Hygrothermal performance of internally insulated brick wall in cold climate: A case study in a historical school building

Abstract

Interior thermal insulation is frequently one of the only possible solutions for thermal upgrade of the building envelope where the external appearance cannot be changed. In this study, four insulation materials were used in a case study in a historical school building in in situ test walls. The indoor climate in the test room was controlled to simulate the typical dwelling with high moisture load. The temperatures, relative humidity, and heat flows were monitored over 9 months to analyze the hygrothermal performance of four different insulation materials. The hygrothermal performance of insulation materials during drying and wetting periods are presented. Moisture test reference year was used in working out possible energy-renovation solutions. The results show that timing of the renovation works is a matter of consideration to avoid the hygrothermal risks inside the renovated wall assemblies. The results show that in all the cases, thermal comfort can be improved by increasing the inner surface temperature and decreasing thermal conductivity. However, in some cases, the risks of mold growth and interstitial condensation were present inside the retrofitted wall assemblies. Computer simulations of the wall assemblies with moisture reference years under different humidity loads concluded that all solutions are suitable for future analysis.

Generative reverse-modelling approach to hygrothermal material characterization

“…A weighting factor of 0.4 was applied to CCR m/c profile assessment (reducing its importance in overall average absolute difference) to take its larger scale into account and keep the optimization balanced. Finally, both the optimized material properties and unchanged material files from Delphin database are used to model 2 different case studies [4,14] and are compared to the measurement results.…”

“…Moisture contents of AAC and CaSi are both underestimated by the Delphin database versions of the material data, while the optimized version of AAC is remarkably closer to measured results. The second case study [14] was based on an exterior brick wall of a historic school building with added interior insulation and a humidification system. The moisture load mimicked an unventilated apartment.…”

Propiedades térmicas e hídricas de materiales aislantes apropiadas para fábricas históricas = Thermal and hygric properties of insulation materials suitable for historic fabrics

“…Vapour tight systems use insulators such as polyisocyanurate (PIR), polyurethane (PUR), mineral wool and others. Nielsen et al (2012), Browne (2012) and Klõšeiko et al (2015) report that vapour tight systems are not particularly efficient to control wall humidity and can result in moisture accumulation at the insulation/wall interface.…”

Analiza Stanu Wilgotnościowego Ścian Z Cegły Z Izolacją Cieplną Od Wewnątrz

“…Wyniki badań i symulacji posłużyły do walidacji modelów procesów transportowych, które wykorzystano w modelowaniu [1,11]. Wiele z przedstawionych badań prowadzonych było przez kilka lat, aby móc precyzyjnie ocenić poprawność wykonanych działań [5,7]. Analizie poddane zostały budynki o dużych walorach zabytkowych, o charakterze usługowym.…”