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Author: Andreas Athienitis
© 2004,1998,1993 PTC. All rights reserved.
Building Thermal Analysis covers the major topics of heat transfer and thermal dynamics in buildings, including steady-state and transient multidimensional conduction, convection, radiation, heating and cooling load calculation, and thermal control. This book has been used in university courses in building energy analysis, heating-ventilation and air-conditioning, computer-aided building design and solar energy. Practical methods for building thermal analysis and design, accompanied by explanatory theory and illustrations, are presented.
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| Chapter | Worksheet Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Steady-State Heat Conduction | Heat Conduction in Multilayered Walls | Demonstrates calculation of the thermal resistance and temperature distribution within a wall assuming one-dimensional steady-state heat transfer. |
| Heat Conduction Through Insulated Pipes | Calculates the thermal resistance and temperature distribution through an insulated pipe assuming one-dimensional steady-state heat transfer. | |
| Walls with Internal Heat Generation | Demonstrates internal heat generation within a wall. | |
| Conduction Shape Factors - Pipe Buried in Soil | Calculates the heat flow and the conduction shape factor of a pipe buried in soil for different depths. | |
| Effect of Solar Radiation on Exterior Walls | Calculates the effect of absorbed solar radiation on an exterior insulated wall. | |
| Thermal Analysis of Unheated Spaces | Calculates the ceiling heat loss for a room. | |
| 2. Transient Heat Conduction | Lumped Parameter Model and the Thermal Network Method | Considers a simplified analytical model (the lumped parameter model) and introduces the thermal network method involving thermal capacitances and resistances. |
| Transient Conduction in Semi-Infinite Slab | Explains and gives examples for transient conduction in semi-infinite slab. | |
| Semi Infinite Slab - Radiant Heat Flux on Floor | Calculates the floor temperature at the bottom surface of a concrete slab with the semi-infinite model. | |
| Semi-Infinite Slab - Convective Boundary Condition | Calculates the temperature at a depth x and time t for a semi-infinite slab with convective boundary condition. | |
| Simple Transient Model for a Wall | Determines the change of a wall surface temperature with time. | |
| 3. Heat Conduction in Buildings with the Finite Difference Method | Steady-State Two-Dimensional Analysis of Thermal Bridges | Thermal bridges can be analyzed with a two-dimensional thermal network to determine heat loss and low temperatures which may cause condensation. This worksheet considers a thermal bridge formed by a balcony which is an extension of a concrete floor slab. |
| Heat Flow in Basements | Calculates the heat loss through an insulated basement wall. | |
| Transient One-Dimensional Finite Difference Wall Model | In the transient finite difference method, we represent each wall layer by one or more sub-layers. | |
| 4. Periodic Heat Flow in Multilayered Walls | Principles of Steady Periodic Analysis of Wall Heat Flow | Demonstrates techniques for steady-periodic thermal analysis of wall heat flow based on frequency domain techniques and the use of simple Fourier series models for outside temperature and solar radiation. |
| Thermal Admittance of a Multilayered Wall | Demonstrate two transfer functions: the self-admittance and the transfer admittance. | |
| Steady-Periodic Heat Transfer in Multilayered Walls | Using the admittance transfer functions described in the previous section, we now determine the response of walls to periodic variations in outside temperature and solar radiation. Both weather variables are modeled by discrete Fourier series consisting of the daily average and one or more harmonics. | |
| 5. Convection and Infiltration in Rooms and Cavities | Natural Convection in Wall Cavities and Windows | Demonstrates the convective heat transfer coefficient dependent on the cavirty width. |
| Convective Heat Transfer Coefficients in Rooms | Calculates the heat transfer coefficients for horizontal and vertical surfaces. | |
| Wind Heat Transfer Coefficient | Wind heat transfer coefficients often need to be calculated for building exterior surfaces and solar collectors. Gives and example for forced convention due to wind. | |
| Infiltration | Gives an example for Infiltration which causes both sensible and latent heat loss or gain. | |
| 6. Radiation Heat Transfer in Buildings | Calculation of View Factors in a Rectangular Room with one Window | Calculates the view factors in a rectangular room with one window. |
| Calculation of Thermal Radiation Properties | Calculates thermal radiation properties over different wavelength ranges. | |
| Combined Radiation and Convection | Radiation heat transfer rarely occurs by itself in a building. It is usually coupled with convection. Several such cases are considered in this section. | |
| 7. Reinforced Concrete Column and Wall Footings | Solar Radiation on inclined Surfaces | Determines the local solar azimuth and altitude at 8:30 Central Time on October 23 at 32 deg North latitude and 95 deg West longitude as well as the incidence angle for a vertical surface facing southeast. |
| Solar Properties of Windows | The solar transmittance, reflectance and absorptance of windows or other transparent building components such as solar collectors need to be determined in order to calculate how much solar radiation they transmit. | |
| Solar Radiation Transmitted by Windows | Calculates the instantaneous and daily total solar radiation transmitted through single-glazed and double glazed windows. | |
| Solar Shading Calculations and Design of Overhangs | The shading device is usually designed to exclude solar radiation in summer when it contributes to a reduction in cooling loads and to admit it in winter when it contributes to a pleasant indoor environment and a reduction of heating requirements. | |
| 8. Psychrometry and Thermal Comfort | Psychrometry and Thermodynamic Properties of Moist Air | Psychrometry is the study and measurement of the properties of moist air. Moist air is a mixture of dry air and water vapor. |
| Properties of Moist Air - Three Cases | The problem in determining moist air properties can usually be reduced to three cases. These three cases are demonstrated in this worksheet. | |
| Thermal Comfort Calculation | Determines the themal comfort level in an office based on the PMV model. | |
| 9. Heating and Cooling Load Calculations | First Order Room Model | Considers a zone over a basement where only the floor has significant thermal capacitance and that it consists of a massive interior layer and layers withou significant thermal capacity under it. |
| Detailed Steady-Periodic Zone Model and Heating Load Calculations | Considers a detailed model based on the admittance method. Gives an example for a house which consists of a basement and a ground level floor, with a pitched roof. The basement heating load may be determined with the techniques of Section 3.2 Heat Flow in Basements. Here we consider the ground level zone. | |
| Steady-Periodic Zone Model and Cooling Load Calculation | The model employed for cooling load calculations is the same as the model used for heating load calculations in the previous worksheet. The main difference here is that solar radiation transmitted through windows or absorbed by outside surfaces is calculated in detail. Also, latent cooling load is calculated. | |
| 10. Building Thermal Control | Laplace Transfer Functions for Building Thermal Control | Investigates the effect of furnace cycling on room temperature for a house and determines the room temperature swing as a function of time constant. |
| Transient Building Response Using Numerical Inversion of Laplace Domain Response | Determines the response of room temperature to a step change in outside temperature for the simple building model considered in the previous worksheet. | |
| Thermal Control and Transient Response of a Heating System | Determines the ultimate gain (stability limit) and the Ziegler-Nichols settings for proportional-integral control as well as the response of room temperature to one degC step change of the setpoint with the numerical inverse Laplace transform method. | |
| Z-Transforms and Their Application to Digital Thermal Control and Simulation | Considers Z-transfrom application for thermal control. First we review the basic theory, followed by an example. | |
| 11. Heating - Hydronic System Sizing | Boiler, Piping System, and Pump | A closed hydronic system contains a few major components; in the case of heating the system usually consists of a heat source such as a boiler, piping and distribution system, expansion tank to accommodate water volume changes, and a pump to circulate the water. |
| Expansion Tank | Considers selection of an expansion tank for a hydronic heating system serving an apartment in the fifth floor of a 5-story high building. Assumes that the boiler, located on the ground floor, is connected to the radiator system with a reverse return system. | |
| Chimney System Design | Considers the analysis of a chimney system for an oil-fired 30kW boiler. |
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