Heat and mass transfer in buildings

• clarify why heat, air and moisture transfer are essential in the hygrothermal design and diagnosis of building components and building zones
• formulate heat, air and moisture balances for the analysis of hygrothermal problems
• explain and apply the transport equations for heat, air and moisture in building components and building zones
• apply mathematical methods and problem solving approaches for hygrothermal calculations
• assess the reliability of the obtained results
• classify building materials concerning their hygrothermal properties
• evaluate the influences of material properties on the generic hygrothermal response of building components and building zones
• design hygrothermally correct building components and building zones
• diagnose hygrothermally incorrect building components and building zones

The course will teach you to design hygrothermally correct and to diagnose hygrothermally incorrect building components and whole buildings. To those aims, the following issues will be discussed:
– criteria for building component durability and proper hygrothermal condition of building zones;
– heat, air and moisture balances;
– heat transfer revisited (conduction, convection, radiation, advection);
– moisture transfer (vapour diffusion, advection of vapour, liquid capillary transfer);
– air transfer (air diffusion);
– building materials and their hygrothermal properties (structural materials, insulation, air barriers and vapour barriers);
– mathematical methods (systems of equations, non-linearity, control-volume method);
– problem solving approaches (conceptualization, reliability)
– importance of heat, air and moisture transfer when designing buildings for energy efficiency and sustainability

12601/11121, The course will focus on mass transfer, while only shortly revisiting heat transfer since prior knowledge of heat transfer in building components is assumed.
Students without this prior knowledge may participate, but will need to work extra on their own on heat transfer.

Lectures, group work, self-study and exercises

Minimum: 10.

Please be aware that this course will only be held if the required minimum number of participants is met. You will be informed 8 days before the start of the course, whether the course will be held.