Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Teaching Assistant: Silvia Erba, PhD ‐ silvia.erba@polimi.it
12. THERMAL BRIDGES
12.1
A single‐storey building with a flat roof, solid ground floor, one partition wall, and two windows and a door
in the external wall is represented in the figure. The overall internal dimensions of the plane building
elements are given in metres, and the location of the thermal bridge types are marked.
IW2, R2, etc. refer to the types of thermal bridge, as illustrated in Table A.2 of the EN ISO 14683. Point thermal
bridges are ignored.
Find out the direct transmission heat transfer coefficient HD using overall internal dimensions.
Building Element U [W/m2K]
Walls 0,40
Roof 0,30
Ground Floor 0,35
Windows 3,50
Door 3,00
Solution
HD= 164,41 W/K
12.2
Considering the same building of exercise 13.1 and assuming that the thickness of the wall is 0,3 m, that of
the roof is 0,25 m and that of the floor is 0,25 m, calculate the transmission heat transfer coefficient HD, using
external dimensions.
Solution
HD= 168,40 W/K
37
Exercises & Solutions ‐ Advanced Building Physics 2017‐18
Teaching Assistant: Silvia Erba, PhD ‐ silvia.erba@polimi.it
12.3
Consider the window represented below, with the following characteristics:
ψ = 0,08 W/(mK) (linear thermal transmittance of frame/glazing junction)
wooden frame: Uf= 1,8 W/(m2K) (thermal transmittance of the window frame).
Calculate the limit value of Ug (thermal transmittance of the glazing) to meet the requirement
Uw < 1,6 W/(m2K).
240
226
50
120
Solution
Ug<1,15 W/m2K
12.4
Consider a window composed by a double glazing and a wooden frame, having the following characteristics:
Uf= 1,75 W/(m2K) (thermal transmittance of the window frame)
ψ = 0,04 W/(mK) (linear thermal transmittance of frame/glazing junction)
p= 3,76 m (total perimeter of the glass)
Ag= 0,793 m2 (area of the glazed part)
Af= 0,326 m2 (area of the frame)
hE= 25 W/(m2K) (external heat transfer coefficient)
hi= 8 W/(m2K) (internal heat transfer coefficient)
λg= 1 W/(mK) (thermal conductivity of the glass)
t= 0,004 m (thickness of the pane)
Rgap= 0,127 (m2K)/W (thermal resistance of the air gap)
Find out the thermal transmittance of the window.
Solution
Uw= 3 W/m2K
38
Exercises & Solutions ‐ Advanced Building Physics 2017‐18
Teaching Assistant: Silvia Erba, PhD ‐ silvia.erba@polimi.it
12.5
Consider an external wall having 3 reinforced concrete columns (30*30 cm) total length l= 8,9 m and height
h=3,2 m. 2 m
8,9 m
Building element λ [W/mK] t [cm]
Internal plaster 0,80 1,00
Insulating blocks 0,08 30,00
External plaster 0,80 1,00
* Reinforced concrete column 2,50 30,00
The internal surface resistance is Rint= 0,13 (m2K)/W; the external one Rext=0,04 (m2K)/W. The internal and
external temperatures are respectively: Tint= 20°C and Text= ‐5°C.
The heat flow rate of the section indicated in figure (part of the wall between the two dotted lines), per metre
length of the linear thermal bridge is equal to ϕl= 51,221 W/m.
Calculate the direct heat transfer coefficient HD, neglecting punctual thermal bridges.
If instead of high performance blocks we use traditional bricks (Uwall= 1,26 W/(m2K) and ϕl= 151 W/m) how
does it change the linear thermal transmittance?
Solution
HD= 16,432 W/K
Ψ= 0,62 W/(mK)
39
Exercises & Solutions ‐ Advanced Building Physics 2017‐18
Teaching Assistant: Silvia Erba, PhD ‐ silvia.erba@polimi.it
13. HEAT TRANSFER: RADIATION
13.1
A black body having area equal to 6 m2 radiates a thermal power equal to 10 kW. Calculate the temperature
of the body and the wavelenght to which corresponds the maximum emission. Besides, define the
temperature of the surface area to double the radiated power.
Solution
T = 414 K; λmax =7 µm; T’= 492K
13.2
A gray body has emissivity ε = 0.5, area equal to 10‐5 m2 and temperature T= 2900 K. Calculate the radiated
power and the wavelenght to which corresponds the peak of the emissive power.
Solution
Φ = 20,05 W; λmax =1 µm
13.3
Calculate the power emitted by a gray body having the form of a sphere with diameter of 50 cm, temperature
equal to 500°C, and emissivity ε = 0,5.
If the sphere is a black body, which should be the temperature (in °C) to emit the same power of the gray
body?
Solution
Φ = 7956 W; Tb= 650,14 K
13.4
A glazed surface of 200 m2 is placed on a south‐oriented wall and it is exposed to a solar radiation equal to
559 W/m2. The glazed surface has a solar factor equal to 0,5046. If an external shading system is added, the
solar factor decreases to 0,261.
Calculate the heat flow due to solar radiation entering the window with and without the use of the shading
system.
Solution
Φsol,gain = 56,414 kW; Φsol,gain+shading = 29,180 kW
40
Exercises & Solutions ‐ Advanced Building Physics 2017‐18
Teaching Assistant: Silvia Erba, PhD ‐ silvia.erba@polimi.it
13.5
Two parallel flat walls are kept at temperatures T1=400K and T2= 300K and can be considered as gray bodies
with ε1=0,8 and ε2=0,2. Between the two walls there is a transparent gas to radiation.
If the convective coefficient between the gas and each wall is 8 W/(m2K), define the heat flow exchanged
between the two walls.
Solution
φ = 589 W/m2
13.6
A fine aluminium sheet having emissivity ε3 = 0.1 on both sides, is placed between two parallel plates, kept
at uniform temperatures of T1 = 800 K and T2 = 500 K, characterized by the following emissivities: ε1 = 0,2
and ε2 = 0.7.
Define the net radiative heat flow density between the two plates and compare the result of the system
without the radiation screen.
Solution
φrd+sh= 806 W/m2; φrd, no sh= 3625 W/m2
13.7
A towel warmer having area 1,705 m2 is placed inside a bigger environment. The emissivity of the towel
warmer is ε1 = 0,8. The emissivity of the walls of the room is ε1 = 0,3 and their temperature is 18°C.
Which should be the temperature of the towel warmer in order to have a radiative heat flow equal to 300
W?
Solution
T= 540,71 K
13.8
In a summer night the air temperature is equal to 22°C and the temperature of the sky is 13°C. Consider the
flat roof of a building at 30°C and emissivity ε= 0,9. Define the heat flow density by convection and radiation.
Given: hcv= 8 W/m2K
41
Exercises & Solutions ‐ Advanced Building Physics 2017‐18
Teaching Assistant: Silvia Erba, PhD ‐ silvia.erba@polimi.it
Solution
φcv= 64 W/m2 φrad= 88,8 W/m2
13.9
Consider a heating surface as a black body and a wall and verify if the linearization of the radiative heat
transfer can be applied. Find out the radiative heat flow.
As= 1 m2; Ts= 40°C; Tw= 20°C
Solution
Φ = 126,51 W Φlin = 126,37 W
13.10
Consider a curtain wall composed by a frame and a double glass with low emissivity covering (layer 3) and
filled with Argon.
Frame:
Af= 1 m2 ; tf= 6 cm ; λf= 0,15 W/(mK)
Glass panes:
Ag= 14 m2; tg= 6 mm; λg= 1,00 W/(mK); εg= 0,836; εL= 0,040
The following boundary conditions are given:
To,i= 20°C; hcr,i= 8 W/(m2K)
To,e= ‐5°C; hcr,e= 23 W/(m2K)
The convective resistance in the air gap is Rcv= 0,94 W/(m2K).
‐ Draw the thermal network, in steady‐state conditions, through the double glass, considering the
linearization of the exchange by radiation;
‐ Define the U value of the double glass;
‐ Define the total heat flow passing through the curtain wall;
‐ Define the surface temperatures of the faces towards the air gap.
Solution
Ug= 1,03 W/(m2K)
Φ = ‐404,5 W (convention: positive direction from outside to inside)
Ts2 = ‐3,73°C; Ts3 = 16,6°C
42