Low-cost portable system for measuring thermal conductivity of building

Abstract

Abstract The developed system allows to measure the thermal conductivity of solid materials used as thermal insulators in building bioclimatic houses on high Andean zones. A unidirectional heat flow model through a sample of dimensions 4.0 cm x 4.2 cm x 1.35 cm has been considered. K-type thermocouples were used to measure the temperature’s gradient. The obtained values were: 0.97 Wm−1°C−1 for glass, 0.38 Wm−1°C−1 in the ignimbrite, 0.58 Wm−1°C−1 for the roof brick and 0.34 Wm−1°C−1 in the adobe with Stipa ichu. These materials have been evaluated considering their abundance and use in house building on the Arequipa department high zones.