ANNOUNCING THE PRESENTATION BY DR. NADJA BISHARA AT THE IBPC2018 IN SYRA-CUSE, NEW YORK

Our associate Dr. Nadja Bishara will present at the International Building Physics Conference 2018 in Syracuse, New York on September 26, 2018 on the topic “The effect of ambient moisture conditions on heat flux time shift and decrement factor of multi-layered walls ".

The analysis will study the influence of hygric boundary conditions on component behavior in multi-layered exterior wall constructions during summer. Since the thermo dynamic properties of opaque external components can greatly contribute to the minimization of heat transfer processes through building exterior shells, this topic is of the utmost relevance with regard to summer heat protection and in the context of cooling load design. Previous studies to determine thermo dynamic properties of opaque exterior wall components did not take the effect of ambient humidity into consideration.

The conference presentation intends to correct this omission. A calibrated and validated dynamic heat and mass transport model is used to analyze the effects of various climatic boundary conditions on a total of 7 insulated interior as well as exterior wall structures. In particular, the influence of moisture boundary conditions is analyzed and evaluated. Results will show that the ambient humidity can have a distinct effect on time lag and be decremental to the heat flow rate.

The application of pure thermal models can therefore result in an inaccurate assessment of the thermo dynamic behavior of building components, which then can result in increased energy consumption in the building’s operation because of overestimates in the cooling technology.

More detailed information about the event and its schedule can be found under www.ibpc2018.org