Analysis of the calculation method for the thermal transmittance of double windows considering the thermal properties of the air cavity

Abstract

The calculation method for the thermal transmittance (U-value) of double windows as specified by the Korean government (ISO 15099) is often inappropriate. To develop a more suitable calculation method, the thermal properties of the air cavity between the internal and external windows should be considered. Herein, seven cases of double windows were set up. The air cavities were designed in accordance with international standards and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and used for the calculation of the U-values of the double windows according to ISO 15099 and 10077. All the calculated U-values were compared with experimentally obtained values. In accordance with the ISO 10077-1 method, the thermal resistance of the air cavity calculated using CFD could produce double window U-values that are similar to the experimentally obtained values. In most cases, the difference between the theoretical and experimental U-values was 5% and less than 0.14 W· m−2· K−1, implying that the U-values calculated using CFD and the ISO 10077-1 method are approximately equal to the experimentally obtained U-values. Korean regulations do not include ISO 10077-1 for double-window assessment. However, these criteria can provide a solution in improving the accuracy of the calculation of the overall thermal transmittance of double windows.