Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2012 Evaluation of the thermal performance and cost effectiveness of radiant barrier thermal insulation materials in residential construction Somayeh Asadi Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Engineering Science and Materials Commons Recommended Citation Asadi, Somayeh, "Evaluation of the thermal performance and cost effectiveness of radiant barrier thermal insulation materials in residential construction" (2012). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 1295. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/1295 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. EVALUATION OF THE THERMAL PERFORMANCE AND COST EFFECTIVENESS OF RADIANT BARRIER THERMAL INSULATION MATERIALS IN RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Interdepartmental Program in Engineering Science by Somayeh Asadi B.S., Semnan University, 2003 M.S., Louisiana State University, 2011 August 2012 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My deepest thanks are to my adviser, Dr. Marwa Hassan. She always supported me to explore new ideas, to question common assumptions, and to operationally think about social systems. Her expertise in understanding and analyzing problems and her visionary approach to guiding advisees were invaluable assets for me. In-depth discussions with Marwa sometimes went beyond research, reminding me why we live, what we want, how we can help the public, and why family is the priority. I hope one day I will become as good an adviser as Marwa. I am also thankful to my other committee members, Dr. Isabelina Nahmens, Dr. Ayman Okeil, Dr. Michele Barbato, Dr. Sherif Ishak, and Dr. Carol Taylor. Throughout the experience, I was nurtured with friendship and love of many friends. I would like to thank them. Some of them are Ali Beheshti, Mohammad Fesanghary, Seyed Mostafa Seyadat Mosavi. Finally and most importantly, I would like to especially thank my parents who always encouraged me to keep high work standards, stay with the Values they taught me, and devote myself to helping people. I am thankful to my sisters and brothers, for being extremely supportive during the time I was far from my parents. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................ ii LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ x ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................. xv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Problem Statement ................................................................................................................ 2 1.2 Objectives .............................................................................................................................. 3 1.3 Research Approach ............................................................................................................... 3 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................................... 10 2.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 10 2.2 Building Energy Consumption ............................................................................................ 11 2.3 Building Energy Demand .................................................................................................... 14 2.4 Estimating Heating and Cooling Load ................................................................................ 16 2.5 Energy Efficient Building Design ....................................................................................... 18 2.5.1 Building Shape ............................................................................................................. 18 2.5.2 Building Orientation ..................................................................................................... 19 2.5.3 Landscaping .................................................................................................................. 21 iii 2.5.4 Building Envelope ........................................................................................................ 21 2.5.4.1 External wall .......................................................................................................... 22 2.5.4.2 Foundations and Floor ........................................................................................... 23 2.5.4.3 Window .................................................................................................................. 23 2.5.4.4 Roof........................................................................................................................ 25 2.5.5 Infiltration and Ventilation ........................................................................................... 27 2.5.5.1 Energy Recovery Ventilation Systems .................................................................. 29 2.5.6 Air Conditioning Systems ............................................................................................ 30 2.5.7 Lighting and Appliances ............................................................................................... 30 2.6 Thermal Insulation performance ......................................................................................... 31 2.6.1 Building Insulation ....................................................................................................... 33 2.6.1.1 Fiber Glass Insulation ............................................................................................ 33 2.6.1.2 Cellulose Insulation ............................................................................................... 34 2.6.1.3 Mineral Wool ......................................................................................................... 34 2.6.1.4 Rigid Foam and Foam Boards Insulation .............................................................. 35 2.6.1.5 Spray Foam Insulation ........................................................................................... 35 2.6.1.6 Radiant Barriers or Reflective Insulations ............................................................. 36 2.7 Active Solar Techniques ..................................................................................................... 36 2.7.1 Flat plate solar collectors .............................................................................................. 37 2.7.2 Concentrating Solar Collectors ..................................................................................... 37 iv 2.7.3 Photovoltaic collectors or PV ....................................................................................... 38 2.7 Attic Insulation and Radiant Barrier ................................................................................... 39 2.7.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 39 2.7.2 Radiant Barrier Installation Methods ........................................................................... 40 2.7.3 Effect of Radiant Barrier on heating and cooling load ................................................. 40 2.8 Theoretical Basis for the Attic Heat Transfer Model .......................................................... 49 2.8.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 49 2.8.2 Conduction Heat Transfer ............................................................................................ 49 2.8.2.1 Thermal Conductivity ............................................................................................ 49 2.8.3 Radiation Heat Transfer ................................................................................................ 50 2.8.3.1 Solar Radiation on Attic exterior Surfaces ............................................................ 51 2.8.3.2 Radiation in the Roof ............................................................................................. 56 2.8.4 Convection Heat Transfer ............................................................................................. 57 2.8.4.1 Convection Heat Transfer in Attic ......................................................................... 57 2.8.5 Ventilation .................................................................................................................... 59 2.9 Finite Element Model .........................................................................................................