Hygrother­mal prop­er­ties of bulk insu­la­tion mate­ri­als

Assignment/Task

Large-scale Thermal Energy Storage systems are an important component to support the decarbonization of District Heating networks through an increased penetration of energy from renewable energy sources. The quality of the envelope has an important influence on the thermal losses and hence on the overall energetic and exergetic performance of the TES. Efficient design of individual envelope components requires careful selection of materials and a thorough understanding of local heat transfer mechanisms and degradation phenomena (i.e., convection and moisture penetration) that can reduce their service life. This selection requires however the knowledge of the material properties

Workflow and Methodology

The aim of this work is to assess through targeted tests the properties of TES insulation materials, in order to create a database that can be used by the planners. A permeability test is applied to investigate the effective vapour resistance of insulation materials (foam glass gravel, perlite, mineral wool) and the results are compared with literature values. Numerical models oft the experimental set-up are implemented in FE tools to understand the heat and moisture transfer mechanisms.

Acquired Qualification

The student will learn how to apply the concepts of building physics to other fields, and to critically assess the interaction between design, heat transfer mechanisms and final performance that needs to be considered in engineering applications. The work consists in an experimental phase where the student will learn the basics if the specific tests and how to conduct them and in an application phase, when the derived properties are used to investigate the TES performance and to establish a ranking of materials.