Browsing by Subject "hygrothermal"

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    The Hygrothermal Performance of Cold Climate Basement Walls Retrofitted with Insulation and a Water Separation Plane
    (2015-06) Harmon, Anna
    This research studies the hygrothermal performance of hollow concrete masonry unit basement walls in cold climates retrofitted with insulation and a water separation plane. Four full-scale wall systems were constructed and instrumented for the research. Wall and soil hygrothermal data was collected in addition to the boundary conditions. The research expands the understanding of the effects of buoyant cavity flow in basement walls, the effects of a high ground water table on thermal transport, and the relationship between soil and wall moisture. The accuracy of a below-grade thermal-only computer simulation was evaluated for predicting the thermal performance of the experimental system. Further, independent simplified calculations were performed to confirm the postulated primary heat loss mechanism in basements with well insulated walls and to explain the non-intuitive thermal observations made.
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    Two Years of Transient Cold-Climate Building Foundation Hygrothermal Experimental Data
    (2015-05-21) Goldberg, Louise F.; Harmon, Anna C.; goldb001@umn.edu; Goldberg, Louise F.
    The data consist of two years of continuous transient experimental measurements on the hygrothermal performance of concrete masonry block walls in a full basement in a cold climate (US DOE climate zone 7). The walls were insulated in compliance with the thermal requirements of the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code and in compliance with the durability performance requirements of the 2009 MN Building Code. These data are useful for verifying the physical validity of cold-climate foundation insulation system building code requirements; understanding the physics of heat and moisture transport in foundation walls from an experimental perspective; and, validating the predictions of thermal and hygrothermal building foundation simulation programs. The data are in the public domain and can be released now since the peer-review process has been completed.