Analytic Modeling to Study the Insolation Heat Gain of Semi Insulated Building in Hot Climate

Abstract

Countries located in temperate, hot and arid climates, such as Libya, face the critical need to cool houses whose internal temperatures rise due to these climatic conditions. This can be achieved by employing proper insulation techniques to prevent heat gain from solar radiation (insolation). This paper addresses the impact of not implementing thermal insulation for the roof of a building, in contrast to other external parts of the structure. The temperature distribution in a single-story building was studied using finite element analysis (FEA), along with how the building absorbs heat from its surroundings during a sunny day. The thermal analysis was conducted on a 3D concrete building with walls made of concrete masonry blocks, a floor height of 3.20 meters, and a total area of 40 square meters, using ANSYS 2020 R2 software. The building model includes thermal insulation for the external envelope, but the roof and openings remain uninsulated (as is often the case with home insulation practices in Libya). The finite element method is widely used due to its high effectiveness in simulation and achieving accurate results. The analysis results demonstrated the heat distribution gained from insolation, as well as variations in the rates of heat transfer from the building's exterior to its interior. The findings showed that neglecting the thermal insulation of the roof and window openings leads to an approximate 70% increase in the building's internal temperature. Furthermore, the results clearly indicated that insulating the building's walls alone is insufficient to prevent overheating. This provides a sufficient understanding of the prioritization required in applying insulation layers for buildings located in hot climates.