Influence of Variable Moisture Conditions on the Value of the Thermal Conductivity of Selected Insulation Materials Used in Passive Buildings

Anna Szymczak-Graczyk, Gabriela Gajewska, Ireneusz Laks and Wojciech Kostrzewski
Additional contact information
Anna Szymczak-Graczyk: Department of Construction and Geoengineering, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Piątkowska 94 E, 60-649 Poznań, Poland
Gabriela Gajewska: Department of Construction and Geoengineering, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Piątkowska 94 E, 60-649 Poznań, Poland
Ireneusz Laks: Department of Construction and Geoengineering, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Piątkowska 94 E, 60-649 Poznań, Poland
Wojciech Kostrzewski: Department of Construction and Geoengineering, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Piątkowska 94 E, 60-649 Poznań, Poland

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 7, 1-17

Abstract: The interest in passive construction that has low demand for thermal energy continues to grow every year. It is related to both the reduction in maintenance costs of buildings and the growing environmental awareness in societies. Passive houses are characterised by very good thermal insulation properties of their external partitions. This paper presents the results of tests on the thermal conductivity for three different types of building materials, assuming their use as thermal insulation. The materials were subjected to water absorption tests during long-term immersion. The purpose of this study was to simulate water absorption caused by long-term water exposure. The tests were carried out on a perlite concrete block, a sheet of polyurethane foam applied by spraying and expanded clay in a loose form in three different fractions. The tested insulation materials were selected due to their different form, structure, and porosity characteristics, which largely determined the value of the thermal conductivity. A perlite concrete block is a new, innovative product, of which manufacturer’s data are not yet available as the product is currently at the stage of detailed research. The results were analysed statistically and used in graphs to show the dependence of the value of the thermal conductivity on moisture content of the samples. The purpose of this study was to indicate the importance of the proper incorporation of insulation materials into buildings, their storage before construction and use in the post-construction phase. Building standards for passive houses place high demands on materials used. In order to fully enjoy the advantages of passive buildings, i.e., lower energy consumption and benefits for the natural environment due to lower consumption of energy generated from non-renewable energy sources, it is necessary to use certified building materials and ensure proper use of objects. The studies quoted in this paper indicate to what extent the influence of moisture content negatively affects the properties of insulation materials in external partitions.

Keywords: thermal conductivity; thermal conductance; passive buildings; polyurethane foam; expanded clay; perlite; perlite concrete (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: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/7/2626/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/7/2626/ (text/html)

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:gam:jeners:v:15:y:2022:i:7:p:2626-:d:786515

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().