The effect of different materials joint in Vacuum Insulation Panels

During recent years the use of Vacuum Insulation Panels in buildings applications has been improved, because of their both higher performances and lower thickness compared to traditional insulation materials. These performances are due to the interior vacuum degree, which represent also the main problem connected with the applications of this technological solution in buildings constructions: to maintain the vacuum condition the panels are enclosed in an envelope layer, characterized by an higher thermal conductivity. Moreover they have to be assembled to each other or to additional different joint materials in practical building application, generating a thermal bridging effect. The aim of present work is to analyse the critical aspects related to this insulation technology for building application. An experimental campaign through heat flow meter apparatus was carried out with the purpose of assessing the decrease of performance due to the thermal bridges effects considering different joint materials in VIPs assemblies

The effect of different materials joint in Vacuum Insulation Panels

During recent years the use of Vacuum Insulation Panels in buildings applications has been improved, because of their both higher performances and lower thickness compared to traditional insulation materials. These performances are due to the interior vacuum degree, which represent also the main problem connected with the applications of this technological solution in buildings constructions: to maintain the vacuum condition the panels are enclosed in an envelope layer, characterized by an higher thermal conductivity. Moreover they have to be assembled to each other or to additional different joint materials in practical building application, generating a thermal bridging effect. The aim of present work is to analyse the critical aspects related to this insulation technology for building application. An experimental campaign through heat flow meter apparatus was carried out with the purpose of assessing the decrease of performance due to the thermal bridges effects considering different joint materials in VIPs assemblies

Evaluating the impact of indoor insulation on historic build-ings: A multilevel approach involving heat and moisture simulations

The energy refurbishment of historic buildings is a complex task for building envelope designers who need to carefully consider building conservation guidelines and principles. In most cases, external wall insulation techniques can determine an unacceptable alteration of the historical value of a building. For this reason, internal wall insulation techniques have been used widely in the last few decades. Nevertheless, dealing with internal wall insulation requires a complex design to avoid the risk of condensation and moisture-related pathologies. Moreover, an internal wall insulation may have a relevant impact on indoor comfort conditions. In this paper, the Monastery of Santa Maria de Monfero in Galicia (Spain) has been adopted as a building case study to compare different technological solutions based on: (i) an insulating plaster layer, (ii) dry counter wall systems. In the first step, heat and moisture transfer simulations of the wall components were performed to analyze the hygrothermal behavior of the different alternatives considering two different climate conditions. In a second step, a simulation of the whole building was performed to analyze the impact of the retrofitting strategies on the indoor climate and on the building heating and cooling demand. The obtained results show that the counter wall solution leads to higher energy savings during the heating season in the colder winter climate. However, the use of insulating thermal plaster could also be a viable solution since they lead to several advantages in summer because of their higher thermal inertia. Therefore, the selection of the most appropriate insulation technique has to be evaluated carefully considering the outdoor/indoor climate and using a case-by-case approach

Development of advanced multifunctional façade systems: Thermo-acoustic modelling and performance

The development of lightweight a nd multifunctional curta in wa ll systems, which integra te different technological solutions, is a imed at a chieving increa singly higher requirements rela ted to energy efficiency a s well a s indoor environmental quality in nonresidentia l buildings. On one ha nd lightweight a nd thin fa çade elements present several a dvantages (such a s construction time, space, a nd transportation savings, less weight on primary structure etc.), while fa cing the cha llenge of gua ranteeing the required thermal a nd a coustic performance and achieving legisla tive compliance on the other. In the framework of the Horizon 2020 Project Powerskin+ a new concept of multifunctional fa çade, which combines high performance insulation, energy harvesting, heating system, a nd la tent heat storage capabilities is under development. Within the design process of the different sub -modules (opaque and tra nsparent), performance calculations a re carried out by means of existing simulation tools, or a d-hoc developed models for more complex systems. In this study, the authors present the main steps required to a ccelerate the simula tion-based design process a nd the future thermal and a coustic optimization of the novel lightweight a nd multifunctional façade element

Development of aerogel based internal thermal plasters for the energy retrofit of existing buildings: First results

A relevant part of research activities dealing with the energy retrofitting of existing buildings is currently focused on the development of highly insulating plasters, which represent a feasible and effective solution as far as thermal bridges, mold growth risk and heat loss reduction are concerned. Within this framework, the EU funded research project “Wall- ACE” started in October 2016. The project involves industrial partners, research centres and public bodies, with the aim of developing, testing and implementing, a new set of high performance aerogel based insulating products. In this first stage, the activity carried out by the authors was mainly focused on internal insulating plasters. The first blends of lightweight samples were experimentally characterized as far as thermohygrometric and mechanical properties are concerned. Moreover, the thermal behavior of typical wall assemblies retrofitted using the developed aerogel based plasters, were assessed through numerical simulations. The first results and the technical issues which have arisen during the initial stage of the research, are here presented

Dynamic temperature profiles in a poly-carbonate panel filled with phase change materials under test in a Dynamic Heat Flow Meter Apparatus

The dataset reports the temperature evolution in different points of a poly-carbonate panel filled with two different types of phase change materials. The dataset is obtained by performing tests with a Dynamic Heat Flow Meter Apparatus. More information on the tests can be found in the article "Sinusoidal response measurement procedure for the thermal performance assessment of PCM by means of Dynamic Heat Flow Meter Apparatus" published in Energy and Buildings, DOI: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2018.11.01

Electronic Structure and Reactivity of Dioxygen-Platinum Complexes: an ab Initio MO-LCAO Study

Ab initio Hartree Fock calculations have been carried out on the complex L2Pt(\u3b72-O2) and its derivatives L2Pt-(OOH)X and L2Pt(OOH)(XY) obtained by reaction with HX (HX = H2O, HCl, HOOCH, NH3) and HXYH (HXYH = oxalic acid, o-catechol, hydrazine, hydroxylamine, ethylendiamine, o-phenylendiamine). In addition also the reaction L2Pt(OOH)X + HX \u2192 H2O2 + L2PtX2 leading to the formation of hydrogen peroxide has been studied. The theoretical investigation gave, for all considered species, optimum complex geometry, charge distribution and reaction energies being evaluated by means of a correlation energy density functional. The ability of the HX reagents to form hydrogen peroxide is discussed in terms of absolute acidity and coordinating capability of the X- groups. This allows interpretation of the more peculiar aspects of the chemical activation of dioxygen that leads to the coordinated hydroperoxide species or hydrogen peroxide