Application and Validation of a Dynamic Energy Simulation Tool: A Case Study with Water Flow Glazing Envelope

Belen Moreno Santamaria, Fernando del Ama Gonzalo, Danielle Pinette, Roberto-Alonso Gonzalez-Lezcano, Benito Lauret Aguirregabiria and Juan A. Hernandez Ramos
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Belen Moreno Santamaria: Department of Construction and Architectural Technology, Technical School of Architecture of Madrid, Technical University of Madrid (UPM), Av. Juan de Herrera, 4, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Fernando del Ama Gonzalo: Keene State College, 229 Main St, Keene, NH 03435, USA
Danielle Pinette: Keene State College, 229 Main St, Keene, NH 03435, USA
Roberto-Alonso Gonzalez-Lezcano: Escuela Politécnica Superior, Universidad San Pablo-CEU, Montepríncipe Campus, Boadilla del Monte, 28668 Madrid, Spain
Benito Lauret Aguirregabiria: Department of Construction and Architectural Technology, Technical School of Architecture of Madrid, Technical University of Madrid (UPM), Av. Juan de Herrera, 4, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Juan A. Hernandez Ramos: Department of Applied Mathematics, School of Aeronautical and Space Engineering, Technical University of Madrid (UPM), Plaza Cardenal Cisneros 3, 28040 Madrid, Spain

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 12, 1-20

Abstract: The transparent materials used in building envelopes significantly contribute to heating and cooling loads of a building. The use of transparent materials requires to solve issues regarding heat gain, heat loss, and daylight. Water flow glazing (WFG), a disruptive technology, includes glazing as part of the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system. Water is transparent to visible wavelengths, but it captures most of the infrared solar radiation. As an alternative to fossil fuel-based HVAC systems, the absorbed energy can be transferred to the ground through borehole heat exchangers and dissipated as a means of free-cooling. Researchers of the Polytechnic University of Madrid have developed a software tool to calculate the energy balance while incorporating the dynamic properties of WFG. This article has studied the mathematical model of that tool and validated its ability to predict energy savings in buildings, taking spectral and thermal parameters of glazing catalogs, commercial software, and inputs from the measurements of the prototypes. The results found in this article showed that it is possible to predict the thermal behavior of WFG and the energy savings by comparing the thermal parameters of two prototypes. The energy absorbed by the water depends on the mass flow rate and the inlet and outlet temperatures.

Keywords: water flow glazing; building energy simulation; experimental validation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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