10/01/2015 The Energy Security Research Symposium was held in Doha - Qatar from the 13-15 November 2011. The event was organised by the British Council and held in association with and supported by the Qatar Energy and Environment Research Unit. PASSIVE DYNAMIC BUILDINGS Mohammed Imbabi 1 10/01/2015 Scope • Increasingly, architects and builders are opting for passive solutions in their designs. • The presentation outlines a new dynamic insulation (DI) technology that can be used in passive as well as active building designs. • This affordable, sustainable technology can dramatically cut carbon emissions from buildings in the hot-humid climate of the Gulf Region. What is DI? From SAP Appendix Q “Dynamic insulation (DI) is a configuration of insulation materials that enables incoming ventilation air to be passed through the insulation before entering the dwelling. By preheating the ventilation air, the heat loss via conduction of the dynamic insulation is reduced and when considered as a system, the net heat loss is also reduced.” 2 10/01/2015 The modified hot box test NPL’s guarded hot box 3 10/01/2015 Dynamic U-value(1) (1) TYPE-II permeodynamic insulation. Early adopter trials (UK) 4 10/01/2015 Early adopter trials (UAE) Emerging products 5 10/01/2015 Introduction to VSDI • With Void Space Dynamic Insulation (VSDI), any flat sheet insulation product can be readily and cost effectively used to dynamically insulate any building envelope or facade. A special VSDI fixing / air distribution component is used to form an in-plane void between the layer(s) of insulation. • The key features of VSDI are (a) uniform, bi-directional airflow through the entire wall area, (b) simple, robust installation, (c) passive performance, and (d) low cost. • These are unique features that allow full envelope coverage, and with it maximum energy efficiency and carbon reduction to be achieved at minimum cost in all building types. The VSDI concept Insulation sheet #2 Insulation sheet #1 Sheet-type VSDI spacer Outer leaf Inner leaf Air inlet 6 10/01/2015 Technical evaluation VSDI sheet spacer VSDI ‘trapezoid’ bar VSDI ‘fluted’ bar Technical evaluation 3m x 3.6m Full fill VSDI walls 3m x 7.2m Full fill VSDI walls . . . etc. 7 10/01/2015 VSDI wall model Airflow optimisation(2) (2) Taken from flow simulation fs14h-DI1C of the Q1-140 randomised profile dyinso spacer sheet. 8 10/01/2015 Airflow optimisation(2) (2) Taken from flow simulation fs15h-DI1C of the P1-140 randomised profile dyinso spacer sheet. FF-3600 results 9 10/01/2015 FF-3600 results 0.25 Plain, BI Plain Al, QH P1-Q4, QH P1 Misc, QH Conv / Static Static Model Plain, QH P1 Grids, BI P1 Win, QH P1-Q4, HR, QH P1 Pass, QH DI Theory U-Value (W/m2K) 0.20 0.15 0.10 0.05 0.00 Comparative performance 10 10/01/2015 Comparative performance(3) (3) 2 x 50 mm phenolic insulation sheets + 20 mm TRZ void spacer. Comparative performance(3) (3) 2 x 50 mm phenolic insulation sheets + 20 mm TRZ void spacer. 11 10/01/2015 Simple building model Supply air Exhaust air Concrete rainscreen envelope (100 mm) Void space / plane (50 mm) Insulated drywall lining (100 mm) 5(w) × 5(d) × 2.6(h) m internal dimensions, 250 mm thick concrete VSDI wall (50 mm void) Us = 0.40 W/m2K Simple building model 12 10/01/2015 Active simulation results Active simulation results 0.29 W/m2K (10.05 m2) 0.18 W/m2K (10.53 m2) 0.19 W/m2K (11.11 m2) 0.33 W/m2K (13.00 m2) Ud = 0.25 W/m2K Va = 0.0181 m3/s (~40 cfm) 13 10/01/2015 Passive simulation results 0.36 W/m2K (10.05 m2) 0.25 W/m2K (10.53 m2) 0.25 W/m2K (11.11 m2) 0.36 W/m2K (13.00 m2) Up = 0.30 W/m2K Va = 0.0107 m3/s (~23 cfm) Closing remarks • VSDI is a very compelling energy efficiency technology that works equally well in hot and cold climates. • Active and passive VSDI can provide order-of-magnitude reductions in building fabric energy use and carbon emissions. • Computer simulation results show that passive VSDI has promise, so further research is warranted. • VSDI is easy to implement in current building practice, to improve energy efficiency and gain valuable SAP and QSAS credits. • It can be used alone, as part of an active solution, or with passive, low energy and renewable technologies. • A collaborative RD&D proposal to investigate and develop the use of VSDI in Qatar is under development. 14 10/01/2015 dyinso datasheets dyinso datasheets 15 10/01/2015 The benefits of VSDI 1. Exceeds all regulatory U-values with thinner product and less material. 2. Cost negative to achieve lower Uvalues than standard product. 3. Major reduction in manufacturing carbon emissions. 4. Transportation costs are also reduced. 5. Achieves zero carbon targets in all construction sectors. 6. Can be used in active or passive building designs to save energy. 7. Can be developed as a product and also as a system. 8. Complies with the Green Deal “Golden Rule”, especially in solid wall construction. 9. Especially good for non-domestic use, with swift payback to building owners. 10. A solution for all seasons that is universally applicable to both hot and cold climates. VSDI makes any insulation better, and the best insulation even better still. Contact information Dr Mohammed Salah-Eldin Imbabi School of Engineering, Fraser Noble Building University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE
+44 1224 272506
+44 7785 600988
m.s.imbabi@abdn.ac.uk 16