In Situ Experimental Investigation of Slim Curtain Wall Spandrel Integrated with Vacuum Insulation Panel
1
Green Energy Technology Research Center, Kongju National University, Cheonan 31080, Chungnam, Korea
2
Zero Energy Buildings Laboratory, Graduate School of Energy Systems Engineering, Kongju National University, Cheonan 31080, Chungnam, Korea
3
Department of Architectural Engineering & Graduate School of Energy Systems Engineering, Kongju National University, Cheonan 31080, Chungnam, Korea
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Andrea Petrella
Buildings 2022, 12(2), 199; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12020199
Received: 16 December 2021
/
Revised: 21 January 2022
/
Accepted: 4 February 2022
/
Published: 9 February 2022
Almost every major city’s skyline is known for high-rise iconic buildings with some level of curtain wall system (CWS) installed. Although complex, a CWS can be designed for energy efficiency by integrating insulated spandrel components in space-constrained areas, such as slabs/plenums. The main aim of this study was to experimentally examine the thermal performance of an optimized curtain wall spandrel system integrated with vacuum insulation panel (VIP) as spandrel insulation. The study is based on robust experimental evaluations, augmented with appropriate numerical computations. The main study is constituted of six parts: (1) evaluation of VIP specifications and thermal properties; (2) analysis of VIP spandrel configuration, fabrication, and installation in a test building facility; (3) thermal bridge characterization of VIP spandrels; (4) monitoring and assessment of VIP durability within the spandrel cavities; (5) thermal performance analysis; and (6) assessment of related limitations and challenges, along with some further reflections. In all, 22 VIPs (each of size 600 mm2) were used. The effective thermal conductivity of VIPs ranged from 5.1–5.4 (10−3 W/mK) and the average value for initial inner pressure was approximately 4.3–5.9 mbar. Three VIP spandrel cases were fabricated and tested. The results proved that the Case 3 VIP spandrel configuration (composed of a double-layer VIP) was the most improved alternative for integrating VIPs.
View Full-Text
Keywords:
vacuum insulation panel (VIP); curtain wall system (CWS); slim façade; spandrel component; experimental assessment; thermal performance
▼
Show Figures
Figure 1
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
MDPI and ACS Style
Boafo, F.E.; Kim, J.-H.; Ahn, J.-G.; Kim, S.-M.; Kim, J.-T. In Situ Experimental Investigation of Slim Curtain Wall Spandrel Integrated with Vacuum Insulation Panel. Buildings 2022, 12, 199. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12020199
AMA Style
Boafo FE, Kim J-H, Ahn J-G, Kim S-M, Kim J-T. In Situ Experimental Investigation of Slim Curtain Wall Spandrel Integrated with Vacuum Insulation Panel. Buildings. 2022; 12(2):199. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12020199
Chicago/Turabian StyleBoafo, Fred E., Jin-Hee Kim, Jong-Gwon Ahn, Sang-Myung Kim, and Jun-Tae Kim. 2022. "In Situ Experimental Investigation of Slim Curtain Wall Spandrel Integrated with Vacuum Insulation Panel" Buildings 12, no. 2: 199. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12020199
Find Other Styles
Note that from the first issue of 2016, MDPI journals use article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.
