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This Mornings Agenda: Presentation: Envelope Analysis for the PHPP Tutorial: Thermal Bridge Calculation Break Presentation: Introduction to Point Thermal Bridges Mini-tutorial: Entering Point Thermal Bridges into PHPP Questions

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Thermal Bridge Analysis for the PHPP Passive House Conference 2010 PH Consultant Session Portland, November 4

David White, Right Environments david@rightenvironments.com

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Overview: Overall Method for Envelope Analysis 1. Analyze the envelope component areas & U-values using outside dimensions. Areas go in the Areas tab and U-values go in the U-Values tab. This is called the Simplified Method. 2. Examine the thermal bridges at the intersections between component areas. Based on best judgment, decide whether the simplified method was accurate enough, or significantly under/overestimated heat loss. 3. If the bridge is not significant (less than 0.01 W/mK), dont bother to calculate it. If it is significant, you can account for it by taking a value from a catalog of thermal bridges or doing your own 2D calculation. Input the thermal bridges low down in the areas tab of the PHPP. 4. PHPP calculates total envelope loss as the sum of component area losses and bridge linear losses. You can compare the performance of different details by swapping them in and out on PHPP and seeing how much difference in makes in heating/cooling demand.

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This workshop includes: Key Concepts Calculation Guidelines Tutorial with THERM and Excel

It does not include: Dynamic analysis methods

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Key Concepts

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Key Concepts

Component Areas and Intersections

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Key Concepts

roof wall

wall

slab

Components

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Key Concepts

roof wall

wall

slab

Intersections

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Key Concepts

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Key Concepts

Intersections. Note: taking windows from NFRC to PHPP has two problems: 1) physics of ISO vs. NFRC and 2) NFRC has one combined value for glass, frame, and spacer. Check my website for window inputs calculation method.

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Key Concepts

Thermal bridging typically means that the heat gets a short cut across the envelope.

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Key Concepts

Thermal Bridges wall to slab (can be a big one!) wall to roof wall to wall glass to frame (spacer in WinType) frame to wall (installation in WinType) etc

roof wall

wall

slab

In PHPP, whether or not the heat gets a short cut, a thermal bridge coefficient can be applied any place where heat flow cant be accurately calculated using the simplified method, i.e. an intersection.

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Key Concepts

=
(Btu/hrF per foot of intersection lenth) (W/K per meter of intersection length)

Key understanding: the thermal bridge heat loss is the difference between the true heat loss, calculated using 2D analysis, and the heat loss calculated using the simplified method.

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Key Concepts

For component heat loss, use simple parallel heat transfer calculation in PHPP.

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Key Concepts

Details for Passive Houses

For thermal bridge heat loss, either reference a calculation done by others...

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Key Concepts of Thermal Bridges

...or do it yourself, for instance using THERM.

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Key Concepts

Thermal bridges must be specific to ambient, ground, or perimeter.

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Key Concepts

Ambient no ground interactions

Ground bridge is in contact with ground, far from grade. Do not include ground or exterior air film in model.

Perimeter partly above, partly below grade. Special!

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Calculation Guidelines

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Calculation Guidelines

R-0.45

R-0.74

R-1.14

R-0.22

R-0.97

Schneiders, Protocol 16: Thermal Bridge Free Construction, PHI, January 2008

Surface Film Coefficients

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Calculation Guidelines

IP units

METRIC units

Surface Film Coefficients from ASHRAE Fundamentals differ slightly from German

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Calculation Guidelines

Schneiders

EN 10211-1 recommends straight sections extend 1m clear (consistent construction) Rule of thumb: 4x wall thickness (although for PH this can be 6 feet!) Beware: adiabatic boundary will force isotherms to be parallel! Red herring! Above example is for a simple detail higher fluxes may need longer straight sections Too long can cause inaccuracy b/c error limit is based on total heat loss of the model. When in doubt, test it at various lengths (as above)

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Calculation Guidelines

Useful hint: when applicable, put adiabatic boundary at a line of thermal symmetry. E.g. in a wood frame wall, put boundary at center of stud or at midline of bay.

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Calculation Guidelines

Perimeter Insulation is included in ground sheet calculations and in thermal bridge calculations (I think).

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Calculation Guidelines

Outdoor temp, e.g. 13F for NYC PHPP peak Adiabatic

Indoor temp, e.g. 68F

2.5 m

Average of Indoor and Outdoor temp, e.g. 40.5F

2.5 m

1.0 m

This is how to model a perimeter thermal bridge (from Schnieders 2008). The indoor/outdoor temps are arbitrary in terms of calculating psi. The specific temps used here are useful because they also tell us something about condensation risk.

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Tutorial with THERM and Excel

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Tutorial with THERM and Excel

Thermal bridge analysis: not just for masochists anymore!

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Tutorial with THERM and Excel

Wall

Slab

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Tutorial with THERM and Excel

Draw detail in THERM (to save time, it is pre-drawn for the tutorial). Assign boundary conditions and U-factor tags.

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Tutorial with THERM and Excel

13 F with exterior resistance (R-0.17)

13 F with rain screen (R-0.45)

68 F, vertical surface film (R-0.68) 68 F, inside corner film (R-1.14) for 8 inches or so 68 F, downward flow film (R-0.92)
adiabatic

adiabatic

40.5 F (half way between indoor and outdoor temp), no air film

Note: U-factor tags are assigned to red boundary along interior surface. U-factor tags can go inside or out, as long as they mark one gate through which all heat flow to/from the interior passes, so that THERM can measure the flow. Note: German and US air film values differ slightly, so there are discrepancies w/ slide #18.

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Tutorial with THERM and Excel

U factor tag wall

U - tag intersection

U - tag slab

If you like, you can add a little extra length at the end of each component, and give those lengths their own U-factor tags. This way THERM will calculate the U-value of the clear sections at the same time that it calculates flow through the area of the intersection. Ease of use, reliability!

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Tutorial with THERM and Excel

Technical credit: Charlie Weedon cweedon@wildblue.net Charlie requests your input!

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Tutorial with THERM and Excel

Set error tolerances and max iterations, then run it. Manual (7.3.2) warns of accumulated rounding errors below 5% Maximum Error Energy Norm. Software author says 5% is ok, so I use 5%.

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Tutorial with THERM and Excel

Set up calculation sheet on PHPP

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Tutorial with THERM and Excel

Calculate heat loss of straight sections by one of the following methods: simulate straight section on THERM (more accurate, but how much more?) use PHPP calculation (faster) include clear sections in the same THERM model of the intersection (Weedon method)

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Tutorial with THERM and Excel

Subtract losses calculated using the simplified method from losses calculated on THERM. Be careful to assign the correct temperature difference to each component. Divide the net loss by the deltaT to ambient (not ground) because PHPP asks for perimeter thermal bridges with respect to outdoor temperature. The result is the -value.

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Rest