Heat/Thermal

Insulation

Lecture
By:
Prof. P.Eswara Rao,
Introduction:
Thermal insulation is the construction or provisions of insulation by way of which
the transmission (i.e. exchange from out-side to in-side or in-side to out-side) of
heat from or in the room is arrested.
The aim of thermal insulation is to minimize the transfer of heat between outside
and inside of the building.

The provisions of thermal insulation not only to minimize heat flow, but it will
provide different advantages like:

Comfort:
Thermal insulation keeps room cool in summer & hot in winter, results in comfortable living.

Fuel Saving:
Heat insulation is minimize heat transfer, so less fuel is required to maintain the temperature
in the room.

Prevention of Condensation:
Heat insulating in building results in prevention of condensation in interior .

Prevention of Freezing:
Use of thermal insulation will prevent the freezing of water taps in extreme winter.
Thermal Insulation Material:
Thermal insulation material which stop or minimize the heat exchange of from
one-surface to other surface of the building.

Thermal insulating materials are used to reduce the flow of heat between hot and
cold regions.

The use of thermal insulation materials will provide thermal living comfort in the
building by both-ways of Heat-gain or Heat-loss

Thermal insulating materials may available in different following form;

Slab or Block Insulation,

Blanket insulation,

Loose fill Insulation,

Bat Insulation,

Insulating Board,

Reflected Sheet Material.

Thermal Insulation Material:
Slab or Block Insulation:
These are also called blocks or boards.
The sizes of these boards are 60cmx120cmX2.5cm thickness in area.
These are made of cork board, mineral wool, vermiculite, cellular glass, cellular rubber, saw
dust, asbestos cement.
These are fixed to the wall or roof.

Blanket insulation:
These are fixed fibrous rollers made from mineral wool, processed wood fibers, cotton,
animal hair etc.
These are available in thickness of 12mm -80mm.
These are directly spread on the wall or ceiling surface.

Loose fill Insulation:

These may consists of fibrous materials like rock wool, slag wool, wood fiber wool etc.
Filled loosely in the studding space.

Reflected Sheet Material:

The reflected sheet materials are gypsum boards, steel sheet, aluminum, foils, sheet
aluminum etc.
These reflected materials have high reflectivity and low emissibility,
This material will also offering high heat resistance.
Methods of Heat Insulation:
Application of thermal insulation materials on various building elements to stop
or exchange of heat like ;
Surfaces walls (internal and external walls),

Surface of Floors (ground and upper floors),

Surface of roofs (sloped, flat and curvilinear roofs),

Surface of openings (doors, windows, ventilators)

By different ways are called as method of thermal insulation.

The application of heat insulation on different building surface may have to fulfill :
To reduce thermal conduction in the material where heat is transferred by molecular or
electronic action;
To reduce thermal convection in the building surface,
To reduce radiation heat transfer where thermal energy is transported by electromagnetic
waves.
The different thermal insulation methods are given below;
Heat insulation by Orientation;
Heat insulation by Shading;
Heat insulation by Proper Height of Ceiling
Heat insulation by Application insulating materials on Building Surface:
Methods of Heat Insulation:
Thermal Insulation by Orientation:

The orientation of the building with respect to the movement of Sun has a very
important bearing on its thermal behavior.

The orientation of building with respect will help to minimize the transfer of
desired solar heat during the day in summer, while maximum heating of rooms by
desired solar heat is required in winter.

Thermal insulation by Shading:

Provision of shading in building (i.e. over surface of openings, building) brings
down the surface temperature.
So less area of the building required thermal insulation.
The provision of shading depends upon the Altitude angle of sun.
Methods of Heat Insulation:
Thermal Insulation by Application insulating materials on Building Surface:

The application of heat insulating material on various building surfaces such as

vertical and horizontal surface very important compare with the above listed
methods because:
The building orientation is may or may not possible due to various reasons’
Even the application of shading devices and increase of building or ceiling not be possible
by different reasons.

The application of het insulation materials are includes:

Wall Thermal Insulation,

Thermal Insulation for Exposed doors & Windows,
Roof Thermal Insulation
Methods of Heat Insulation on Wall:
Insulation standards of building regulations recommend that, exposed wall
should have an overall thermal transmittance [U] of more than 2.2 W/m h degC.

It is also recommended that, the wall should not have heat decreased temperature
variation less than 60%.

Heat insulation of exposed walls may be achieved by the following ways:

The thickness of wall may be increased;

Cavity wall construction type may be adopted for external wall;

The wall may be constructed out of a suitable heat insulating material and these
materials should have structural requirements;
Heat insulating material may be fixed on the wall of inside and outside exposed
walls by this way overall heat transmittance is brought within a desired limits.
 In this case external application, overall water-proofing in essential;

Light-colored wash may be applied on the exposed side of wall.

Methods of Heat Insulation on Roof:
Insulation standards of building regulations recommends that, roof should have
an overall thermal transmittance [U] of more than 2.00W/m2 h degC.
It is also recommended that the roof should not have a thermal decreased
temperature variation less than 75%.

Heat gains through roofs may be reduced by adopting the following methods.
Application of heat insulating materials may be applied externally or internally to
the roof surface.
In case of external application, heat insulating material may be laid over the roof
with below a water proof course.
In case of internal application, heat insulating material may be fixed by
Adhesive.
False ceiling of insulating materials may be provided below the roof with air
gaps in-between.
For flat roofs external insulation may also be done by arranging asbestos
cement sheets or corrugated sheet on brick.
Shining and reflected materials may be fixed on the top of the roof;
Roofs may be flooded with water in the form of sprays and these can maintain
the loss of evaporation may be compensated;
Roof may be white washed before starting of summer in the respective year;
Form :
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