Thermal Behavior and Measures to Prevent Condensation of a Newly Developed External Wall Panel

Abstract

An external wall panel (EWP) as a novel alternative to provide spatial flexibility and improve the performance of external walls was developed. The purpose of this study was to analyze the thermal performance of this EWP. A simulation analysis was carried out to scrutinize whether it was vulnerable to condensation, considering South Korea’s weather conditions, and find countermeasures to prevent this. Results indicated that the indoor surface temperature with the measures of added insulation materials and an inserted thermal-breaker was over 16.5 °C and that these methods could prevent condensation. In addition, this study assessed unsteady-state thermal characteristics, linear thermal transmittance, and the effective thermal transmittance of EWP. Effective thermal transmittance was estimated in consideration of the heat transmittance of EWP and the linear thermal transmittance of its slabs and its connection parts. The thermal characteristics of the building envelope are needed to analyze effective thermal transmittance and linear thermal transmittance-associated thermal bridges.