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Dynamic, Adaptive Technologies for Thermal Control of Building Envelopes and Building Energy Efficiency

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "G: Energy and Buildings".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2024 | Viewed by 3404

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Rydge B. Mulford

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Guest Editor

Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469-0238, USA
Interests: thermal control through geometric manipulation; heat transfer for sustainability

Prof. Dr. Kevin Hallinan

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Guest Editor

Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469-0238, USA
Interests: energy efficiency; energy informatics; renewable energy; thermal comfort control; machine learning; energy equity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Adaptive dynamic building envelopes (ADBEs) are technologies which feature real-time control of thermal behavior either through active or passive methods. Accounting for variation of thermal environments in diurnal, seasonal, and annual time scales, dynamic technologies adjust thermal conductivity, radiative properties, or geometry to account for these environmental variations. In fact, the effective use of building thermal envelopes plays a key role in sustainable and energy-efficient building design. Technologies might use active or passive methods to achieve variation in thermal properties, where active indicates an external power source providing the energy required to modify behavior. Passive methods utilize energy provided by the environment to enact the technologies’ function. Through the function of these devices, buildings operate more efficiently and maintain improved occupant thermal comfort levels.

This Special Issue is dedicated to original research and review articles focusing on advancements in the field of adaptive dynamic building envelopes and energy-efficient building design. Topics of special interest include but are not limited to:

Building envelope materials and systems enhancing indoor comfort and energy efficiency;
Proposal of new passive or active adaptive sustainable building technologies;
Smart materials and renewable energy in building envelopes;
Experimental validation and building models of dynamic technologies for building applications;
Integrated building envelope technologies for high-performance buildings and cities.

Dr. Rydge B. Mulford
Prof. Dr. Kevin Hallinan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

buildings
energy efficiency
opaque building envelope
adaptive dynamic building envelope
multi-functional façade
kinetic façade
heat transfer
dynamic insulation
passive thermal control
active thermal control
dynamic surfaces

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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29 pages, 2546 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dynamic Modeling and Simulation of a Facade-Integrated Adsorption System for Solar Cooling of Lightweight Buildings

by Olaf Boeckmann, Drin Marmullaku and Micha Schaefer

Energies 2024, 17(7), 1706; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17071706 - 2 Apr 2024

Viewed by 724

Abstract

Reductions of carbon dioxide emissions from the building sector are mandatory for climate protection. This calls for both a reduction of the construction material and energy as well as a reduction of the operational energy. Against this background, a novel facade-integrated adsorption system for solar cooling of lightweight buildings is proposed and theoretically investigated in this work. For this purpose, a detailed simulation model is developed to analyze both the processes in the single components as well as the overall system behavior. The proposed system consists of the three components adsorber, condenser and evaporator, which are connected vacuum-tight and are coupled by vapor transfer. The simulation results of a defined reference case yield cooling rates of

54 W

per installed square meter of adsorber facade. The cooling power can be maintained for 12 h, confirming the applicability of the proposed system. Furthermore, a comprehensive parametric study is carried out in order to identify an optimum set of parameter values for maximum cooling rate under the assumed conditions. The results reveal that controlled constant cooling rates of

105 W

per square meter of adsorber facade can be reached and a maximum peak power of

145 W

per square meter of adsorber facade is possible. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dynamic, Adaptive Technologies for Thermal Control of Building Envelopes and Building Energy Efficiency)

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27 pages, 5285 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Thermo-Aeraulic Behavior of a Heated Supply Air Window in Forced Convection: Numerical and Experimental Approaches

by Salem Zeiny, Yassine Cherif and Stephane Lassue

Energies 2023, 16(7), 3243; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16073243 - 4 Apr 2023

Viewed by 1233

Abstract

This paper presents work intended to characterize air flow and convective heat transfers within a ventilated window. This window is a device that allows for the entry of fresh air into a building while simultaneously preheating it in order to satisfy requirements in terms of air quality and thermal comfort in inhabited spaces. Therefore, this essential component of the building envelope functions herein as a heat exchanger with its own geometric characteristics and exchange conditions. In this research, a dual numerical and experimental approach has been implemented in order to highlight the temperatures, velocities and heat flux fields both at the glazing surfaces and in the ventilated air gaps. Several turbulence models were tested using CFD software (ANSYS-FLUENT^®); their results were compared with each other as well as with the experimental results. This study shows that the air gap geometry in the window induces flow disturbances, recirculation phenomena and non-uniform heat exchanges, all of which prove to be important in terms of overall component performance. With regard to modeling and, in particular, at the level of turbulence models, the results obtained indicate that the model GEKO is best suited to the configuration under study when the phenomena of turbulent forced convection dominate the dynamics of the transfers. The k-ε models reveal a tremendous weakness in precisely estimating the problem’s characteristic quantities. From an experimental point of view, local measurements of thermal fluxes and temperatures demonstrate high efficiency with regard to experimental technique, which in turn could be extended to many different configurations for the local evaluation of convection heat transfer. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dynamic, Adaptive Technologies for Thermal Control of Building Envelopes and Building Energy Efficiency)

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Review

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38 pages, 10173 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Topology Morphing Insulation: A Review of Technologies and Energy Performance in Dynamic Building Insulation

by Tyler R. Stevens, Nathan B. Crane and Rydge B. Mulford

Energies 2023, 16(19), 6978; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16196978 - 7 Oct 2023

Viewed by 1097

Abstract

Topology morphing insulation enables the on-demand switching of thermal properties between insulative and conducting states through shape change. The adaptive nature of these systems allows them to regulate heat transfer by dynamically altering insulation materials or systems in response to changing conditions, including environmental factors, electrical grid dynamics, and occupant requirements. In this article, we highlight the potential of topology morphing insulation for advancing building envelope design, improving energy efficiency, and facilitating on-demand adjustments in effective thermal conductivity. We provide a comprehensive overview of topology morphing insulation, delving into its underlying principles, mechanisms, and potential applications. This review explores cutting-edge research and the potential application of insights from non-building concepts, such as nature, textiles, and origami. Additionally, it examines crucial aspects such as actuation mechanisms, effectiveness, lifecycle considerations, sustainability implications, and manufacturing feasibility. We discuss the potential benefits and challenges associated with implementing topology morphing insulation solutions. Thanks to its transformative capabilities, topology morphing insulation holds tremendous promise for advancing building envelope design, driving energy efficiency improvements, and facilitating responsive changes in effective thermal conductivity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dynamic, Adaptive Technologies for Thermal Control of Building Envelopes and Building Energy Efficiency)

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