Application of Numerical Methods

Computation of temperature and heat transfer properties

Cut out of the meshing of a brick vertically perforated like subdivided honey combs

Our focus is the development and application of numerical methods in building physics. We have designed several computer programmes performing two- and three-dimensional thermal analyses of structures under steady-state or transient boundary conditions.

Application areas of the computer programmes

• Calculation of temperatures and heat flow under steady-state or transient boundary conditions, optimisation of structures
• Investigation of thermal bridge effects and energy losses to prevent damage due to condensation
• Heat transfer analysis due to solar radiation
• Simulation of ground freezing and water evaporation
• Circulation modeling of a heat-transfer medium through pipes for cooling or heating purposes (i.e. horizontal pipes buried in the earth, pipe systems, chimneys)
• Computation of radiation heat transfer in voids (vertically perforated bricks, cellular blocs for chimneys)
• Numerical determination of heat transfer properties from test results (as a constant value or in the form of functions)

Current activities

• Heating of roads due to solar radiation in summer
• Cooling of roads due to frost in winter
• Thermal optimisation of vertically perforated bricks

Documentation

• More than 100 publications on building physics and fire engineering, including 2 books and 20 BAM reports, see database Publica and the online documentation of the INSTATCP programme
• Colour graphics (representations of the structure with division into volume elements and isotherms)

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