The effect of a thin foil on the heat losses behind a radiator

Abstract:   This thesis work is the study of the effect of an aluminium foil on the losses that produced by a radiator, situated under a window, through the wall behind it. The reason behind this topic is due to the energy problem and the different goals that governments have set up to try to reduce the use of energy. For example, more specifically a Swedish national goal is to decrease the energy use of the built stock with 50% by 2050.   For this purpose, an experimental set-up was built in the University of Gävle, Sweden. The arrangement was composed by a radiator and a window facing a climate chamber. A total of twenty-one temperatures and two heat fluxes in the exterior wall were measured in the set-up. Ten different measurement scenarios with different radiator temperature, 40°C, 50°C and 60°C; two different distance between the radiator and the wall, 5 and 9 centimetres and with and without the aluminium foil, were performed.   With the experimental results, a CFD model was validated. Two different models were done, first a 2D model and afterwards a 3D model. For the turbulence, the chosen model was standard k-ε model. There were 54 cases simulated with the 2D model and the 3D model was used just for validation. The cases had different variables such as radiator temperature, outdoor temperature and wall insulation. With these cases, analysis of the effectiveness of the presence of an aluminium foil behind the radiator is performed to evaluate if there is a significant reduction of the losses.   The results showed with both methods that the aluminium foil reduces the losses of the wall behind the radiator. The savings varied depending on the boundary conditions of the case and it were obtained a maximum of 4% and a minimum of 1,3%.