A Review of Experimental and Numerical Analyses of Solar Thermal Walls

Sornek, Krzysztof; Papis-Frączek, Karolina; Calise, Francesco; Cappiello, Francesco Liberato; Vicidomini, Maria

doi:10.3390/en16073102

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 98 publications

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“…The forced convection system not only contributes to space heating but also facilitates the introduction of fresh, preheated air into the building. This can lead to improved indoor air quality by reducing humidity levels and promoting ventilation [13]. The success of such a system would depend on careful design, integration, and ongoing monitoring for optimal performance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

CFD Analysis for a New Trombe Wall Concept

Bulmez,

Brezeanu,

Dragomir

et al. 2024

Buildings

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The envelope (façade) of a building is the first barrier between the exterior and the interior of the building and withstands the highest variation in temperature and solar radiation. Trombe walls are used to take advantage of that and contribute to the heating of interior air, helping the heating system. In this study, a new Trombe wall design is presented to contribute significantly to the indoor ventilation of residential buildings. For this, an exterior wall equipped with a proposed Trombe system was studied in a numerical simulation analysis. The proposed systems consist of two important sections, an exterior one and an interior one. The air cavities on the exterior of the wall, covered with silica glass, are the first heat-transfer layer. The secondary layer used for heat transfer, on the interior, is comprised of a MPCLB wall of 115 mm. The air circulation from the exterior to the interior was established as forced convection with a ventilator. The air circulates through the first heating layer on the exterior air cavities and then passes through the second heating layer on the interior MPCLBs. Two cities in Romania were considered to represent the coldest and hottest climates in Romania. Brașov represents the cold climate and Constanța represents the hot climate. In the investigation, both the presence and absence of solar radiation were taken into account. In total, four cases were established. For all four cases, monthly research was made using monthly mean temperatures, and direct and diffuse solar radiation. The results are promising and illustrate that the system works best during the transitional seasons of spring and autumn. The lower the outdoor temperature, the higher the temperature can be increased. Overall, solar radiation accounted for an average 2 °C increase. The temperature increase varied between 3.4 °C and 15.99 °C for Brașov and between 6.42 °C and 12.07 °C in Constanța. This study presents an alternative way to use the Trombe wall for indoor ventilation purposes throughout the year, compared to traditional uses for the Trombe wall for indoor heating.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

CFD Analysis for a New Trombe Wall Concept

Bulmez,

Brezeanu,

Dragomir

et al. 2024

Buildings

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“…Sornek et al [34] provided a comprehensive review of experimental and numerical studies on different T-wall solutions, including integration with solar chimneys, classic T-walls, T-walls with phase change materials, and photovoltaic T-walls. Shi et al [35] explored the impact of roof geometry and opening positions on the internal cross-ventilation efficiency of buildings, an aspect crucial for natural ventilation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficiency Assessment on Roof Geometry and Trombe Wall Shape for Improving Buildings’ Heating Performance

Dhahri,

Yüksel,

Aouinet

et al. 2024

Buildings

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It is crucial to consider structural design issues in Trombe wall (T-wall) buildings to promote more suitable indoor climates and thermal comfort standards. Therefore, the present study examined the impact of two different T-wall designs and six different roof types on the energy and operational efficiency of a building located in a low-temperature and high-humidity winter climate. Ansys-CFX 15.0 software was employed to simulate the thermal and fluid dynamics behavior of the T-wall system, and flow, thermal comfort, energy, and exergy analyses were conducted. Three-dimensional simulation results and the pertinent literature data showed a good level of agreement, and the accuracy of the model was ensured. Outcomes revealed an average air velocity variation of 0.186 m/s and maximum average indoor air temperature variation of 3.3 °C between the six roof geometries. The highest air speed (0.988 m/s) was recorded for the gambrel roof while the lowest one (0.802 m/s) was recorded for the typical flat roof. The shed roof right with a rounded T-wall was more comfortable for standing and sitting activity than the others for the two T-wall shapes, and, at Y = 0.6 m and Y = 1.1 m, the average predicted percentages of dissatisfied (PPD) values were 31 and 28%, respectively. Furthermore, it was determined in the study that solar radiation intensity and T-wall and roof geometries had a significant effect on energy and exergy efficiency, and high energy and exergy efficiencies were achieved at higher solar intensity values. The best energy and exergy efficiencies were obtained for the butterfly and shed roof configurations. This study can serve as a reference for the thermal environment design of buildings with T-walls.

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Investigating the impact of Trombe wall parameters on thermal performance and room temperature in the Iraqi climate

Ali,

Mawlood,

Jalal

2024

Heat Trans

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Trombe wall serves as an effective passive heating element, and its performance is heavily reliant on local climate conditions. This study involved both experimental and numerical analyses of a full‐scale test room equipped with a Trombe wall under Iraqi climate conditions. To facilitate this investigation, an experimental test room was constructed in Kirkuk city with dimensions of 4.0 m × 3.0 m × 2.75 m. In addition, a numerical simulation method based on computational fluid dynamics was developed and a computer code was created to investigate the performance of the system. The accuracy of the developed numerical approach was validated against experimental data collected from the test room. This analysis was conducted specifically for the period of February 17–18, which represents the coldest month of winter in the study area. The performance of the system was assessed with respect to various parameters; air gap width variations (2, 4, 6, and 10 cm), massive wall thickness ranging from 15 to 35 cm with 5 cm increments, channel width options (3, 5, 10, 15, and 20 cm), and vent heights ranging from 5 to 20 cm in 5 cm increments. Furthermore, an investigation of the impact of replacing the air in the air gap with inert gases, specifically argon, krypton, and a mixture of these gases with air was conducted, as well. The outcomes indicate that both the channel width and vent height do not have a significant impact on the system's performance. However, the width of the air gap has a modest effect on system performance, and the best performance was observed with a smaller gap width, specifically 2 cm. The most significant impact on room temperature is observed when the storage wall thickness is varied. In the case of wall thickness of 15 cm, there is a notably higher fluctuation in room temperature between the maximum and minimum values, reaching approximately 16°C. For a wall thickness of 35 cm, however, this fluctuation is significantly reduced to about 3°C. The system efficiency as determined after 24 h of operation period improved significantly when the air was replaced by an inert gases or a mixture of gases in the air gap. Compared to air, the increase in efficiency is about 14.8% for argon, 17.7% for krypton, and 20.6% for the mixture of gases.

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A Review of Experimental and Numerical Analyses of Solar Thermal Walls

Cited by 7 publications

References 98 publications

CFD Analysis for a New Trombe Wall Concept

CFD Analysis for a New Trombe Wall Concept

Efficiency Assessment on Roof Geometry and Trombe Wall Shape for Improving Buildings’ Heating Performance

Investigating the impact of Trombe wall parameters on thermal performance and room temperature in the Iraqi climate

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