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Testing and modelling of flexible air duct heat losses

By James Fricker, James M Fricker Pty Ltd, & Dr Peter Johnson, RMIT
Too often houses with ducted systems are not cooled sufficiently in summer or heated adequately in winter because of poor equipment selection or design. One cause is underestimation of the heat gain (or loss) from flexible duct under floors or in roof spaces. The authors research tests have found that insulated flexible air ducts may have thermal performance considerably less than expected from guarded hot plate tests of flat insulation samples because of insulation compression, lack of insulation seam overlap, or air percolation through the insulation. Using test and modelling procedures in this paper, one can now better estimate these losses and rate insulation of heating or cooling flexible air ducts more accurately. These procedures are based upon extensive flexible duct testing, modelling, and research at Enersonics Pty Ltd and James M Fricker Pty Ltd over several years. Keywords heat gain, flexible duct, thermal performance, insulation

Part 1. A new standard test method to determine the thermal performance of insulated flexible air duct
This economic and simple test method researched by the author attempted to simulate applications where heated air blows through a flexible air duct resting on ceiling rafters.

axial fan and electrical resistive heating element. The axial fan has the same diameter as the inside diameter of the flexible air duct. Use standard metal connectors and PVC duct tape, and tape both the inner and outer sleeves per normal installation practice. Fit substantial insulation around the casing of the axial fan so its outward heat loss does not affect test results. Connect the resistive heater to a variable transformer, and monitor the total electrical input power (fan plus heater). Fit a calibrated hot wire anemometer through holes in the inner and outer duct sleeves, and seal both penetrations with sealant or duct tape.

TEST SETUP
Connect four x 3m lengths (or one 12m length) of 200mm or 300mm diameter sample insulated flexible air duct into a horizontal circular loop (i.e., a toroid or donut), and support on wooden blocks roughly 0.6m apart (simulating duct laying on ceiling rafters). Within the duct loop, have installed an

TEST METHOD
Start the axial fan and adjust the total power input to approximately 300 Watts and wait for two hours for

Insulated flexible air duct

Thermometer Thermometer

Thermometer

Thermometer

Heating Element Power Meter Controller Controller

Fan Thermometer

Figure 1

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Calculation of duct Heat Loss Coefficient

Parameter Nominal and inner duct diameter (mm):D Insulation thickness (mm): y Nominal duct length (m): Installed duct centre-line length (m): L Insulation area based on mean dia.(m):A Air velocity (m/s): V Air flow rate (L/s): Q Inner air temperature (C):ti Room ambient air temperature (C): to Steady state temp. difference (K): D t Steady state total heat input (W): W Heat Loss Coefficient (W/linear m.K): HLC Thermal conductivity (W/m.K): k Resistivity (m.K/W): U Temperature drop over duct length (K): td Qty 200 20 12 10.9 7.53 5 157 42 20 22 360 1.50 0.043 23 1.9 HLC= W / L / D t k = W / A / D t y / 1000 U=1/k td = W / 1.2 / Q
Table 1

Formula

A = L p (D + y) / 1000 (should be more than 3) Q = V p (D / 1000) / 4 1000

D t = ti - to

USE: Heat Loss (Watts) = HLC Duct length Air-to-air temperature difference

temperatures to stabilise, while adjusting the power to obtain a steady state internal air temperature of 40 to 50C. Once steady state conditions are achieved, do not adjust the transformer and log the total electrical power input, in-duct air speed, and in-duct and room air temperatures. Using the results of steady state conditions, do calculations according to the example in Table 1: This method derives a heat loss coefficient (HLC) for easy thermal calculations. HLC is based upon the duct length as this is simpler (and more accurate) to use than an overall thermal conductivity (k) and insulation thickness. HLC is independent of installed insulation thickness, which cannot be measured with accuracy. The HLC is here defined as the heat lost (Watts) per installed duct length (metres) per temperature difference (Kelvin) between the air inside and outside of the duct. As duct is flexible and tends to relax to approximately 5% less than its nominal stretched length, HLC uses installed length.

nominal diameters. E.g. for 400mm duct, the loss would be 2 x 675 = 1,350 Watts.

UNCERTAINTY OF MEASUREMENT
The principal source of error in the test method is the thermometer uncertainty, hence having a large temperature difference between ambient air and in-duct air maximises accuracy. For the thermometers used and a 20K temperature difference, the estimated uncertainty of resistance and HLC measurements is 2%.

Q.Can one simply use insulation conductivity or thermal resistance determined from flat hot plate tests?
Measurement of the glasswool insulation removed from a few popular Australian insulated flexible air ducts revealed similar insulation properties:

Example of use of heat loss coefficient

For 5C roof space air temperature, 50C ducted air temperature, how much heat is lost from 10m of the example glasswool insulated duct? Ans: Heat loss (Watts) = HLC x L x t = 1.50 x 10 x (50-5) = 675 Watts! For ducts of other sizes, the heat loss is approximately given by multiplying the above heat loss by the ratio of duct

Nominal Thickness: Density:

25 12

Actual
20mm 15 kg/m

Actual refers to the insulation of fully extended duct, which is still slightly compressed between the outer and inner duct sleeves. From the AIRAH Handbook, the insulation thermal
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conductivity can be deduced from this as approximately ki=0.040 W/mK. Use of the AIRAH Handbook data is appropriate for heat transfer through a flat sheet. However, with flexible insulated air duct, there is: Convective heat transfer from the moving air to the inner duct surface (dependent upon air velocity); Conductive heat transfer through the insulation and sleeve materials; and Convective and radiative heat transfer from the outer sleeve to ambient conditions. Using the nominal insulation thickness, the duct-tested overall thermal conductivity for the above example was determined as 0.043 W/mK, which is 8% higher than the AIRAH Handbook conductivity value alone. This confirms that the use of the value for a flat sheet (even at the higher density) is not accurate for use in flexible ducts, possibly because the compression is not uniform. Comparison tests have confirmed that air leaking through the inner sleeve acoustic treatment perforations and moving through the glasswool in the direction of the pressure gradient also reduces insulation performance. Other tests have indicated that using the raw published insulation thermal conductivity for determining flexible duct heat loss usually gives inaccurate results.

A1:INSULATED SAMPLE A MODEL MATCH OF TEST RESULT

Duct inner diameter Duct axis length Insulation thickness Insulation thermal conductivity Insulation thermal resistance Insulation thermal resistance including surface film Emittance of duct exterior Mean air velocity Air flow rate Duct friction factor Inner duct mean air temperature Inner duct surface temperature Outer duct surface temperature Ambient air temperature outside duct Air heat delivered Total heat loss expected Heat Loss Coefficient, HLC Overall thermal resistance Rt = = = = = = = = = = = = = = => => => => 300 mm 11 m 24 mm 0.0695 W/mK 0.3453 m2K/W 0.4653 m2K/W 0.87 7.6 m/s 537 L/s 0.07 42.5C 42C 25.6C 19.9C 15 kW 533 W, = 3.6% 2.145 W/mK 0.475 m2K/W

Note: R was determined by its iterative adjustment to obtain tested heat loss.

Part 2. A Heat Transfer Model for Flexible Air Duct Performance
A computer model was developed by Dr Peter Johnson to predict the thermal behaviour of insulated flexible air ducts at flow rates and temperature conditions different to tested conditions. The theoretical model is based on the use of standard steady conduction, radiation and convection theory, modified by the Reynolds Analogy. This model has been used to successfully predict the performance of sample ducts for different conditions. Firstly, the fairly arbitrary test condition was modelled by the software, with iterative adjustment of the insulation rating until the predicted heat loss matched the test result, for the same conditions. Refer cases A and A1 below.

Once the insulation rating (R) was established, the influence of other factors, e.g. emittance of outer sleeve and insulation thickness, were investigated. Refer cases A2 and A3 below.

A2:INSULATED SAMPLE A MODEL FOR REFLECTIVE DUCT

Duct inner diameter Duct axis length Insulation thickness Insulation thermal conductivity Insulation thermal resistance R Insulation thermal resistance including surface film Emittance of duct exterior Mean air velocity Air flow rate Duct friction factor Inner duct mean air temperature Inner duct surface temperature Outer duct surface temperature Ambient air temperature outside duct Air heat delivered Total heat loss expected Heat Loss Coefficient, HLC Overall thermal resistance Rt = = = = = = = = = = = => = = => => => => 300 mm 11 m 24 mm 0.0695 W/mK 0.3453 m2K/W 0.6133 m2K/W 0.05 7.6 m/s 537 L/s 0.07 42.5C 42.1C 29.6C 19.9C 15 kW 407 W, = 2.7% 1.636 W/mK 0.622 m2K/W

A:INSULATED SAMPLE A TEST RESULT

Duct inner diameter Duct axis length Insulation thickness Emittance of duct exterior Mean air velocity Air flow rate Duct friction factor Inner duct mean air temperature Ambient air temperature outside duct Air heat delivered Total heat loss expected Heat Loss Coefficient, HLC Overall thermal resistance Rt = = = = = = = = = => => => => 300 mm 11 m 24 mm 0.87 7.6 m/s 537 L/s 0.07 42.5C 19.9C 15 kW 533 W, = 3.6% 2.145 W/mK 0.475 m2K/W

Note: R is from model case A1. In this run, the emitttance was changed to 0.05. Thus a reflective oiuter sleeve enhances performance of 25mm (1) insulation by 31%

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A3: A MODEL, DOUBLED INSULATION THICKNESS AND REFLECTIVE

Duct inner diameter Duct axis length Insulation thickness Insulation thermal conductivity Insulation thermal resistance R Insulation thermal resistance including surface film Emittance of duct exterior Mean air velocity Air flow rate Duct friction factor Inner duct mean air temperature Inner duct surface temperature Outer duct surface temperature Ambient air temperature outside duct Air heat delivered Total heat loss expected Heat Loss Coefficient, HLC Overall thermal resistance Rt = = = = = = = = = = = => => = => => => => 300 mm 11 m 48 mm 0.0695 W/mK 0.6906 m2K/W 0.9729 m2K/W 0.05 7.6 m/s 537 L/s 0.07 42.5C 42.3C 26.4C 19.9C 15 kW 275 W, = 1.8% 1.105 W/mK 0.989 m2K/W

Air flow rate Duct friction factor Inner duct mean air temperature Inner duct surface temperature Outer duct surface temperature Ambient air temperature outside duct Air heat delivered Total heat loss expected Heat Loss Coefficient, HLC Overall thermal resistance Rt

= = = => => = => => => =>

283 L/s 0.07 50.0C 48.2C 16.0C 5.0C 15 kW 1139 W, = 7.6% 2.109 W/mK 0.483 m2K/W

A5:INSULATED SAMPLE A TYPICAL COOLING APPLICATION

Duct inner diameter Duct axis length Insulation thickness Insulation thermal conductivity Insulation thermal resistance R Insulation thermal resistance including surface film Emittance of duct exterior Mean air velocity Air flow rate Duct friction factor Inner duct mean air temperature Inner duct surface temperature Outer duct surface temperature Ambient air temperature outside duct Air heat delivered Total heat loss expected Heat Loss Coefficient, HLC Overall thermal resistance Rt = = = = = = = = = = = => => = => => => => 300 mm 12 m 24 mm 0.0695 W/mK 0.3453 m2K/W 0.4458 m2K/W 0.87 4.0 m/s 283 L/s 0.07 15.0C 16.3C 42.4C 50.0C -12 kW -923 W, = 7.7% 2.197 W/mK 0.463 m2K/W

Note: This is case A2 with insulation thickness doubled. A reflective outer sleeve with 50mm (2) insulation achieves ~ R1.0m2K/W

MODEL RESULTS, HEATING MODE

Although tests were often not at standard application conditions, the computer model allowed prediction of performance at those conditions. For a typical Australian winter heating application, the model predicted performance where the air temperature in the duct was 50C, the ambient temperature 5C, and the in-duct velocity 4m/s. The resulting HLC was computed as 2.11 W/linear mK.

MODEL RESULTS, COOLING MODE

Similarly, a flow situation was modelled where the air temperature in the duct was 15C, the ambient temperature was 50C and the in-duct velocity was 4m/s. The resulting heat loss coefficient was computed as 2.20 W/linear mK. For this example acoustic duct, which had a slightly perforated inner sleeve, the computed thermal conductivity for cooling mode was 5% more than for heating mode.

VELOCITY EFFECT
With only 1.0m/s in-duct air velocity, internal convective heat transfer is reduced and the heat loss is approximately 11% less than for 4m/s. (However, in applications with lower air flow rates, useful heat transfer to room registers is reduced.)

FRICTION FACTOR
When the duct inner surface is very smooth, there is less in-duct convective heat transfer. A typical flexible duct friction factor of 0.064 was used in the preceding model results. If the duct surface was smooth (zero friction factor), heat loss was determined to be typically 6% less. Conversely, if the flexible duct was poorly installed with excessive bends, heat loss per metre could be increased by 4%.

A4:INSULATED SAMPLE A TYPICAL HEATING APPLICATION

Duct inner diameter Duct axis length Insulation thickness Insulation thermal conductivity Insulation thermal resistance R Insulation thermal resistance including surface film Emittance of duct exterior Mean air velocity = = = = = = = = 300 mm 12 m 24 mm 0.0695 W/mK 0.3453 m2K/W 0.4633 m2K/W 0.87 4.0 m/s

FIRE-RATED DUCT
The preceding base result was for a typical duct with polythene outer sleeve and perforated foil inner sleeve. For fire-rated duct, the outer sleeve is also a foil laminate. (This reduces susceptibility to fire radiant heat.) The outer sleeve thus has lower emittance, and hence lower radiative heat transfer.

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Model trials indicate heat loss is typically reduced by 11% for flexible duct having a reflective foil outer sleeve.

If insulation wrap overlap or compression varies with duct diameter, the heat loss coefficient should be tested for the different diameter by the above described test method.

CONCLUSIONS
A test method has been developed and proven to be suitable for determining the total heat loss from insulated flexible air duct. A computer model of the thermal behaviour of insulated flexible air duct has proven to be useful in predicting performance for conditions different to those in the test, for example, for standard temperatures for heating and cooling applications. Once the standard HLC is determined, the heat loss/gain from an insulated flexible air duct may be estimated by: Heat Loss (Watts) =  HLC x Duct length x Air to air temperature difference The main factors in reducing heat loss from insulated flexible air duct are: improving the insulation, optimised duct sizing, using unperforated inner lining, using a reflective outer sleeve, and minimising the length of ducting.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Standards Australia, AS 4254-2002 Ductwork for air-handling systems in buildings Australian Institute of Refrigeration Air conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) Handbook, 4th Edition (2007).

About the authors

James Fricker, B. Mech. Eng., M.AIRAH, M.IEAust, is principal of James M Fricker Pty Ltd, a Melbourne company that specialises in independent thermal testing and modelling for the building and air conditioning industry. (See http://fricker.net.au) (Prior to establishing his own business, James was laboratory manager at Enersonics Pty Ltd, which has since closed down.) Dr Peter Johnson, B.Sc (Eng), PhD, is the retired Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). (See http://www.mm.rmit.edu.au/staff/peter/peter.htm)

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