A Darcy-Law Based Model for Heat and Moisture Transfer in a Hill Cave

A hill can be regarded as an environmental carrier of heat.Water,rocks and the internal moisture naturally pre-sent in such environment constitute a natural heat accumulator.In the present study,the heat and moisture trans-fer characteristics in a representative hill cave have been simulated via a method relying on the Darcy’s law.The simulations have been conducted for both steady and unsteady conditions to discern the influence of permeability and geometric parameters on the thermal and moisture transfer processes.The reliability of the simulation has been verified through comparison of the numerical results with the annual observation data.As revealed by the numericalfindings,the internal temperature of the hill accumulator is proportional to the permeability,outside surface temperature,overground height,underground constant temperature layer depth,and underground tem-perature of the hill,and it is inversely proportional to the horizontal size of the hill.Moreover,in the considered case,the order of magnitude of the permeability of the hill is contained in the range 10-15–10-13,and displays a certain sensitivity to the rainwater seepage.

Development of experimental study on coupled heat and moisture transfer in porous building envelope

A new facility was presented which can expediently and cheaply measure the transient moisture content profile in multi-layer porous building envelope.Then,a common multi-layer porous building envelope was provided,which was constructed by cement mortar-red brick-cement plaster.With this kind of building envelope installed in the south wall,a well-controlled air-conditioning room was set up in Changsha,which is one of typical zones of hot and humid climate in China.And experiments were carried out to investigate the temperature and moisture distribution in multi-layer building envelope in summer,both in sunny day and rainy day.The results show that,the temperature and humidity at the interface between the brick and cement mortar are seriously affected by the changes of outdoor temperature and humidity,and the relative humidity at this interface keeps more than 80% for a long-term,which can easily trigger the growth of mould.The temperature and humidity at the interface between the brick and cement plaster change a little,and they are affected by the changes of indoor temperature and humidity.The temperature and humidity at the interface of the wall whose interior surface is affixed with a foam plastic wallpaper are generally higher than those of the wall without wallpaper.The heat transfer and moisture transfer in the envelope are coupled strongly.

Analysis of moisture diffusivity of larch timber during convective drying condition by using Crank＇s method and Dincer＇s method

Two analytical procedures （Crank＇s method and Dincer＇s method） for porous solid materials were reevaluated and used to determine moisture diffusion coefficients and moisture transfer coefficients for larch lumber subjected to drying. A diffusion-like equation was used to describe drying process data. The lumber was idealized in the modeling as infinite plates. The moisture transport process inside the board was assumed to be one-dimensional. The macroscopic drying kinetics curves of larch timber at particular conditions were determined experimentally. Based on these data, calculation for both the moisture diffusion coefficients and moisture transfer coefficients by the Dincer＇s analytical procedure were made. The dynamic moisture diffusion coefficients by the traditional Crank＇s method were calculated. In general, diffusion coefficients calculated by the Dincer＇s method were all higher than those by Crank＇s method. These results could be due to the differences between two analytical methods and also different characteristics between solid moisture diffusion process and heat transfer process. Therefore the analysis and solution procedures of moisture diffusion differential equations need to be adapted in the future. With drying temperature＇s increasing moisture diffusion coefficient （D） and moisture transfer coefficient （k） increases accordingly. Also the relationships between diffusion coefficients and temperature as well as material moisture contents were analyzed by using Arrhenius equation and bound water transport theory.

DETERMINATION OF STATIC AND DYNAMIC DIFFUSION COEFFICIENTS OF MOISTURE IN PARTICLEBOARDS

The static and dynamic diffusion coefficients are important coefficients to describe the moisture transfer processes in particleboard. In this paper, the formula of culculating the static and dynamic diffusion coefficients were deduced. At first, the static diffusion coefficients of four kinds of particleboards were determined by using diffusion cup method. The results demonstrated that the static diffusion coefficients parallel to panel surface were 10-20 times as large as that of perpendicular to panel surface for test boards. To determine both dynamic diffusion coefficients and surface emission coefficients of moisture in particleboards in one experimental period, specimens in four different thicknesses of each kind of particleboard were used in the experiment. Then the method of regression was used and the dynamic diffusion coefficients and surface emission coefficients were determined based on the slope and intercept of the regressive line.

Gray Synthetic Evaluation on Moisture Comfort of Sportswear Fabrics under the Condition of Heavy Sweating

Moisture and water transfer under the condition of heavy sweating are analyzed. Four different experiments are made to test moisture resistance, water-keep, wicking effect and drying ability of samples. Then gray analysis method is introduced to evaluate the comprehensive comfort of these fabrics. Result shows chemical fiber with high moisture transfer performance has advantage in water transfer and diffusion, which is suitable for human under the condition of heavy sweating. Though natural fiber can absorb moisture well, it cannot transfer fluid sweat. Therefore natural fiber fabrics such as cotton, wool are unsuitable to make functional sportswear.

The Moisturein Capillaries of Building Materials

The behavior of building materials in constructions of civil structures is influenced by the surrounding moisture and it is a crucial for intensively examined field of the construction physics. Most standard building materials are characterized by a porous structure, which results in the ability to receive water in a liquid as well as gaseous form in the inner pores. The water fills the storage space of pores under certain conditions; it is transported and transferred back to the surroundings. Many technical studies show that the moisture monitoring is prevailingly based on experiments. Previous calculating methods introduced, e.g., by Glaser, which became the basis for the standard calculations in many European countries in the 1960s, are not always sufficient with respect to the demands of the civil structures. The moisture influences thermo-insulating properties of the material. By a change of the thermo insulation properties of the construction also the thermal and diffusion scheme of the construction is changed and its thermal resistance is decreasing. Faults in the thermo-technical projects occur when thermal conductivity coefficient L values for material in a dry state are substituted.The aim of the research is to determine the capillary conductivity coefficient as a characteristic material moisture parameter of the building materials by the means of a non-destructive method using the experimentally assembled apparatus developed at the Department of Civil Engineering, Brno University of Technology. Keywords： Capillary conductivity coefficient, moisture transfer, EMWR （electromagnetic microwave radiation）, diffusion

Simulation of the Hygrothermal Behavior of a Building Envelope Based on Phase Change Materials and a Bio-Based Concrete

Phase Change Materials(PCMs)have high thermal inertia,and hemp concrete(HC),a bio-based concrete,has strong hygroscopic behavior.In previous studies,PCM has been extensively combined with many materials,however,most of these studies focused on thermal properties while neglecting hygroscopic aspects.In this study,the two materials have been combined into a building envelope and the related hygrothermal properties have been studied.In particular,numerical studies have been performed to investigate the temperature and relative humidity behavior inside the HC,and the effect of adding PCM on the hygrothermal behavior of the HC.The results show that there is a high coupling between temperature and relative humidity inside the HC,since the relative humidity changes on the second and third days are different,with values of 8%and 4%,respectively.Also,the variation of relative humidity with temperature indicates the dominant influence of temperature on relative humidity variation.With the presence of PCM,the temperature variation inside the HC is damped due to the high thermal inertia of the PCM,which also leads to suppression of moisture evaporation and thus damping of relative humidity variation.On the second and third days,the temperature changes at the central position are reduced by 4.6%and 5.1%,compared to the quarter position.For the relative humidity change,the reductions are 5.3%and 5.4%on the second and third days,respectively.Therefore,PCM,with high thermal inertia,acts as a temperature damper and has the potential to increase the moisture buffering capacity inside the HC.This makes it possible for such a combined envelope to have both thermal and hygric inertia.

Modeling of Water Vapor Condensation by Using Computer Methodology

The excessive moisture has an adverse effect on the building materials structure. Most standard construction materials are characterized by porous structure, resulting in the ability to absorb water in liquid and gaseous phases in the inner pores. Under certain conditions, water fills the pores within the structure of building material and then moves back to its surrounding. Many technical studies have shown that monitoring the moisture transport is mainly based on experimental methods. This work is based on models of transport of moisture in building physics, i.e., the description of the moisture behaviour of building materials based on physical laws models （KRISCHER, KIESSL）. The aim of this work is to obtain the parameters of distribution of moisture for calculation capillary conductivity coefficient for practical using by means of non-destructive method. The authors have now developed all the software required to perform a boundary element analysis of problems in potential flow. The examples which the authors can analyse will, however, be restricted to homogenous domains.

A Study on Simple Prediction Method of Heat Load： A Use of Linear Approximation Indicial Response in Basements

This study was conducted to establish a predictable method for a heat load of an underground structure with sufficient accuracy. As the first step, our previous paper reported the measurement results of field experiments on an underground experimental basement under internal heat generation conditions. Also, it presented the results of numerical analyses on the heat and moisture behavior and the influence of internal heat generation of the experimental basement and ground. However, it is practically impossible to utilize the model of simultaneous heat and moisture transfer at the design phase because the prediction by the model of simultaneous heat and moisture transfer requires a long calculation time. In this paper, the authors present the simple load calculation technique, using a linearized approximation indicial response of the inner surface heat flux in a basement to outdoor air temperature change. In addition, the approximation indicial responses for each part of the single-walled concrete drawn using this technique are arranged. The heat load calculation example of application to the basement of the optional size by this technique is shown.

Frost prediction based on a 3D CFD model of heat and mass transfer in a counter-cross-flow parallel-plate liquid-to-air membrane energy exchanger

The frosting is a critical phenomenon in building systems because it decreases the performance of exchangers and damages them.In this article,heat and mass transfer in a specified liquid-to-air membrane energy exchanger(LAMEE)and their effects on condensation and frost formation are simulated numerically using the 3D computational fluid dynamics(CFD)technique.The CFD model has been validated with experimental results for different design parameters,and the agreement is within±2%.The developed CFD model provides the distribution of temperature and humidity ratio and MgCh concentration along the LAMEE.In the present study,effects of exchanger structure on producing viscosity and heat and mass transfer are studied.The selected LAMEE is a counter cross structure,therefore vortices appear in the inlet and outlet solution channel,and their influence can be seen on heat transfer in these parts.In addition,the diffusion of heat and mass transfer are studied on distributions of temperature and humidity ratio.Results show that the permeable membrane and moisture transfer make more regular temperature distribution along airflow direction in energy exchangers.This study provides an extended vision of heat and mass transfer.A 3-dimensional CFD model is developed to predict frost formation based on obtained temperature and humidity ratio.The CFD model is validated with an experimental study by calculating the frost limit.The developed model distinguishes condensed and frosted areas,and a new parameter is defined for this purpose namely as the frosted humidity ratio.Results show that frost and condensation distributions depend significantly on temperature and humidity ratio distributions.Adjusting temperature and humidity ratio to avoid air vapor to reach to saturation conditions is the better way to combat frosting.

Comparison of the hygrothermal performance of two light-framed timber structure buildings under different operation modes

Light-framed timber structure(LTS)buildings have been highly valued in recent years due to their low-carbon characteristics.However,the applicability of the building envelope is closely related to indoor and outdoor conditions.The hot summer and cold winter(HSCW)climate zone in China has high humidity and great temperature variation throughout the year,resulting in distinct outdoor environments in different seasons.The indoor environment is greatly affected by energy-consumption patterns and window-opening habits,which largely depend upon the regulation operations of occupants.All these interrelated factors lead to extremely complex boundary conditions on each side of the building envelope.Whether the structures of LTS buildings are applicable in this climate zone,therefore,needs to be carefully considered.In this study,two LTS buildings with different envelopes were established in Haining,China,situated in the HSCW climate zone,and selected as the study objects.Different operation modes were adopted to create a variety of indoor environments.Under each condition,the processes of heat and moisture transfer within the building envelopes and the indoor environment were monitored and compared.The comparison indicated that the building envelope with high moisture storage and insulation ability maintained a relatively stable indoor environment,especially when the environment changed abruptly.Conversely,if the outdoor environment was equable(e.g.,relative humidity within the range of 30%–60%)or intermittent energy consumption modes were adopted,the building envelope with a low thermal inertia index and weak moisture-buffering ability performed better because it enabled a faster response of the indoor environment to air conditioning.Moreover,a high risk of moisture accumulation between the thermal insulation layer and other materials with a large water vapour transfer resistance factor was also identified,suggesting a higher requirement for the vapour insulation of the envelopes of LTS buildings.

Modeling on Heat and Mass Transfer in Stored Wheat during Forced Cooling Ventilation

A mathematical model based on the theory of heat and mass transfer in porous media was developed to simulate the evolution of grain temperature and moisture content in a wheat storage bin during ventilation with cooling air at the constant temperature and humidity.Unlike the previous works on this aspect,the present work was not focused on cooling the stored grain by ventilation with ambient air,but with the refrigerated air.Validation was performed by comparing between predicted and measured grain temperature and grain moisture content for two cases.Predicted data were in reasonable good agreement with measured ones.The model and the parameter values used in the model are applicable for predicting temperature and moisture of stored grains under ventilation conditions.

Optimum insulation thickness of external walls by integrating indoor moisture buffering effect: a case study in the hot-summer-cold-winter zone of China

In the high-humidity, hot-summer-cold-winter(HSCW) zone of China, the moisture buffering effect in the envelope is found to be significant in optimum insulation thickness. However, few studies have considered the effects of indoor moisture buffering on the optimum insulation thickness and energy consumption. In this study, we considered the energy load of an exterior wall under moisture transfer from the outdoor to the indoor environment. An optimum insulation thickness was obtained by integrating the P1-P2model. A residential building was selected for the case study to verify the proposed method. Finally, a comparison was made with two other widely used methods, namely the transient heat transfer model(TH) and the coupled heat and moisture transfer model(CHM). The results indicated that the indoor moisture buffering effect on the optimum insulation thickness is 2.54 times greater than the moisture buffering effect in the envelope, and the two moisture buffering effects make opposing contributions to the optimum insulation thickness. Therefore, when TH or CHM was used without considering the indoor moisture buffering effect, the optimum insulation thickness of the southern wall under one air change per hour(1 ACH) and 100% normal heat source may be overestimated by 2.13% to 3. 59%, and the annual energy load on a single wall may be underestimated by 10.10% to 11.44%. The decrease of airtightness and the increase of indoor heat sources may result in a slight reduction of optimum insulation thickness. This study will enable professionals to consider the effects of moisture buffering on the design of insulation thickness.

Designing Textile Architectures for High Energy-Efficiency Human Body Sweat-and Cooling-Management

Thermal management of textiles requires local microclimate control over heat and wet dissipation to create a comfortable thermal-wet environment at the interface of the human body and clothing.Herein,we design a fabric capable of both sweat-and cooling-management using a knitted fabric featuring a bilayer structure consisting of hydrophobic polyethylene terephthalate and hydrophilic cellulose fibers to simultaneously achieve high infrared(IR)transmittance and good thermal-wet comfort.The IR transmission of this cooling textile increased by~twofold in the dry state and~eightfold in the wet state compared to conventional cotton fabric.When the porosity changes from 10 to 47%with the comparison of conventional cotton fabric and our cooling textile,the heat flux is increased from 74.4 to 152.3 W/cm^(2).The cooling effect of the cooling fabric is 105%greater than that of commercial cotton fabric,which displays a better thermal management capacity for personal cooling.This bilayer design controls fast moisture transfer from inside out and provides thermal management,demonstrating high impact not only for garments,but also for other systems requiring heat regulation,such as buildings,which could mitigate energy demand and ultimately contribute to the relief of global energy and climate issues.

Multi-Physics Analyses of Selected Civil Engineering Concrete Structures

This paper summarizes suitable material models for creep and damage of concrete which are coupled with heat and moisture transfer.The fully coupled approach or the staggered coupling is assumed.Governing equations are spatially discretized by the finite element method and the temporal discretization is done by the generalized trapezoidal method.Systems of non-linear algebraic equations are solved by the Newton method.Development of an efficient and extensible computer code based on the C++programming language is described.Finally,successful analyses of two real engineering problems are described.