A design method for insulation distribution to achieve year-round energy-efficient operation of double-layer pipe-embedded wall
Yaxin Zhao and
Xianting Li
Energy, 2025, vol. 336, issue C
Abstract:
Double-layer pipe-embedded walls (DPEWs) offer considerable potential for reducing space heating and cooling energy consumption. Optimizing the thickness distribution between the inner and outer insulation can enhance their performance. To achieve year-round efficient operation of DPEWs, this study proposes a design method for optimizing insulation distribution under given insulation locations and total thickness. The proposed method determines optimal outer insulation thickness ranges for representative working conditions and selects the design thickness based on their intersection. If a common range exists across all working conditions, its maximum value is adopted as the design thickness to prevent freezing; otherwise, the common range derived from important working conditions that constitute a significant proportion of the total duration is adopted. A case study is conducted in six cities using a DPEW system combined with an air source heat pump and ground heat exchangers. The results show that: (1) for each working condition, an optimal outer insulation thickness range maintains energy consumption within a small deviation above the minimum; (2) a common optimal outer thickness insulation range can be determined across either all working conditions or important working conditions; and (3) the proposed method demonstrates good applicability in diverse climate zones. This study provides guidance for DPEW design and contributes to improved building energy efficiency.
Keywords: Pipe-embedded wall; Thermally activated building systems (TABS); Thermal insulation; HVAC; Energy efficiency (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:
Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544225041374
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.
Export reference: BibTeX
RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan)
HTML/Text
Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:336:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225041374
DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.138495
Access Statistics for this article
Energy is currently edited by Henrik Lund and Mark J. Kaiser
More articles in Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().