Thermal modeling of facade and roof constructions using nonlinear equivalent circuit techniques: review and recent applications

摘要

Thermal modeling using equivalent circuits in analogy to electrical circuits is a well-established technique, especiallyin modeling power dissipation in electronic devices and optimizing cooling means. In building constructionand facility energy management, these methods still are rarely found: circuit based models are the exception inthis field. The inclusion of thermal radiation effects in energy efficiency optimization - especially for insulationstructures - is often omitted, although thermography is widely used. Contrary to pure numerical simulations,equivalent circuit methods allow the derivation of useful formulas and rules of thumb. It might be expectedthat the thermal optimization of buildings in near future will rely on every percentage of potential savings, sothe inclusion of thermal radiation into rules of thumb might be a consequence. In the paper we present a shortreview on such methods. As examples drawn from current research, we discuss applications in facade and roofconstruction. While the specific problems discussed here are derived from investigations of energy efficiency inbuilding construction, the focus of the paper is on the applied methodology of thermal modeling and its opticalaspects. It is understood as a short tutorial paper.