DETERMINATION OF INDOOR DESIGN TEMPERATURE, THERMAL CHARACTERISTICS AND INSULATION THICKNESS UNDER HOT CLIMATE CONDITIONS

Abstract

The base purpose of this work is to use interior design temperatures and the heating and cooling periods, which are determined according to different wall orientations in terms of thermal performance throughout the year, in the calculation of heat transfer characteristics and optimum insulation thickness. This work is realized under dynamic thermal conditions for the climatic conditions of Adana, Turkey. Firstly, the transmission loads for both heating and cooling are determined for uninsulated and insulated walls according to indoor design temperatures: 20, 22, 24 degrees C. Annual transmission loads, annual average dynamic thermal resistance, annual average time lag, and decrement factor for various wall directions are calculated by using indoor design temperatures determined over the whole year from minimum heating and cooling transmission loads point of view. Then, these loads determined overheating and cooling periods are used for the optimization of insulation thickness. In the uninsulated wall, yearly cooling load is obtained to be 221.37, 152.81, 229.14 and 229.14 MJ/m(2) for the south, north, east and west orientations, respectively while yearly heating load is obtained to be 73.54, 138.44, 117.62 and 117.62 MJ/m(2). It is observed that the cooling load is more dominant than the heating load under the climate conditions of Adana. It is also observed that the longest cooling period is obtained in south orientation while the shortest cooling period is obtained in north orientation. The optimum thickness of the insulation for Adana is obtained to be 8.4, 8.0, 9.2 and 9.2 cm for south, north, east and west orientations, respectively. The results indicate that the indoor design temperatures and insulation have a significant effect on heating, cooling and total transmission loads. Besides, the results reveal that the wall orientation has an important effect on heating and cooling periods, dynamic thermal resistance, time lag and optimum insulation thickness.