Experimental and numerical study on the thermal performance of alternative insulation materials based on textile waste: A finite-difference approach

Abstract

The aim of this work is a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the thermal performance of an external wall outfitted with new insulation materials based on textile waste using an experimental and numerical approach. The experimental study deals with the development and characterization of a new insulation material from wool and acrylic and then tests their thermal performance in a cavity which simulates a building room at reduced scale thermally controlled. The numerical study essentially centers on the development of a multilayer wall which simulates an external wall under laboratory conditions using finite difference method (implicit scheme method). First, a COMSOL tool is used to verify that the heat transfer in the external wall is unidirectional and then our numerical model is limited to a one-dimensional simulation. The numerical model is successfully validated owing to the experimental results. Using the numerical model, the thermal performance of the wall with the textile insulation is studied and their optimal thickness and location are determined. The variation of insulation thickness considerably influences the surface temperature up to a thickness of 6 cm and beyond the variation becomes less important. The results also show that the location and distribution of insulation has an effect on outdoor surface temperatures.