King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals

College of Environmental Design

Architectural Engineering Department
ARE 510 Computer Utilization in Architectural Engineering

Syed Ashraf Tashrifullahi

Application Assignment #2

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Course Instructor: Dr. Adel Abdou

Student ID: g201004120

Contents
1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 3 1.1 Building Envelope........................................................................................................................... 3 1.2 Importance of Assessing Building Envelope .................................................................................... 3 1.3 Software Tool ................................................................................................................................. 4 2. Modeling & Simulation of the Best Overall Wall System ................................................................. 5 2.1 Simulation Results of Previous Assessments .................................................................................. 5 2.2 Modeling of the Best Wall System .................................................................................................. 6 2.3 Simulation of the Modeled Wall System ......................................................................................... 7 2.4 Assessing the Results ..................................................................................................................... 9 2.4.1 Temperature and Moisture Content ........................................................................................ 9 2.4.2 Total Moisture Content ......................................................................................................... 11 2.4.1 Transfer Rate of Heat ............................................................................................................ 12 3. 4. Comparison with Previous Assessments ......................................................................................... 13 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 14

References............................................................................................................................................. 15

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Course Instructor: Dr. Adel Abdou

Student ID: g201004120

List of Figures
Figure 1: Wall Systems #2 & #3 respectively. .................................................................................................................... 5 Figure 2: (a) Exterior Option Selection, (b) Interior Data Setting ........................................................................... 7 Figure 3: Simulation of Wall Assembly .................................................................................................................................. 8 Figure 4: (a) Simulation of Wall Assembly (January), (b) Simulation of Wall Assembly (June) ........... 10 Figure 5: Total Moisture Content ........................................................................................................................................... 11 Figure 6: Heat Transfer ............................................................................................................................................................... 13

List of Tables
Table 1: Materials selection of Wall #2 ................................................................................................................................. 6 Table 2: Moisture Content by Layer ..................................................................................................................................... 12

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Course Instructor: Dr. Adel Abdou

Student ID: g201004120

1. Introduction
1.1 Building Envelope
For the design, construction and operation of a facility, there is an especially important interface between the indoor and outdoor environments which is known as building envelope. It is one of the most important elements in ensuring comfort and is comprised of the outer elements of a building such as foundations, walls, roof, windows, doors and floors [1]. The main function of the building envelope is to manage the flow of air, moisture and heat between different environments, typically exterior and interior. This helps prevent material deterioration, corrosion, mold growth and heat loss [2]. Besides this, the building envelope serves many prime functions of which the functions of interest for the present study are thermal control and moisture control.

1.2 Importance of Assessing Building Envelope

Sustainability now-a-days is an increasing priority for facilities [1]. Building construction and operation have an enormous direct and indirect impact on the environment in terms of many factors of which one that I feel the most important for the current study is energy use. The impact of both thermal and moisture transfer could be accountable for this. The fact, increase in the heat gain increases the cooling load and results in higher use of energy, does not support the issues pertaining to sustainability. Similarly, moisture transfer within a wall assembly could result in concealed condensation and is accountable for increased rate of heat transfer, mold growth and air quality. Heat is conducted most easily through solid materials. The goal for any wall should be to minimize the amount of conductivity through the materials in the wall, including the framing materials and the insulating materials. Also, the potential for condensation occurring in walls is one of the most important considerations when deciding on the building envelope system. This decision for the selection of the best envelope system, for example a wall system, requires an in depth assessment and can be accomplished by state of art tools. Recent trends in North America towards green buildings resulted in the development and increased popularity of several green building assessment tools. These tools were primarily developed to assess, or measure specific aspects of a building, pertaining to sustainability goals [3]. The tools emphasize on early design phase of the building. The initial design ideas are
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Course Instructor: Dr. Adel Abdou

Student ID: g201004120

conceptualized with the formulation of building project requirements. Most tools focus on three main areas; energy, water and material use in buildings. The conceptual approaches adopted and technical implementation of these tools varies significantly [4]. The former area of study (energy) is of primary interest to this report.

1.3 Software Tool

For the present study of hygrothermal (moisture and thermal) analysis, one of the tools available to assess the flow of heat and moisture through the wall section is hygIRC. It is a 1-D state-of-the-art hygrothermal model developed to help building design professionals in simulating the response of each element to environmental conditions on either side of the envelope on an hourly basis by allowing them to choose optimal building envelope components and systems. It produces information on the temperature and relative humidity distributions within the wall assembly. The program is targeted to engineers, architects, building scientists, contractors, and students in investigating the transfer of heat, air, and moisture through common construction materials [5].

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Course Instructor: Dr. Adel Abdou

Student ID: g201004120

2. Modeling & Simulation of the Best Overall Wall System

2.1 Simulation Results of Previous Assessments
Previous assessments constituted the analysis of wall systems #2 and #3, as shown in figure 1, from the point of view of thermal and moisture transfer using the state of art CONDENSE.

Figure 1: Wall Systems #2 & #3 respectively. Both wall systems were analyzed for the given conditions of Dhahran city taking into consideration the heat gain, thermal resistance, cost aspect and most importantly the purpose for which the software tool CONDENSE was built, i.e., the risk of condensation. The assessment did not reveal any sort of condensation in any part of the wall assembly for the given conditions and resulted in the selection of wall #2 based on the heat gain, thermal resistance and cost aspects. A sensitivity analysis was also carried out to assess the behavior of wall #2 by varying the thickness of insulation while keeping relative humidity constant and vice-versa.
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Course Instructor: Dr. Adel Abdou

Student ID: g201004120

Condensation was observed on the exterior surface of wall #2 where changes to relative humidity were found accountable [6]. For the present study/assessment, the best wall system, i.e., wall #2, as per the assessment results of CONDENSE, the same wall system was modeled using hygIRC. This was accomplished by considering either same or similar materials while constructing the wall assembly depending upon the material database of hygIRC compared to the material database of CONDENSE. The thickness of various layers in this analysis was considered the same as it was in the previous assessment. Same boundary conditions were imposed and the assessments were carried out from the point of view of thermal and moisture transfer only.

2.2 Modeling of the Best Wall System

As mentioned earlier, the best wall was considered for the purpose of thermal and moisture analysis. The wall #2, as shown in figure 1, is composed of a brick with an air gap, rigid insulation and concrete block in between followed by interior finish from outside to inside along its cross-section. This type of wall system is known as Cavity Wall Insulated in Cavity meaning that the insulation is installed within the cavity in between the wall. Table 1 shows the selection of materials for various components of wall #2 depending upon the material database of hygIRC compared to CONDENSE.
Table 1: Materials selection of Wall #2

S. No. 1 2 3 4

Component Brick (Outer Wythe) Rigid Insulation Concrete Block (Inner Wythe) Interior Finish

Material Concrete brick Extruded Polystyrene Aerated Concrete Gypsum

Thickness (mm) 100 50 75 13

The materials selection for inner wythe and interior finish in this analysis had to be different compared to the previous assessment because of their unavailability in hygIRC materials database. The properties of the selected materials for hygIRC were first observed and compared by using the value command in CONDENSE. The materials very close to the materials in CONDENSE were selected based on their density. The thickness of all components of the wall assembly was kept the same.
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Course Instructor: Dr. Adel Abdou

Student ID: g201004120

2.3 Simulation of the Modeled Wall System

The modeled wall system was simulated for the simultaneous thermal and moisture transfer under the weather conditions of Dhahran city, (2002). The simulation variables were set to temperature and total moisture content. The exterior conditions were set and analyzed using the Dhahran weather file of the year 2002. Preference to time selection, as shown in figure 2 (a), was given to years and the input type selected was system input as it was instructed to assess the wall assembly using Dhahran 2002 weather file. The selection of system input option in hygIRC constructs the weather file from the database and does not require inputting constant environmental conditions by the user. This helps in the analysis of the wall assembly taking into consideration the real life environmental conditions of the year 2002 for Dhahran city.

(a)

(b)

Figure 2: (a) Exterior Option Selection, (b) Interior Data Setting With respect to the data pertaining to the interior space, constant values were given as input to the software tool. This was purposely done in relation to the assessment carried out in application assignment #1 [6]. The indoor data settings there were as shown in figure 2 (b). This helped in the preparation of a base for the comparison of the two wall assemblies using the two software tools which is discussed later in this report. Over to the structure of the wall assembly, its orientation and inclination are east oriented and 90o respectively. The layers of the wall assembly were selected as described in the modeling part of this report. The indoor ventilation pressure in the air diffusion tab was provided with a value of 5 Pa. The internal pressure need only be slightly higher than ambient on average to achieve the goal of excluding humid outdoor air from building cavities. In any case, internal pressure shall not be greater than 10 Pa [7]. There are some suggestions of recommended pressurization levels of the order 5 Pa to perhaps 10 Pa. Each buildings pressurization strategy
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Course Instructor: Dr. Adel Abdou

Student ID: g201004120

should be designed based on the climate, the building height and the envelope leakage [8]. Because the pressurization varies from 0 to 10 Pa, average value of 5 Pa was selected for the current study. The initial conditions were set based on temperature and RH. Constant conditions were set for the whole structure of the wall keeping in mind the time constraints for the report. The simulation parameters were set for the complete year of 2002 for Dhahran city. The simulation was then started and observations were made.

Figure 3: Simulation of Wall Assembly Figure 3 shows the temperature and total moisture content within the wall assembly for the complete year. The temperature is found to be at its peak during the summer months with the moisture content being at its minimum values. This implies that at the verge of completion of winter season, the total moisture content gradually decreases and reaches its minimum value during the summer season. The location of Dhahran city being very close to the coast results in increased humidity levels even reaching up to around 95% during the summer period. The decreased levels of moisture content within the wall during this period are an appreciation of the
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Course Instructor: Dr. Adel Abdou

Student ID: g201004120

wall system to be suitable for the climatic conditions of Dhahran city from the perspective of moisture transfer. This is an indication of reduced risk of concealed condensation. Figure 4 (b) shows the variations in temperature and moisture content during the month of June. It can be seen that the exterior temperature is high compared to interior. There was gradual decrease in the temperature in the air gap. The presence of insulation resulted in an increase in the slope of the curve depicting in much more decrease in the temperature. Decrease in the moisture content was observed. This was as a result of the insulation material.

2.4 Assessing the Results

The results were assessed considering the following indicators: y y y Temperature and Moisture Content Total Moisture Content Transfer Rate of Heat

2.4.1 Temperature and Moisture Content

Shown in figure 4 are animation stills of the simulation carried out on the wall assembly. In order to report on the performance of the assembly during the simulation period, two stills were captured and analyzed. The first one, as shown in figure 4 (a), was for the month of January. Gradual increase in the temperature from outside to inside can be seen. A sudden increase in the temperature was observed in the thermal insulation layer. Because the indoor environment is at a higher temperature compared to outside during the winter season, the insulation reduces the amount of heat to pass through to the outer environment. Higher value of moisture content was observed in aerated concrete layer as it has high moisture absorbing capacity. The sudden increase in the curve in that layer may be due to the presence of moisture (45%, as given as input for the interior space) in the interior space. Figure 4 (b) shows the variations in temperature and moisture content during the month of June. It can be seen that the exterior temperature is high compared to interior. There was gradual decrease in the temperature in the air gap. The presence of insulation resulted in an increase in the slope of the curve depicting in much more decrease in the temperature. Decrease in the moisture content was observed. This was as a result of the insulation material.

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Course Instructor: Dr. Adel Abdou

Student ID: g201004120

Figure 4: (a) Simulation of Wall Assembly (January)

Figure 4: (b) Simulation of Wall Assembly (June)

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Course Instructor: Dr. Adel Abdou

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Student ID: g201004120

2.4.2 Total Moisture Content

Data pertaining to total moisture content within the wall assembly was first exported to a specialized application Surfer in the form of a .dat file. This data contained information about moisture content for various layers of the wall on an hourly basis for the complete year. Average values were derived for every 30 or 31 days respectively using basic application MS Excel in order to summarize the data for a monthly basis as shown in table 2. This was then used to assess the performance of the layers of the wall assembly. Besides this, total moisture content was analyzed and is shown in figure 5.

Figure 5: Total Moisture Content It was observed that initially the moisture content was higher during the winter months and decreased to its minimum during August. This is an indication that the wall selected based on the previous assessments and selected materials is not absorbing the moisture during the summer conditions when the temperature outside is high. This could also be seen in figures 4 (a) and 4
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Course Instructor: Dr. Adel Abdou

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Student ID: g201004120

(b) in which the moisture content is high and low respectively. It could be said that, for the combination of wall assembly and the materials selected, the moisture is being accumulated on the higher temperature side (either interior or exterior) based on winter or summer conditions respectively. The use of insulation in between the wall assembly holds good for the summer conditions of the region selected. Table 2: Moisture Content by Layer Time (Months) January February March April May June July August September October November December Concrete brick (Layer 1) 6.849242 7.157829 6.819879 6.31128 5.484105 4.704008 4.226199 4.036284 4.255493 4.838691 5.144714 6.408029 Air Space (Layer 2) 0.079336 0.075673 0.064564 0.063175 0.064691 0.062631 0.056615 0.054081 0.052847 0.052588 0.054014 0.056783 Extruded Polystyrene (Layer 3) 2.138081 0.734786 0.217681 0.19747 0.192752 0.190473 0.183783 0.181963 0.182756 0.184202 0.193228 0.200802 Aerated Concrete (Layer 4) 0.84875 0.83105 0.819391 0.816866 0.813914 0.812935 0.811556 0.81181 0.812843 0.813775 0.817678 0.820065 Gypsum (Layer 5) 0.000344 0.000367 0.000518 0.00062 0.00089 0.000869 0.000734 0.000612 0.000501 0.000441 0.000298 0.000264

The moisture content in the concrete brick was observed to be maximum compared to all other layers. This could be due to the fact that the concrete has higher tendency to absorb moisture. The air gap/space provided after the brick does not allow the moisture to pass through and reduces its level to negligible values throughout the year. The insulation layer on the other hand initially absorbs moisture and as time passes allows limited amount of moisture to pass through compared to the first layer. The fourth layer being aerated concrete has a tendency to absorb moisture and has higher values of moisture content compared to layer 3. Moisture transfer is almost zero in layer 5.
2.4.1 Transfer Rate of Heat

The heat transfer through the wall is shown in figure 6. It can be seen that the majority of heat transfer occurs from outside to inside along the wall assembly during the summer season and is depicted by positive readings. Less amount of heat transfer is observed from inside to outside. Maximum heat gain was observed during the end of February and during October. This
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Course Instructor: Dr. Adel Abdou

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Student ID: g201004120

means that the wall system designed does not allow the flow of heat along its cross-section throughout the summer season. Less heat gain results in decreased cooling loads.

Figure 6: Heat Transfer

3. Comparison with Previous Assessments

The capabilities of the software tool CONDENSE are limited to the thermal transfer and identification of condensation in any part of the wall assembly at a particular instant of time. CONDENSE does not deal with the dynamic aspects of weather conditions. On the other hand, hygIRC is capable of simulating the modeled wall assembly throughout a complete year (or even more than a year) taking into consideration the dynamic aspects of the surrounding atmosphere. The assessments carried out by the two tools had one similarity. The assessments using the state of art tool CONDENSE didnt reveal any sort of condensation in the selected wall for the given conditions. Sensitivity analysis carried out resulted in the identification of
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Course Instructor: Dr. Adel Abdou

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Student ID: g201004120

condensation on the exterior surface. In the case of hygIRC, maximum amount of moisture content was observed in layer 1 (Concrete Brick). Both these assessments revealed the accumulation of moisture and maximum accumulation of moisture in the first layer, i.e., either on exterior surface or within layer 1 using the software tools CONDENSE and hygIRC respectively.

4. Conclusion
Based on the analysis of the selected wall system, it could be concluded that the wall is suitable for the summer conditions of Dhahran city. While assessing the results it was found that the moisture accumulation in layer 1 was high. The concrete brick acting as the first layer needs to be replaced by some other material which is cheap and absorbs less moisture. The air space and thermal insulation suit well in restricting the flow of moisture and heat respectively, or both. The simulations done by hygIRC have many results compared to CONDENSE. Limitation in hygIRC is that it assesses the thermal and moisture transfer in only one dimension based on certain assumptions. Use of much more advanced software tool such as WUFI 2D is an appreciation as it is capable of executing hygrothermal analysis in two dimensions.

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Course Instructor: Dr. Adel Abdou

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Student ID: g201004120

References
[1] [2] [3] Rob Bolin, Sustainability of the Building Envelope, National Institute of Building Sciences. Last updated: December 14, 2009. The Challenger Series, Canada. Information available at: http://www.thechallengeseries.ca/chapter-04/building-envelope/#importanceofenvelopes. Jamie McKay, Green Assessment Tools: The Integration of Building Envelope Durability, 11th Canadian Conference on Building Science and Technology, Banff, Alberta, 2007. Khee Poh Lam, Yi Chun Huang and Chaoqin Zhai, Energy Modeling Tools Assessment for Early Design Phase, Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics, Pittsburgh, December 31, 2004. hygIRC 1-D Users Guide. Syed Ashraf Tashrifullahi, Building Envelope Preliminary Design & Assessment, Evaluation Based on Introduction of CONDENSE Software Tool, KFUPM, October 16, 2011. US General Services Administration. Information available at: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/101291. Andy Persily, Building Ventilation and Pressurization as a Security Tool, ASHRAE Journal, September 2004.

[4]

[5] [6]

[7]

[8]

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Course Instructor: Dr. Adel Abdou

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Student ID: g201004120