Thermal transmittance of multiple glazing: computational fluid dynamics prediction

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is applied for predicting the convective heat transfer coefficient, thermal resistance and thermal transmittance for a double glazing unit. The predicted thermal resistance of glazing is compared with reference data and good agreement is achieved. The convective heat transfer coefficient and thermal transmittance vary with the air space width and the temperature difference across glazing. The CFD technique can be used to gain insight into multiple glazing performance and also optimise the design and operation of novel multiple glazing systems such as air flow windows or double skin facades in terms of energy efficiency and thermal comfort. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.