Thermal transmittance analysis in Tehran residential units with an approach to building roof insulation simulation

Ashkan Hassani; Shooka Khoshbakht Bahramani

doi:10.14744/thermal.0000970

Thermal transmittance analysis in Tehran residential units with an approach to building roof insulation simulation

Abstract

This study focuses on the impact of building thermal insulation on the energy consumption issue, which highlights the importance of reducing energy usage through efficient heat transfer management, especially in building roofs. The reviewed literature was categorized according to thermal transmittance, material properties, and simulation techniques. The identified gap is the lack of a numerical framework for insulation materials in building construction in Iran, which architects and building designers can use. The main method of investigation is a simulation-based approach using Design Builder software that follows the procedure from building modeling to the configuration of roof layers. Eight types of thermal insulation layers were simulated to evaluate their influence on improving the thermal balance of the roof. This research emphasizes a common roof detail used in Tehran residential buildings. This study evaluates the heat balance factor to identify the most suitable frameworks based on the in-sulation type. The findings of this study present a numerical framework that categorizes roof insulation materials and their thickness in terms of enhancing the thermal performance in Tehran’s buildings, which is a considerable result of this study. Based on the results, architects and building designers in Tehran have the possibility to use the framework in their first design phase, which can choose the most efficient insulation based on their project calculations. This is counted as the novelty point of the current research. As a numeric point, high-rate insula-tions like polystyrene (HFC) and polyurethane demonstrate remarkable flexibility in enhancing thermal balance with coefficients ranging from 0.03 kW, to +0.06 kW which is considered based on the thickness increasing.

Keywords

References

REFERENCES
[1] Vijayaraghavan K. Green roofs: A critical review on the role of components, benefits, limitations and trends. Renew. Sust. Energ. 2016;57:740-52. [Crossref]
[2] Cook LM, Larsen TA. Towards a performance-based approach for multifunctional green roofs: An interdisciplinary review. Build Environ 2021;188:107489. [Crossref]
[3] Santamouris M, Vasilakopoulou K. Present and future energy consumption of buildings: Challenges and opportunities towards decarbonisatione‑Prime– Adv Electr Eng Electron Energ 2021;1:100002. [Crossref]
[4] Mihalakakou G, Souliotis M, Papadaki M, Halkos G, Paravantis J, Makridis S, et al. Applications of earthto- air heat exchangers: a holistic review. Renew Sust Energ 2022;155:111921. [Crossref]
[5] Chan K, Chow WK. Energy impact of commercial- building envelopes in the sub-tropical climate. Appl Energy 1998;60:21–39. [Crossref]
[6] Run K, Cévaër F, Dubé J-F. Does energy-efficient renovation positively impact thermal comfort and air quality in university buildings? J Build Eng 2023;78:107507. [Crossref]
[7] Jia C, Chaoji C, Mi R, Li T, Dai J, Yang Z, et al. Clear Wood toward High-Performance Building Materials. ACS Nano 2019;13. [Crossref]

[8] Bienvenido-Huertas D, Rubio-Bellido C, Pérez-Ordóñez JL, Oliveira MJ. Automation and optimization of in-situ assessment of wall thermal transmittance using a Random Forest algorithm. Build En. 2020;168:106479. [Crossref]
[9] Rahiminejad M, Khovalyg D. In-situ measurements of the U-value of a ventilated wall assembly. J Phys Conf Ser. 2021;2069. [Crossref]
[10] Banionis K, Kumžienė J, Burlingis A, Ramanauskas J, Paukštys V. The Changes in Thermal Transmittance of Window Insulating Glass Units Depending on Outdoor Temperatures in Cold Climate Countries. Energies 2021; 14. [Crossref]
[11] Burak Gunay H, Darwazeh D, Shillinglaw S, Wilton I. Remote characterization of envelope performance through inverse modelling with building automation system data. Energy Build. 2021;240:110893. [Crossref]
[12] Wang Y, Fan Y, Wang D, Liu Y, Liu J. The effect of moisture transfer on the inner surface thermal performance and the thermal transmittance of the roofwall corner building node in high-temperature and high-humidity areas. J Build Eng 2021;44:102949. [Crossref]
[13] Lu X, Memari AM. Comparison of the experimental measurement methods for building envelope thermal transmittance. Buildings 2022;12. [Crossref]
[14] Santana BO, Torres-Quezada J, Coch H, Isalgue A. Monitoring and calculation study in mediterranean residential spaces: thermal performance comparison for the winter season. Buildings 2022; 12. [Crossref]
[15] Mobaraki B, Komarizadehasl S, Castilla Pascual FJ, Lozano-Galant JA, Porras Soriano R. A Novel Data Acquisition System for Obtaining Thermal Parameters of Building Envelopes. Buildings 2022;12. [Crossref]
[16] M. Masud K. Khan NMSH. Thermofluid Modeling for Energy Efficiency Applications Cambridge, Academic Press;2015.
[17] Levy SM. Construction Calculations Manual, Oxford, Butterworth Heinemann, 2012. [Crossref]
[18] Aguilar-Santana J, Velasco-Carrasco M, Riffat S. Thermal Transmittance (U-value) Evaluation of Innovative Window Technologies. Futur Cities Environ 2020;6. [Crossref]
[19] Kumar G, Thakur B, De S. Energy performance of typical large residential apartments in Kolkata: implementing new energy conservation building codes of India. Clean Techn. Environ. Policy 2021;23. [Crossref]
[20] Chen J, Lu L. Comprehensive evaluation of thermal and energy performance of radiative roof cooling in buildings. Journal of Building Engineering. 2021;33:101631. [Crossref]
[21] Szagri D, Nagy B. Experimental and numerical hygrothermal analysis of a refurbished double-skin flat roof. Case Stud Therm Eng 2021;25:100941. [Crossref]
[22] Silva AS, Ghisi E. Estimating the sensitivity of design variables in the thermal and energy performance of buildings through a systematic procedure. J Clean Prod 2020;244:118753. [Crossref]
[23] Freitas J, Leitzke R, Cunha E. Pontes térmicas em estruturas de concreto: análise das condições de formação de fungos filamentosos. PARC Pesqui Arquit Constr 2020;11:e020027. [Crossref]
[24] Al-Rukaibawi LS, Szalay Z, Károlyi G. Numerical simulation of the effect of bamboo composite building envelope on summer overheating problem. Case Stud Therm Eng 2021;28:101516. [Crossref]
[25] Zhou S-x, Ding Y, Wang Z, Dong J, She AM, Wei Y-q, et al. Weathering of Roofing Insulation Materials under Multi-Field Coupling Conditions. Materials 2019;12. [Crossref]
[26] Mendez A, Martínez‑Gómez J, Nicolalde JF. Simulation of a Phase Change Material for an Automotive Rooftop Thermal Insulation System. In: Botto‑Tobar M, Zambrano‑Vizuete M, Díaz‑Cadena A, editors. Innovation and Research. CI3 2020. 1st ed. Cham: Springer; 2021. [Crossref]
[27] Carter TG. Issues and solutions to more realistically simulate conventional and cool roofs,2011.
[28] Abdeen A, Mushtaha E, Hussien A, Ghenai C, Maksoud A, Belpoliti V. Simulation-based multi-objective genetic optimization for promoting energy efficiency and thermal comfort in existing buildings of hot climate. Results Eng 2024;21:101815. [Crossref]
[29] Kazanavicius E, Mikuckas A, Mikuckiene I, Ceponis J. The heat balance model of residential house. Inf Technol Control 2015;35.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Computational Methods in Fluid Flow, Heat and Mass Transfer (Incl. Computational Fluid Dynamics)

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Ashkan Hassani This is me
0009-0008-1213-5099
Iran

Shooka Khoshbakht Bahramani This is me
0000-0002-6987-9987
Iran

Publication Date

July 31, 2025

Submission Date

May 20, 2024

Acceptance Date

September 18, 2024

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 11 Number: 4

DOI

https://doi.org/10.14744/thermal.0000970

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA94BM33PP

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Hassani, A., & Bahramani, S. K. (2025). Thermal transmittance analysis in Tehran residential units with an approach to building roof insulation simulation. Journal of Thermal Engineering, 11(4), 1120-1134. https://doi.org/10.14744/thermal.0000970

AMA

1.Hassani A, Bahramani SK. Thermal transmittance analysis in Tehran residential units with an approach to building roof insulation simulation. Journal of Thermal Engineering. 2025;11(4):1120-1134. doi:10.14744/thermal.0000970

Chicago

Hassani, Ashkan, and Shooka Khoshbakht Bahramani. 2025. “Thermal Transmittance Analysis in Tehran Residential Units With an Approach to Building Roof Insulation Simulation”. Journal of Thermal Engineering 11 (4): 1120-34. https://doi.org/10.14744/thermal.0000970.

EndNote

Hassani A, Bahramani SK (July 1, 2025) Thermal transmittance analysis in Tehran residential units with an approach to building roof insulation simulation. Journal of Thermal Engineering 11 4 1120–1134.

IEEE

[1]A. Hassani and S. K. Bahramani, “Thermal transmittance analysis in Tehran residential units with an approach to building roof insulation simulation”, Journal of Thermal Engineering, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 1120–1134, July 2025, doi: 10.14744/thermal.0000970.

ISNAD

Hassani, Ashkan - Bahramani, Shooka Khoshbakht. “Thermal Transmittance Analysis in Tehran Residential Units With an Approach to Building Roof Insulation Simulation”. Journal of Thermal Engineering 11/4 (July 1, 2025): 1120-1134. https://doi.org/10.14744/thermal.0000970.

JAMA

1.Hassani A, Bahramani SK. Thermal transmittance analysis in Tehran residential units with an approach to building roof insulation simulation. Journal of Thermal Engineering. 2025;11:1120–1134.

MLA

Hassani, Ashkan, and Shooka Khoshbakht Bahramani. “Thermal Transmittance Analysis in Tehran Residential Units With an Approach to Building Roof Insulation Simulation”. Journal of Thermal Engineering, vol. 11, no. 4, July 2025, pp. 1120-34, doi:10.14744/thermal.0000970.

Vancouver

1.Ashkan Hassani, Shooka Khoshbakht Bahramani. Thermal transmittance analysis in Tehran residential units with an approach to building roof insulation simulation. Journal of Thermal Engineering. 2025 Jul. 1;11(4):1120-34. doi:10.14744/thermal.0000970