Trombe Wall: Trombe Wall Is A Passive Solar Building Design Strategy That

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 2

1

TROMBE WALL
 Thermal walls can be categorized into three types:
 Trombe wall: Those utilizing a massive wall to store heat
 Water wall: Those utilizing a water to store heat
 Trans wall: Those utilizing water for storage along with
transparent absorber to facilitate visual comfort
 Of the three structures Trombe walls are most used.
 The main aspects of Trombe wall are: I. Glazing II. Air gap
between glazing and thermal wall III. Mass or thermal
storage IV. vents (in some thermal storage walls) V. roof
overhang (especially in warm climates).
 Trombe wall is a passive solar building design strategy that
adopts the concept of indirect-gain, where sunlight first
strikes a solar energy collection surface, thermal mass,
which is located between the sun and the space. The
sunlight absorbed by the mass is converted to thermal
energy (heat) and then transferred into the living space.
Trombe walls are also distinguished as mass wall, solar wall,
or thermal storage wall.
WORKING OF THERMAL STORAGE WALL
 A typical Thermal storage wall can form
part of the building envelope and may
incorporate thermal mass principles. It
consists of a 20–40cm thick masonry wall
coated with a dark, heat-absorbing
material. A single or double layer of glass
is placed on the outer face away from the
wall, with a small airspace between the
wall and the glass During the day solar
radiation will heat the air trapped
between the glass and the wall, and the
wall itself will also heat up. Vents at the top and the base of the wall allow the heated air to
be circulated naturally into the building.
 Once the wall heats up it too will radiate heat into the building. During the night heat that is
stored in the thermal mass of the wall will radiate into the room. At night it is advisable to
close the upper vent to prevent the loss of heat energy from the building.
 These walls save energy by complementing conventional heating.
Advantages:

 Thermal storage walls can be used in mild to severe climates. They can be used to passively
cool homes.
 They greatly reduce sun drenching, thereby lessening glare and damage to carpets,
upholstery, and plants, which can be quite significant in direct gain designs.

SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENT – NOTES, LIMA M.T.


2

 They work best when night times heating is the primary goal.
 By installing vents and windows for direct gain they can be modified to contribute to day
time heat demand as well.
 They provide mass in a relatively concentrated area, taking up a minimal amount of living
space and provide great comfort.
 Thermal storage walls are aesthetically appealing, externally and internally.
Disadvantages

 Thermal storage walls may add to the cost of construction, mainly by increasing the size of
the foundation required to support the additional mass.
 They may reduce daylight and access to views.
 Heat loss can be quite significant at night unless the external surface of the structure is
insulated.
 It cannot be used throughout the year.
WATER WALL

 The use of the term "water wall" includes not only


actual water walls, the most common use, but also the use
of water containers in other configurations. "Water walls"
is, in effect, a short-hand way of saying, "the use
of water as thermal mass in passive solar homes for
heating and cooling."
 Instead of masonry the wall consists of a metal tank filled
with water. Compared to the Trombe wall this system
conducts heat much more rapidly because the wall has far less thermal lag and the water
convects during heating. The great heat capacity of water permits for rather thin walls.

TRANS WALL

 The trans wall consists of a transparent


absorber sandwiched between two water
columns which are contains by glazing on
either side.
 The trans wall partially absorbs and partially
transmits the solar radiation.
 It combines features of direct gain and
thermal storage.
 It allows the visual transmission there by reducing the lighting load (during day times).
 Thermal convective heat transfer reduces the efficiency but can be reduced by baffles and
gelling agent (eg. Agar-Agar, gelatin) which increases the viscosity of fluid(water). Difference
between conventional thermal storage wall and trans wall:
 Most of the solar radiation is absorbed at the centre of the wall but not at the front surface
as in case of water and Trombe wall.

SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENT – NOTES, LIMA M.T.

You might also like