Numerical Thermal Analysis of Applying Insulation Material to Holes in Hollow Brick Walls by the Finite-Volume Method

Abstract

A numerical study by self-programming three-dimensional software which can efficiently deal with complicated heat transfer is conducted to investigate the effect on the thermal performance of pasting 10 mm insulation around holes in external walls constructed from 240 × 115 × 90 mm hollow bricks. A comprehensive parametric investigation includes varying the arrangement of holes, insulation, or building materials. The results show that adopting this method can markedly reduce the equivalent thermal conductivity by between 20.3 and 61.1%, and choosing higher-thermal resistance mortar or hollow brick material achieves better insulation performance whereas the optimum configuration of hollow bricks is barely affected.