Paper presented at the 5th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, South Africa, 1-4 July, 2007.
This paper deals with the thermal design and performance
of a roof-mounted radiant barrier, installed in a high inertia
house in tropical and humid conditions. Using dynamic
simulations of a mathematical model of a whole house
including a radiant barrier installed between the roof slab and
the ceiling, the thermal performance of the roof is calculated
and the thermal comfort in the house is evaluated using the
psychometric chart. The mean method is more particularly used
to assess the thermal resistance of the building roof and lead to
a value which can be compared to those obtained using mass
insulation product such as polyurethane foam or glass wool.
The aim of the study is to evaluate the most appropriate
technical solution to insulate high inertia roofs of buildings,
which can accumulate much energy during the day and create
uncomfortable thermal conditions in the late afternoon and
during the night in summer tropical conditions.
