Predicting Potential Condensation at the Inside Surface of the Glazed Curtain Wall of High-Rise Residential Buildings

Abstract

Condensation on the inside surface of the curtain walls of high-rise residential buildings is an important environmental problem in Korea. The purpose of this study is to introduce a new prediction method that can analyze the occurrence hours (days) of inside-surface condensation and compare with several design alternatives under a design stage, utilizing software codes developed by the authors according to the Korean standard, and numerical simulation models such as DOE, esp-r and so on. The method consists of three parts; the first part is on a numerical simulation program that supplies the third part with input data such as weather data, indoor temperature, relative humidity and etc for 8,760 hours (8,760 hours = 1 year). Moreover, it can control building component, air-conditioning system, internal element like people, equipment and so on. The second part is on accurate U-values of the glass center and the glass edge that are received to the third part. The third part is on a software code to 1) determine the occurrence of condensation by the precedent procedure that calculates the inside-surface temperature and the dew-point temperature at the specific time and condition, and 2) sum up the occurrence hours (days) of inside-surface condensation. The application of the method is illustrated with an example of a high-rise residential building. © 2004, Architectural Institute of Japan. All rights reserved.