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Author(s): , , , , , ,

Keywords: , , , , , , , , ,

Abstract: This study used a two part process to create a system that would predict the thermal conductivity of insulated building materials containing plant materials. A finite-discrete element method was used to predict the thermal conductivity of a packed bed of sunflower pith, while a discrete element method was used to predict how aggregates would fill a volume element. These were used to predict the thermal conductivity of the heterogeneous volume. An instrument was used to determine the thermal conductivity of sunflower stems and a container packed with pith in order to provide data to facilitate the creation of the models. Initial results showed a discrepancy between the experimental and predicted results, as the model had not taken radiative heat transfer into account.

Reference: International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 60 (2013) 274–283

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2013.01.002