Temperature and Heat Flow Measurements From an Insulated Concrete Bermed Wall and Adjacent Floor

Abstract

Temperature distributions and heat flows in a bermed concrete wall and concrete floor have been recorded for two years at the Iowa State University Energy Research House. Annual variations are correlated using a third-order Fourier technique. The results for the wall show the importance of interior insulation, exterior insulation near the top, and vertical heat conduction. Seasonal heat transfer through the wall is comparable to that for a well-insulated frame wall of the same surface area above grade. Floor heat-loss is nearly constant but is larger in summer than in winter. Diurnal variation in bermed wall heat flux is caused primarily by changes of indoor air temperature and shows negligible correlation with ambient temperature fluctuations. An analytical model has been developed to predict the soil temperatures adjacent to the bermed wall and floor. Results from the model agree well with the data correlations.