Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Rocha, Olívia Mafalda Afonso Amorim

Titel

Influence of Moisture and Relative Humidity in the Energy Consumption of Retrofitted Walls

Ort / Verlag

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses

Erscheinungsjahr

2022

Link zum Volltext

• ProQuest

Quelle

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses A&I

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• The rehabilitation of existing buildings façades should be based on the improvement in comfort and the decrease of energy consumption. For this purpose, it is necessary to select a retrofitted solution capable of minimizing the heat losses across the building envelope, thereby reducing the buildings heating energy demand. However, it is not only the retrofitted solution of the wall that influences the amount of heat transported across it, but also the outdoor climate, which influences the moisture content in the wall under in service conditions.Therefore, the main objective of this thesis is a further elaboration of the current knowledge related to the influence of moisture content on the energy performance of retrofitted walls. To that aim, this study is based on numerical as well as experimental research, and specific attention is paid to masonry walls with a traditional interior insulation system or an innovative external insulating render system.An experimental prototype was developed in the Building Physics Laboratory – Faculty of Engineering University of Porto to experimentally assess the impact of wetting periods on the energy performance of wall test specimens and to collect data to experimentally validate the selected hygrothermal model. The experiment simulated the exposure of the specimens to rainy periods with a continuous record of the heat fluxes across both surfaces of the specimens. Additionally, the validation of the WUFI hygrothermal simulation model, based on the experimental measurements performed, was carried out.The WUFI hygrothermal simulation model developed by Fraunhofer Institute forBuilding Physics IBP was used to carry out a sensitivity study on the influence of moisturecontent on the energy performance of retrofitted walls under in-service conditions. Theresults showed that uncoated brick masonry walls with a traditional interior insulationsystem have significantly higher heat losses than quantified without the influence ofmoisture. It was also shown that the hydric properties of wall finishing coatings can limitthe influence of moisture on their energy performance.