Thermobox - Measure Heat Transfer

  • July 6, 2021

Thermobox - measuring U-value / heat transfer, training measuring station

The Thermobox was developed on behalf of the Department of Sustainable Systems Engineering - INATECH. The aim was the development of an experimentation area for student training to measure U-values of glazing elements and wall materials in building construction.

CAD model of the Thermobox

The thermobox consists of a heated, approx. 40x40x40 cm3, insulated housing. Exchangeable elements to be measured are mounted on the open side of the box. From the measurement of the temperatures on the inner and outer surfaces of the elements, the heat transfer coefficient (U-value) [W/(m2 K)] can be determined in the state of stationary temperatures. Furthermore, there is in principle the possibility to determine thermal properties such as temperature conductance [m2/s] and specific heat capacity [J/(kg K]) by dynamic measurement with given heating profiles.

Wärmedurchgang messen:

 

Measuring elements with removable frames:

  • Simply glazing
  • Double glazing
  • Double glazing with inert gas filling
  • Concrete (UPC)
  • Concrete with insulation
  • Wood

Measurement and control system:

  • USB based analog and digital I / O module, RedLab
  • USB temperature measurement module, RedLab
  • Temperature control and data processing using LabVIEW

The detailed specification here as download.

A detailed description of the measurement processes and methods of evaluating the measured values can be found in the Master-Thesis of  Syed Adeeb Ahmed.

The Thermobox is currently being built on request. Modifications and additions with regard to customer-specific requirements are possible. If you are interested, please Contact me. 

Assembling of the "thermal transmittance measurement" apparatus

The finished measuring stations

Credits

Thanks to Beatrice Rodenbücher, Stefan Hess and Adeeb Ahmed for the pleasant and fruitful cooperation in the conception of the Thermobox.