Experimental and Numerical Study on the Insulation Performance of a Photo-Thermal Roof in Hot Summer and Cold Winter Areas

The use of a solar architecture system is a feasible way to reduce the energy consumption of a building. The system also has important significance to the “Dual-carbon” plan. In this study, the heat transfer characteristics of a photo-thermal roof were analyzed in hot summer and cold winter zones; a model to calculate insulation performance was established. In the summer climate, the thermal performances of the photo-thermal roof and an ordinary roof were explored through experiments and simulations. The results showed that the heat transfer and temperature of the photo-thermal roof were lower than those of the ordinary roof. Heat transfer through a photo-thermal roof can be changed by adjusting the water flow of collectors. The water saturation of insulation materials is an important factor that affects the insulation performance of a roof. Compared with the ordinary roof, the change in water saturation was shown to have less impact on the insulation performance of the photo-thermal roof. The water saturation increased from 0 to 30%, while the heat transfer per unit area of the photo-thermal roof only increased by 0.9 W/m²; 97.3% lower than that of the ordinary roof. The effect of reducing the insulation material thickness was less for the photo-thermal roof than for the ordinary roof. When the insulation material thickness was reduced from 100 mm to 0 mm, the average temperature in the indoor non-working area reached 38.5 °C and 27.1 °C in the ordinary roof and the photo-thermal roof, respectively. The insulation thickness of the photo-thermal roof had little effect on the indoor air temperature. The research results provide a reference for the roof energy-saving design of new buildings and the roof energy-saving transformation of existing buildings.

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