Aerogel fabric membrane - super insulation aerogels australia

www.aerogel.com.au
Aerogels Australia Estimation of Energy Savings for Use of Aerogel Insulated fabric.

2010
ISO 9001 QEC6382
Prepared for: Aerogels Australia P/L
Prepared by: Dr Martin Belusko Institute
Date of issue: 15/02/10
Aerogels Australia P/L  Email: info@aerogel.com.au
Dr Martin Belusko Institute for Sustainable Systems and Technologies Sustainable Energy Centre University of South Australia
Telephone: Facsimile: Email:
+618 8302 3767 +618 8302 3380 martin.belusko@unisa.edu.au
15 February 2010
Report: Energy Aerogel Insulated fabric energy savings UN Climate Conference - Report
_____________________________________________________________
Important Notice
Report Disclaimer
This report is confidential and was prepared exclusively for the client named above. It is not intended for, nor do we accept any responsibility for its use by any third party.
©University of South Australia 2010.
INTRODUCTION
A preliminary analysis has been conducted on the potential energy savings in heating and cooling and greenhouse gas savings, as generated by the HVAC system, achievable with the use of Aerogel Insulated fabric composite for the proposed Fabric Structure at the UN Climate Change Conference, Cancun, Mexico, 2010. The study compares the Aerogel Insulated fabric composite, which consists of 10 mm of aerogel, with a total R value of 0.88 m2K/W against a single skin product which has a total R value of 0.14 m2K/W, based on internal and external air films. The study investigated a number of locations around the world for comparison.
THERMAL ANALYSIS
Table 1 presents the calculated savings in thermal energy loads delivered by the HVAC system. Thermal load calculations were based on conditioning the entire space which was assumed to be the shape of an ellipsoid of dimensions, 23 m high, 50 m wide and 80 m long. The space was estimated as having a floor area of 3100 m2 and the surface area of the skin of 4900 m2. The savings determined can vary dramatically depending on building usage, so typical usage values were used. The load calculations consider the heat gain from 3.5% light transmission, an average of 1500 people and thermal transmission across the membrane. Ventilation was ignored and assumed to be met through a heat recovery system. The dominant loads were the thermal transmission through the fabric and heat generation from people. The latent load from people was included in the calculations. All calculations assumed operation for 35% of the year for 18 hours per day. For higher proportions of operation all values of savings can be increased accordingly.
The thermal transmission load was determined from monthly average temperatures. During months requiring cooling the outdoor temperature was assumed to equate to the average maximum air temperature for that month, and for months requiring heating the assumed outdoor temperature equated to the average 24 hr temperature for the month. These assumptions were tested against hourly data for Adelaide, and it was found to underestimate the transmission load by approximately 30%. These assumptions suggest that actual savings will be higher than expected in absolute values. Given that not all loads are accounted for, overall the relative energy savings may remain unchanged.
Table 2 presents the relative savings in energy usage of the HVAC system. Overall the savings generated varied widely from 10% to 72%. The climate with the poorest performance was in Adelaide with savings only 10%, which reflects the milder climate, resulting in the dominant load being the heat generated by people. For all other climates, which experience significant periods of harsh weather, the savings are more significant, and demonstrate the effectiveness of the Aerogel Insulated fabric composite fabric composite at reducing transmission loads.
Table 1. Thermal energy of single skin systems and energy saved with Aerogel Insulated fabric

Table 2 also presents an estimate of savings in fuel the Aerogel Insulated fabric composite can generate relative to a single skin system for the HVAC system. Heating was assumed to be provided by natural gas and cooling to be provided by refrigerative air conditioning powered by a diesel generator.
Table 2. Percentage savings achieved and fuel savings
Table 3 shows the estimated greenhouse gas savings based on conversion values supplied by the Climate Office of the Australian Government and may vary slightly, globally. These values are 0.18 kg CO2e per kWhr of thermal heat required for heating, and 0.28 kg CO2e per kWhr of thermal cooling required for cooling. The total savings were based on air conditioning estimated at contributing to 60% of building emissions, which is typical for a building in Australia. In more harsh climates this contribution will be higher and savings in emissions will also be higher.
Table 3. Greenhouse gas savings achieved with Aerogel Insulated fabric
CONCLUSIONS
Overall the results show that the Aerogel Insulated fabric composite is very effective at reducing energy demand for all cities investigated. Savings on heating and cooling costs ranged from 10% in milder climates, to 72% in more extreme climates. It is particularly effective where heating is required.
The anticipated savings in HVAC costs, energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions using AeroLiteTM in the proposed fabric ellipsoid structure in Cancun, Mexico as opposed to a single skin structure is 33%.
Aerogels Australia www.aerogel.com.au @ info@aerogel.com.au or www.aerolitefabrics.com.au