ABSTRACT Energy efficiency and reduction of building consumption are deeply felt issues both at I... more ABSTRACT Energy efficiency and reduction of building consumption are deeply felt issues both at Italian and international level. The recent regulatory framework sets stringent limits on energy performance of buildings. Awaiting the adoption of these principles, several methods have been developed to solve the problem of energy consumption of buildings, among which the simplified energy audit is intended to identify any anomalies in the building system, to provide helpful tips for energy refurbishments and to raise end users’ awareness. The Energy Signature is an operational tool of these methodologies, an evaluation method in which energy consumption is correlated with climatic variables, representing the actual energy behaviour of the building. In addition to that purpose, the Energy Signature can be used as an empirical tool to determine the real performances of the technical elements. The latter aspect is illustrated in this article.
The article describes the design phase, development and practical application of a low-cost contr... more The article describes the design phase, development and practical application of a low-cost control system for a forced circulation solar plant in an outdoor test cell located near Milan. Such a system provides for the use of an electric pump for the circulation of heat transfer fluid connecting the solar thermal panel to the storage tank. The running plant temperatures are the fundamental parameter to evaluate the system performance such as proper operation, and the control and management system has to consider these parameters. A solar energy-powered wireless-based smart object was developed, able to monitor the running temperatures of a solar thermal system and aimed at moving beyond standard monitoring approaches to achieve a low-cost and customizable device, even in terms of installation in different environmental conditions. To this end, two types of communications were used: the first is a low-cost communication based on the ZigBee protocol used for control purposes, so that it can be customized according to specific needs, while the second is based on a Bluetooth protocol used for data display.
Thermosense XIX: An International Conference on Thermal Sensing and Imaging Diagnostic Applications, 1997
ABSTRACT Through an experimental research work, the authors succeeded in defining a methodology f... more ABSTRACT Through an experimental research work, the authors succeeded in defining a methodology for the in-situ determination of the thermal losses of building envelopes, using IR techniques combined with thermo-fluximetric and monitoring techniques. The problem of thermal losses determination in existing external envelopes is extremely important in all those countries where the aging of the existing buildings makes it necessary to work on the improvement of the environmental control and the thermal insulation. The paper presents the results of the research works that have been carried out. Special consideration is given to the problems concerning the non-steady state thermal conditions of the building and to the quantification of the thermal losses value. The paper also describes the methodology that has been set up, discussing on its possible large-scale applications.
Energy consumption of buildings has grown in parallel with the improvement of the lifestyle of th... more Energy consumption of buildings has grown in parallel with the improvement of the lifestyle of the occupants. This growth in consumption of housing affects the environmental and ecological conditions. Today, the main challenge is to increase the awareness of users, by maintaining elevated lifestyle, on the one hand, and educing consumptions so as to minimize the impact on the environment, on the other hand. In a construction sector constantly looking for new technologies for energy saving and energy efficiency, the role of the end user becomes crucial for the optimal management and responsible use of resources. The operating conditions of the macro “building-plant-users” system are determined or verified by methods of the energy performance calculation shown in European Standard, EN 15603:2008. These methods have a different degree of detail depending on the purpose: the standard calculation methods, used in energy certification, are useful to evaluate the energy condition of the bu...
The aim of this paper is to analyze the performance of thermal transmittance of a dynamic glazing... more The aim of this paper is to analyze the performance of thermal transmittance of a dynamic glazing system in the real conditions of work. The thermal transmittance of an envelope component, opaque or transparent, is not a constant physical quantity but it depends on the different intrinsic characteristics of the constituent materials. The thermal transmittance is a steady-state calculation and changes as a function of the heat flux, the internal and external temperatures. At the laboratories of ITC-CNR an experimental campaign of a ventilated glazing system has been carried out, in order to assess its behaviour in terms of energy consumption, thermal comfort and energy efficiency in winter and in summer. The experimentation consists in the comparison of two different outdoor test cells, in one of which the ventilated glazing system has been installed and in the other one a traditional windows has been mounted. Starting from the calculation method defined by the Italian regulation, th...
ITC-CNR carried out a specific energy retrofit case-study which includes the assessment of the en... more ITC-CNR carried out a specific energy retrofit case-study which includes the assessment of the environmental and energy sustainability of a building and the support to the definition of construction and technological solutions with low environmental impact involving the application of RES systems integrated into the building. This case-study consists in the assessment of the energy, environmental and economic performances of a residential/commercial building design located in Northern Italy, conducted by ad hoc assessment tools, such as SBTool (assessment in a holistic approach), PHPP (energy analysis) and RetScreen (RES application feasibility study), aimed at pursuing the “best practice” solutions in a specifically defined performance scale, supporting designer’s activities. Costs analysis were also lead in order to prove that the solutions presented affordable investment costs and remarkable advantages on the energy efficiency and indoor comfort. The developed analysis related to...
The Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) refers to the quality of the environment inrelation to hea... more The Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) refers to the quality of the environment inrelation to health and well-being of the occupants. The IEQ is a holistic concept, which considers several categories, each related to a specific environmental parameter. This paper describes the low-cost and open-source hardware architecture alternative to traditional software tools. These are relatively bulky, difficult to apply in certain occupied environments and expensive in relation to specific experimental campaign. Specifically, it was made an acquisition system to assess the following environmental parameters: thermal Indoor Comfort Quality (ICQ); Indoor Air Quality (IAQ); Indoor Lighting Quality (ILQ). The document consists of three parts. The first describes the evaluation of thermal comfort and related methods of measurement. The second part introduces evaluations useful to characterize the level of the internal environment comfort. Finally the last one describes the instrument used for mon...
New buildings and the retrofit of existing buildings must comply with indications and rules conce... more New buildings and the retrofit of existing buildings must comply with indications and rules concerning specific environmental requirements focused on the improvement of the quality of the building context and of the areas used by occupants. ITC-CNR carried out a specific energy retrofit case-study which includes the assessment of the environmental sustainability of a building and the definition of construction and technological solutions with low environmental impact involving the application of renewable energy sources systems integrated into the building. The purpose of the work was to verify the possibility of bringing a non-sustainable building close to the best practice level of sustainability by applying efficient and effective technical and economic solutions, managed through the use of the national sustainability assessment tool: "Protocollo ITACA". "Protocollo ITACA" consists of a set of evaluation criteria used to assess issues such as Quality of the si...
ABSTRACT Energy efficiency and reduction of building consumption are deeply felt issues both at I... more ABSTRACT Energy efficiency and reduction of building consumption are deeply felt issues both at Italian and international level. The recent regulatory framework sets stringent limits on energy performance of buildings. Awaiting the adoption of these principles, several methods have been developed to solve the problem of energy consumption of buildings, among which the simplified energy audit is intended to identify any anomalies in the building system, to provide helpful tips for energy refurbishments and to raise end users’ awareness. The Energy Signature is an operational tool of these methodologies, an evaluation method in which energy consumption is correlated with climatic variables, representing the actual energy behaviour of the building. In addition to that purpose, the Energy Signature can be used as an empirical tool to determine the real performances of the technical elements. The latter aspect is illustrated in this article.
Thermosense XVII: An International Conference on Thermal Sensing and Imaging Diagnostic Applications, 1995
ABSTRACT In the paper the authors present some experiences made using IR and acoustics methods in... more ABSTRACT In the paper the authors present some experiences made using IR and acoustics methods in a non destructive way for the evaluation of situations of degradation in building materials and components. Two studies are presented: (1) detection of the delamination of wall renderings, especially those supporting frescos, by means of IR and sonic investigation; (2) use of infrared thermography for the visualization of fracture zones of walls and steel components under cyclic loads. The possibility of detecting rendering delaminations is based on the different path of the heat diffusion in part of the wall affected by the delamination, compared to the rest of the wall. The difference is caused by the presence of small pockets containing still air. The case study showed makes reference to the analysis of adhesion conditions of a rendering dating back to the IV century, applied on the bell towers of the ancient basilica dedicated to S. Lorenzo in Milan, Italy. The use of infrared thermography for detecting the strength status of materials and components is based on the fact that the strength status of parts of building components can become evident because of heat losses which appear where the component is weaker. The IR observation was made on steel bars subject to traction testing and on lightweight concrete prismatic samples subject to compression testing. The experiences indicate that there is room for this NdT technique to provide some useful answers. Nevertheless it is sure that more experimental work is needed in order to increase the full comprehension of the phenomena which are the basis of their applications for alternative uses.
ABSTRACT The article describes the analysis of the environmental impact of a Building Integrated ... more ABSTRACT The article describes the analysis of the environmental impact of a Building Integrated PhotoVoltaics (BIPV) module developed within the research project “BIPV-Building Integrated Photovoltaics, Piastrelle ceramiche fotovoltaiche per involucri edilizi sostenibili”. The aim of the project is the development and the implementation of photovoltaic BIPV ceramic modules to be used in buildings for the construction of active envelopes. In particular, one of the research lines of the project involves the construction of BIPV ceramic modules by depositing a thin film of amorphous silicon on a ceramic support. Research and development activities previously carried out by the Ceramic Centre of Bologna in collaboration with other companies have led to the production of prototype of a ceramic photovoltaic module. The project aims to the optimization and the industrialization of the module. Other BIPV modules (for example made on glass sheets) have been used in the construction industry for over 20 years as an integral part of the building, in both horizontal (roofs and skylights) and vertical components (facades). The use of these modules allows the realization of active technical elements, reducing the use of raw materials. The environmental impact assessment of the BIPV ceramic module was conducted through the life-cycle approach, in accordance with the international standards of the ISO 14040 series, in order to define the eco-profile, identifying the processes with the greatest impacts and suggesting improvements. The environmental profile thus obtained was then compared with that of other photovoltaic modules, in order to assess the environmental performance compared to existing technologies.
The preservation of historical, artistic and cultural heritage gives rise to problems of differen... more The preservation of historical, artistic and cultural heritage gives rise to problems of different, and sometimes conflicting, nature. On the one hand there is the need to maintain the goods in very good conditions both from the microclimatic and the safety point of view; on the other hand there is also the strong need to improve as much as possible the conservation procedures for preserving goods and the exposure environment, which must be comfortable also for visitors. It must be added that, particularly in Italy, museums are often located in historical buildings with a high architectural value, for which any intervention aimed at modifying the consistency of the construction elements and technological plants, must be carefully weighted, planned and realized in order to minimize the impact on the whole building. A contribution on the above mentioned problems has been given through the activities carried out by ITC-CNR in collaboration with the company "Borini Costruzioni"...
ABSTRACT The work described in this paper was aimed at comparing two different testing methodolog... more ABSTRACT The work described in this paper was aimed at comparing two different testing methodologies, set up in order to define performance properties and reliability of passive or hybrid solar components. The former facility is based on the use of outdoor real-size Test Cells, designed to simulate a conventional living environment with a thermal mass distributed approximately in the same way as in a real dwelling. The latter uses an indoor real-size test cell reproducing a common piece of a dwelling; such a cell can assume various spatial arrangements and simulate in a cyclic way any temperature conditions and solar input on the walls under test. Experiments on a same opaque multilayer component were run with both facilities and the comparison of the obtained results are given; the good agreement of the efficiency values and the analysis of the most important working parameters of the tested component points out the effectiveness and the peculiarity of both methodologies.
... On the south façade of the first floor, two opaque prototypes were set up; two transparent pr... more ... On the south façade of the first floor, two opaque prototypes were set up; two transparent prototypes were set up on the second floor ... Figure 5 reports the trend of the energy primary consumption in the two floors of the experimental building with the innovative system and the ...
ABSTRACT This work presents the experimental evaluation of the energy performance of a modified s... more ABSTRACT This work presents the experimental evaluation of the energy performance of a modified single-stage CO2 transcritical refrigeration plant with an internal heat exchanger (IHX) based on vapour injection in suction line. This modification, which is only applicable to refrigeration plants with an expansion process divided in two stages with a liquid receiver between them, consists of extracting saturated vapour from the liquid receiver in order to: decrease the vapour quality at the evaporator inlet, and reduce the superheating degree at the compressor suction by means of the expansion and following injection of the extracted refrigerant. Three different injection points have been evaluated experimentally: before the IHX, after the IHX and just before the suction chamber of the compressor. The experimental measurements show that the cooling capacity and COP can be enhanced in 9.81% and 7.01%, respectively. Furthermore, a reduction in the discharge temperature of the compressor up to 14.7 °C has been measured inside the evaluation range.
ABSTRACT Energy efficiency and reduction of building consumption are deeply felt issues both at I... more ABSTRACT Energy efficiency and reduction of building consumption are deeply felt issues both at Italian and international level. The recent regulatory framework sets stringent limits on energy performance of buildings. Awaiting the adoption of these principles, several methods have been developed to solve the problem of energy consumption of buildings, among which the simplified energy audit is intended to identify any anomalies in the building system, to provide helpful tips for energy refurbishments and to raise end users’ awareness. The Energy Signature is an operational tool of these methodologies, an evaluation method in which energy consumption is correlated with climatic variables, representing the actual energy behaviour of the building. In addition to that purpose, the Energy Signature can be used as an empirical tool to determine the real performances of the technical elements. The latter aspect is illustrated in this article.
The article describes the design phase, development and practical application of a low-cost contr... more The article describes the design phase, development and practical application of a low-cost control system for a forced circulation solar plant in an outdoor test cell located near Milan. Such a system provides for the use of an electric pump for the circulation of heat transfer fluid connecting the solar thermal panel to the storage tank. The running plant temperatures are the fundamental parameter to evaluate the system performance such as proper operation, and the control and management system has to consider these parameters. A solar energy-powered wireless-based smart object was developed, able to monitor the running temperatures of a solar thermal system and aimed at moving beyond standard monitoring approaches to achieve a low-cost and customizable device, even in terms of installation in different environmental conditions. To this end, two types of communications were used: the first is a low-cost communication based on the ZigBee protocol used for control purposes, so that it can be customized according to specific needs, while the second is based on a Bluetooth protocol used for data display.
Thermosense XIX: An International Conference on Thermal Sensing and Imaging Diagnostic Applications, 1997
ABSTRACT Through an experimental research work, the authors succeeded in defining a methodology f... more ABSTRACT Through an experimental research work, the authors succeeded in defining a methodology for the in-situ determination of the thermal losses of building envelopes, using IR techniques combined with thermo-fluximetric and monitoring techniques. The problem of thermal losses determination in existing external envelopes is extremely important in all those countries where the aging of the existing buildings makes it necessary to work on the improvement of the environmental control and the thermal insulation. The paper presents the results of the research works that have been carried out. Special consideration is given to the problems concerning the non-steady state thermal conditions of the building and to the quantification of the thermal losses value. The paper also describes the methodology that has been set up, discussing on its possible large-scale applications.
Energy consumption of buildings has grown in parallel with the improvement of the lifestyle of th... more Energy consumption of buildings has grown in parallel with the improvement of the lifestyle of the occupants. This growth in consumption of housing affects the environmental and ecological conditions. Today, the main challenge is to increase the awareness of users, by maintaining elevated lifestyle, on the one hand, and educing consumptions so as to minimize the impact on the environment, on the other hand. In a construction sector constantly looking for new technologies for energy saving and energy efficiency, the role of the end user becomes crucial for the optimal management and responsible use of resources. The operating conditions of the macro “building-plant-users” system are determined or verified by methods of the energy performance calculation shown in European Standard, EN 15603:2008. These methods have a different degree of detail depending on the purpose: the standard calculation methods, used in energy certification, are useful to evaluate the energy condition of the bu...
The aim of this paper is to analyze the performance of thermal transmittance of a dynamic glazing... more The aim of this paper is to analyze the performance of thermal transmittance of a dynamic glazing system in the real conditions of work. The thermal transmittance of an envelope component, opaque or transparent, is not a constant physical quantity but it depends on the different intrinsic characteristics of the constituent materials. The thermal transmittance is a steady-state calculation and changes as a function of the heat flux, the internal and external temperatures. At the laboratories of ITC-CNR an experimental campaign of a ventilated glazing system has been carried out, in order to assess its behaviour in terms of energy consumption, thermal comfort and energy efficiency in winter and in summer. The experimentation consists in the comparison of two different outdoor test cells, in one of which the ventilated glazing system has been installed and in the other one a traditional windows has been mounted. Starting from the calculation method defined by the Italian regulation, th...
ITC-CNR carried out a specific energy retrofit case-study which includes the assessment of the en... more ITC-CNR carried out a specific energy retrofit case-study which includes the assessment of the environmental and energy sustainability of a building and the support to the definition of construction and technological solutions with low environmental impact involving the application of RES systems integrated into the building. This case-study consists in the assessment of the energy, environmental and economic performances of a residential/commercial building design located in Northern Italy, conducted by ad hoc assessment tools, such as SBTool (assessment in a holistic approach), PHPP (energy analysis) and RetScreen (RES application feasibility study), aimed at pursuing the “best practice” solutions in a specifically defined performance scale, supporting designer’s activities. Costs analysis were also lead in order to prove that the solutions presented affordable investment costs and remarkable advantages on the energy efficiency and indoor comfort. The developed analysis related to...
The Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) refers to the quality of the environment inrelation to hea... more The Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) refers to the quality of the environment inrelation to health and well-being of the occupants. The IEQ is a holistic concept, which considers several categories, each related to a specific environmental parameter. This paper describes the low-cost and open-source hardware architecture alternative to traditional software tools. These are relatively bulky, difficult to apply in certain occupied environments and expensive in relation to specific experimental campaign. Specifically, it was made an acquisition system to assess the following environmental parameters: thermal Indoor Comfort Quality (ICQ); Indoor Air Quality (IAQ); Indoor Lighting Quality (ILQ). The document consists of three parts. The first describes the evaluation of thermal comfort and related methods of measurement. The second part introduces evaluations useful to characterize the level of the internal environment comfort. Finally the last one describes the instrument used for mon...
New buildings and the retrofit of existing buildings must comply with indications and rules conce... more New buildings and the retrofit of existing buildings must comply with indications and rules concerning specific environmental requirements focused on the improvement of the quality of the building context and of the areas used by occupants. ITC-CNR carried out a specific energy retrofit case-study which includes the assessment of the environmental sustainability of a building and the definition of construction and technological solutions with low environmental impact involving the application of renewable energy sources systems integrated into the building. The purpose of the work was to verify the possibility of bringing a non-sustainable building close to the best practice level of sustainability by applying efficient and effective technical and economic solutions, managed through the use of the national sustainability assessment tool: "Protocollo ITACA". "Protocollo ITACA" consists of a set of evaluation criteria used to assess issues such as Quality of the si...
ABSTRACT Energy efficiency and reduction of building consumption are deeply felt issues both at I... more ABSTRACT Energy efficiency and reduction of building consumption are deeply felt issues both at Italian and international level. The recent regulatory framework sets stringent limits on energy performance of buildings. Awaiting the adoption of these principles, several methods have been developed to solve the problem of energy consumption of buildings, among which the simplified energy audit is intended to identify any anomalies in the building system, to provide helpful tips for energy refurbishments and to raise end users’ awareness. The Energy Signature is an operational tool of these methodologies, an evaluation method in which energy consumption is correlated with climatic variables, representing the actual energy behaviour of the building. In addition to that purpose, the Energy Signature can be used as an empirical tool to determine the real performances of the technical elements. The latter aspect is illustrated in this article.
Thermosense XVII: An International Conference on Thermal Sensing and Imaging Diagnostic Applications, 1995
ABSTRACT In the paper the authors present some experiences made using IR and acoustics methods in... more ABSTRACT In the paper the authors present some experiences made using IR and acoustics methods in a non destructive way for the evaluation of situations of degradation in building materials and components. Two studies are presented: (1) detection of the delamination of wall renderings, especially those supporting frescos, by means of IR and sonic investigation; (2) use of infrared thermography for the visualization of fracture zones of walls and steel components under cyclic loads. The possibility of detecting rendering delaminations is based on the different path of the heat diffusion in part of the wall affected by the delamination, compared to the rest of the wall. The difference is caused by the presence of small pockets containing still air. The case study showed makes reference to the analysis of adhesion conditions of a rendering dating back to the IV century, applied on the bell towers of the ancient basilica dedicated to S. Lorenzo in Milan, Italy. The use of infrared thermography for detecting the strength status of materials and components is based on the fact that the strength status of parts of building components can become evident because of heat losses which appear where the component is weaker. The IR observation was made on steel bars subject to traction testing and on lightweight concrete prismatic samples subject to compression testing. The experiences indicate that there is room for this NdT technique to provide some useful answers. Nevertheless it is sure that more experimental work is needed in order to increase the full comprehension of the phenomena which are the basis of their applications for alternative uses.
ABSTRACT The article describes the analysis of the environmental impact of a Building Integrated ... more ABSTRACT The article describes the analysis of the environmental impact of a Building Integrated PhotoVoltaics (BIPV) module developed within the research project “BIPV-Building Integrated Photovoltaics, Piastrelle ceramiche fotovoltaiche per involucri edilizi sostenibili”. The aim of the project is the development and the implementation of photovoltaic BIPV ceramic modules to be used in buildings for the construction of active envelopes. In particular, one of the research lines of the project involves the construction of BIPV ceramic modules by depositing a thin film of amorphous silicon on a ceramic support. Research and development activities previously carried out by the Ceramic Centre of Bologna in collaboration with other companies have led to the production of prototype of a ceramic photovoltaic module. The project aims to the optimization and the industrialization of the module. Other BIPV modules (for example made on glass sheets) have been used in the construction industry for over 20 years as an integral part of the building, in both horizontal (roofs and skylights) and vertical components (facades). The use of these modules allows the realization of active technical elements, reducing the use of raw materials. The environmental impact assessment of the BIPV ceramic module was conducted through the life-cycle approach, in accordance with the international standards of the ISO 14040 series, in order to define the eco-profile, identifying the processes with the greatest impacts and suggesting improvements. The environmental profile thus obtained was then compared with that of other photovoltaic modules, in order to assess the environmental performance compared to existing technologies.
The preservation of historical, artistic and cultural heritage gives rise to problems of differen... more The preservation of historical, artistic and cultural heritage gives rise to problems of different, and sometimes conflicting, nature. On the one hand there is the need to maintain the goods in very good conditions both from the microclimatic and the safety point of view; on the other hand there is also the strong need to improve as much as possible the conservation procedures for preserving goods and the exposure environment, which must be comfortable also for visitors. It must be added that, particularly in Italy, museums are often located in historical buildings with a high architectural value, for which any intervention aimed at modifying the consistency of the construction elements and technological plants, must be carefully weighted, planned and realized in order to minimize the impact on the whole building. A contribution on the above mentioned problems has been given through the activities carried out by ITC-CNR in collaboration with the company "Borini Costruzioni"...
ABSTRACT The work described in this paper was aimed at comparing two different testing methodolog... more ABSTRACT The work described in this paper was aimed at comparing two different testing methodologies, set up in order to define performance properties and reliability of passive or hybrid solar components. The former facility is based on the use of outdoor real-size Test Cells, designed to simulate a conventional living environment with a thermal mass distributed approximately in the same way as in a real dwelling. The latter uses an indoor real-size test cell reproducing a common piece of a dwelling; such a cell can assume various spatial arrangements and simulate in a cyclic way any temperature conditions and solar input on the walls under test. Experiments on a same opaque multilayer component were run with both facilities and the comparison of the obtained results are given; the good agreement of the efficiency values and the analysis of the most important working parameters of the tested component points out the effectiveness and the peculiarity of both methodologies.
... On the south façade of the first floor, two opaque prototypes were set up; two transparent pr... more ... On the south façade of the first floor, two opaque prototypes were set up; two transparent prototypes were set up on the second floor ... Figure 5 reports the trend of the energy primary consumption in the two floors of the experimental building with the innovative system and the ...
ABSTRACT This work presents the experimental evaluation of the energy performance of a modified s... more ABSTRACT This work presents the experimental evaluation of the energy performance of a modified single-stage CO2 transcritical refrigeration plant with an internal heat exchanger (IHX) based on vapour injection in suction line. This modification, which is only applicable to refrigeration plants with an expansion process divided in two stages with a liquid receiver between them, consists of extracting saturated vapour from the liquid receiver in order to: decrease the vapour quality at the evaporator inlet, and reduce the superheating degree at the compressor suction by means of the expansion and following injection of the extracted refrigerant. Three different injection points have been evaluated experimentally: before the IHX, after the IHX and just before the suction chamber of the compressor. The experimental measurements show that the cooling capacity and COP can be enhanced in 9.81% and 7.01%, respectively. Furthermore, a reduction in the discharge temperature of the compressor up to 14.7 °C has been measured inside the evaluation range.
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Papers by Italo Meroni