Sensitivity analysis of the künzel model: Application to the study of the hygrothermal transfer in a tuffeau wall

Abstract

The concerns regarding sustainable development bring to light the importance of the consumption of natural energy resources by the building sector. The thermal renovation of old buildings should be a priority for reducing greenhouse gas emission. In fact, tuffeau, the main stone of Loire Valley, France, is a very porous limestone (43%) and seems to be very sensitive to atmospheric conditions. So, an inappropriate insulation technique can lead to moisture disorders harmful to the sustainability of the wall. Its compatibility with an insulation material can be numerically studied using a combined heat and moisture transfer model. One of the most important aspects on modeling is the knowledge of the material properties. The numerical tool WUFI based on Künzel model leads to identify the parameters whose measurement effort must be intensified as a result of a local sensitivity analysis. Those parameters are adsorption isotherm and convective coefficients in the case of static conditions.