PDF versionModule Leader
Lecturers
Prof S P G Madhabhushi and Dr S Fitzgerald
Lab Leader
Prof S P G Madabhushi
Timing and Structure
Lent term. 16 lectures and Lab.
Aims
The aims of the course are to:
- Introduce the physics behind heat, liquid, and mass (air and moisture) transfer in materials,buildings, and energy systems and their interactions with outside environment, both air and ground.
- Provide the foundational knowledge for understanding environmental characterstics of the built environment, with a focus on aspects important for structural durability and energy efficiency.
Objectives
As specific objectives, by the end of the course students should be able to:
- Understand the geotechnical environment.
- Determine flow patterns in steady state groundwater seepage.
- Evaluate potentials, pore water pressures, and flow quantities in the ground by constructing flow nets.
- Analyze environmental behaviour of building components, such as heat flow rates, temperature variations (seasonal and diurnal).
- Calculate steady state energy balance for a building to determine hearing, cooling and ventilation demand from auxillary systems.
- Understand how choice of design and components influences the indoor environment and energy consumption of building.
Content
The following topics will be covered:
Flow of Water through Porous Media, which is an important aspect in the design of many civil engineering structures such as retaining walls, caissons, excavation for foundations, etc. As it will be shown in the second part of the module, the same physical principles and mathematical concepts can be used to understand flow of heat in porous media, for example, in the design of energy piles or ground source heat pumps.
Heat, air and moisture transfer across building elements: composite roofs and walls, surface-to-air, air gaps, ventilated spaces, transparent envelopes, and heat exchange between surfaces in a room; Heat exchange with ground will be covered for slab-on-grade, sub-surface structures, and ground-source heat exchangers.
The topics cover theoretical aspects of important energy flows through most common building elements, from foundations to the building envelope. This knowledge is also pre-requiste for learning simulation and modelling techniques for energy balance and environmental control systems of buildings.
Groundwater and Seepage (8L)
- Introduction
- Concept of porous media and bulk properties.
- Definitions of potential head, pressure head and pore pressure.
- Groundwater flow and seepage
- Theory of flownets.
- Darcy's law and Hydraulic conductivity
- Laboratory and in-stu measurements
Heat, Air and Moisture Transfer through Building Elements (8L)
- Conservation of energy, Fourier's laws, concept of steady state, periodic and transient.
- Conduction: 1D heat flow through single and multi -layered structures, response to temperature variations, contact temperature between layers, network analysis.
- Heat exchange with ground: examples of 2D and 3D heat flow between ground and building elements - pipes, slabs, sub-surfaces.
- Radiation: reflectance, absorption and transmission; radiant surfaces and block bodies; heat gains from solar (short wave) radiation, long wave radiation exchange between 2 isothermal surfaces in enclosures.
- Ventilation: Driving forces (wind, stack, mechanical), air exchange rates.
- Infliteration: air through permeable materials, gaps, ventilated cavities, heat losses due to transmission and ventilation.
- Moisture: Water vapour in air and relative humidity, characteristics of moist air, mold and surface condensation, moisture balance of building components and ventilated spaces.
- combined Heat and Mass Transfer: exercised from practical scenarios.
Coursework
Building Physics and Environment Geotechnics
Learning objectives:
Practical information:
- Sessions will take place in [Location], during week(s) [xxx].
- This activity [involves/doesn't involve] preliminary work ([estimated duration]).
Full Technical Report:
Students will have the option to submit a Full Technical Report.
Booklists
Please see the Booklist for Part IIA Courses for references for this module.
Examination Guidelines
Please refer to Form & conduct of the examinations.
UK-SPEC
This syllabus contributes to the following areas of the UK-SPEC standard:
Toggle display of UK-SPEC areas.
GT1
Develop transferable skills that will be of value in a wide range of situations. These are exemplified by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority Higher Level Key Skills and include problem solving, communication, and working with others, as well as the effective use of general IT facilities and information retrieval skills. They also include planning self-learning and improving performance, as the foundation for lifelong learning/CPD.
IA1
Apply appropriate quantitative science and engineering tools to the analysis of problems.
KU1
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of essential facts, concepts, theories and principles of their engineering discipline, and its underpinning science and mathematics.
KU2
Have an appreciation of the wider multidisciplinary engineering context and its underlying principles.
D1
Wide knowledge and comprehensive understanding of design processes and methodologies and the ability to apply and adapt them in unfamiliar situations.
S1
The ability to make general evaluations of commercial risks through some understanding of the basis of such risks.
S3
Understanding of the requirement for engineering activities to promote sustainable development.
S4
Awareness of the framework of relevant legal requirements governing engineering activities, including personnel, health, safety, and risk (including environmental risk) issues.
E1
Ability to use fundamental knowledge to investigate new and emerging technologies.
E2
Ability to extract data pertinent to an unfamiliar problem, and apply its solution using computer based engineering tools when appropriate.
E3
Ability to apply mathematical and computer based models for solving problems in engineering, and the ability to assess the limitations of particular cases.
E4
Understanding of and ability to apply a systems approach to engineering problems.
P1
A thorough understanding of current practice and its limitations and some appreciation of likely new developments.
P3
Understanding of contexts in which engineering knowledge can be applied (e.g. operations and management, technology, development, etc).
US1
A comprehensive understanding of the scientific principles of own specialisation and related disciplines.
US2
A comprehensive knowledge and understanding of mathematical and computer models relevant to the engineering discipline, and an appreciation of their limitations.
US3
An understanding of concepts from a range of areas including some outside engineering, and the ability to apply them effectively in engineering projects.
US4
An awareness of developing technologies related to own specialisation.
Last modified: 29/10/2019 13:29