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 12; Journal Issue: 19; Journal ID: ISSN 1996-1073
Publisher:
MDPI AG
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION; thermal anisotropy; building envelope; thermal management; energy efficiency; peak load reduction

Citation Formats

Biswas, Kaushik, Shrestha, Som S., Hun, Diana E., and Atchley, Jerald. Thermally Anisotropic Composites for Improving the Energy Efficiency of Building Envelopes. United States: N. p., 2019. Web. doi:10.3390/en12193783.
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Biswas, Kaushik, Shrestha, Som S., Hun, Diana E., & Atchley, Jerald. Thermally Anisotropic Composites for Improving the Energy Efficiency of Building Envelopes. United States. https://doi.org/10.3390/en12193783
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Biswas, Kaushik, Shrestha, Som S., Hun, Diana E., and Atchley, Jerald. Sat . "Thermally Anisotropic Composites for Improving the Energy Efficiency of Building Envelopes". United States. https://doi.org/10.3390/en12193783. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1570116.
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@article{osti_1570116,
title = {Thermally Anisotropic Composites for Improving the Energy Efficiency of Building Envelopes},
author = {Biswas, Kaushik and Shrestha, Som S. and Hun, Diana E. and Atchley, Jerald},
abstractNote = {This article describes a novel application of thermal anisotropy for improving the energy efficiency of building envelopes. The current work was inspired by existing research on improved heat dissipation in electronics using thermal anisotropy. Past work has shown that thermally anisotropic composites (TACs) can be created by the alternate layering of two dissimilar, isotropic materials. Here, a TAC consisting of alternate layers of rigid foam insulation and thin, high-conductivity aluminum foil was investigated. The TAC was coupled with copper tubes with circulating water that acted as a heat sink and source. The TAC system was applied to a conventional wood-framed wall assembly, and the energy benefits were investigated experimentally and numerically. For experimental testing, large scale test wall specimens were built with and without the TAC system and tested in an environmental chamber under simulated diurnal hot and cold weather conditions. Component-level and whole building numerical simulations were performed to investigate the energy benefits of applying the TAC system to the external walls of a typical, single-family residential building.},
doi = {10.3390/en12193783},
journal = {Energies},
number = 19,
volume = 12,
place = {United States},
year = {2019},
month = {10}
}
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Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.3390/en12193783
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Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 7 works
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Figures / Tables:

Figure 1 Figure 1: Conceptual operation of a thermally anisotropic composite (TAC)–heat sink combination applied to a wall to reduce heat gains during hot outdoor conditions.
All figures and tables (18 total)
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Works referenced in this record:

Passive building energy savings: A review of building envelope components
journal, October 2011

  • Sadineni, Suresh B.; Madala, Srikanth; Boehm, Robert F.
  • Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 15, Issue 8
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2011.07.014

Thermal conductivity anisotropy in holey silicon nanostructures and its impact on thermoelectric cooling
journal, December 2017

Switching from static to adaptable and dynamic building envelopes: A paradigm shift for the energy efficiency in buildings
journal, October 2015

  • Perino, Marco; Serra, Valentina
  • Journal of Facade Design and Engineering, Vol. 3, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.3233/FDE-150039

Control of Nanoplane Orientation in voBN for High Thermal Anisotropy in a Dielectric Thin Film: A New Solution for Thermal Hotspot Mitigation in Electronics
journal, February 2017

  • Cometto, Olivier; Samani, Majid K.; Liu, Bo
  • ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Vol. 9, Issue 8
  • DOI: 10.1021/acsami.6b15014

Passive cooling techniques for building and their applicability in different climatic zones—The state of art
journal, September 2019

Geometrical considerations in the control and manipulation of conductive heat flux in multilayered thermal metamaterials
journal, September 2013

  • Vemuri, Krishna P.; Bandaru, Prabhakar R.
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 103, Issue 13
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.4823455

Determination of a Building's balance point temperature as an energy characteristic
journal, December 2018

Thermal load mitigation and passive cooling in residential attics containing PCM-enhanced insulations
journal, October 2014

Towards dynamic active façades
journal, July 2019

Thermal conductivity anisotropy in nanostructures and nanostructured materials
journal, February 2018

Vacuum insulation panels for building applications: A review and beyond
journal, February 2010

Thermal comfort and building energy consumption implications – A review
journal, February 2014

Aerogel insulation for building applications: A state-of-the-art review
journal, April 2011

Thermally anisotropic composite heat spreaders for enhanced thermal management of high-performance microprocessors
journal, February 2016

Heat Flux Manipulation with Engineered Thermal Materials
journal, May 2012

Switching from static to adaptable and dynamic building envelopes: A paradigm shift for the energy efficiency in buildings
text, January 2015

Aerogel insulation for building applications: A state-of-the-art review
journal, April 2011

Thermally anisotropic composite heat spreaders for enhanced thermal management of high-performance microprocessors
journal, February 2016

Thermal load mitigation and passive cooling in residential attics containing PCM-enhanced insulations
journal, October 2014

Towards dynamic active façades
journal, July 2019

Thermal conductivity anisotropy in nanostructures and nanostructured materials
journal, February 2018

Geometrical considerations in the Control and manipulation of conductive heat flux
preprint, January 2013

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    Works referencing / citing this record:

    A Multicriteria Methodology to Select the Best Installation of Solar Thermal Power in a Family House
    journal, February 2020

    • Košičan, Jaroslav; Pardo, Miguel Ángel; Vilčeková, Silvia
    • Energies, Vol. 13, Issue 5
    • DOI: 10.3390/en13051047
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      Figures / Tables found in this record:

      Figure 1 (p. 2)figure
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      Table 1 (p. 5)table
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      Figure 11 (p. 10)figure
      Figure 12 (p. 11)figure
      Table 3 (p. 11)table
      Table 4 (p. 12)table
      Table 5 (p. 12)table
      Figure 13 (p. 13)figure
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