A method for calculating the solar transmittance, absorptance and reflectance of a transparent insulation system

Ing Liang Wong; Philip Eames

doi:10.1016/j.solener.2014.09.028

A method for calculating the solar transmittance, absorptance and reflectance of a transparent insulation system

Ing Liang Wong^*, Philip Eames^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

Transparent insulation materials (TIMs) can combine the advantages of opaque insulation with solar collection when applied to building facades. Mathematical models developed to calculate the optical performance of a transparent insulated (TI) system are presented. The TI-system modelled consisted of a 6 mm outer glass pane, a 22 mm wide polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) capillary cell section and an 8 mm inner glass pane. When solar beam radiation passed through the TI-system, the solar transmittance, absorptance and reflectance that occurred in the system were calculated. Optical interactions at each layer in the TI-system were numerically modelled for five incidence angles. A direct to diffuse transmittance was calculated for solar radiation passing through the PMMA capillary cells with an incidence angle, θ_i, in excess of 0°. The calculated transmittance for the PMMA capillary cells at 0° incidence angle was 0.8264 with overall solar transmittance of up to 0.66 calculated for the whole TI-system, a value which is consistent with that found in previous research. This paper presents a method for calculating the optical properties for multiple PMMA capillary cells, encapsulated between two glass panes for different solar incidence angles, with input of relevant data from other sources. This method can also be adapted for other types of glazing systems.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	418-425
Number of pages	8
Journal	Solar Energy
Volume	111
Early online date	10 Oct 2014
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2014.09.028
Publication status	Published - Jan 2015

Keywords

solar energy
solar transmittance

Documents and Links

10.1016/j.solener.2014.09.028

Wong, IL & Eames, P (2015) A method for calculating the solar transmittance, absorptance and reflectance of a transparent insulation system
This is the final author version of an article originally published in: Solar Energy (2015), 111, pp418-425. The final publisher version of the article can be accessed via the DOI link below. Published by Elsevier, copyright © 2015 Elsevier.
Accepted author manuscript, 581 KB

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Ing Liang Wong
- iwo1@gcu.ac.uk
- Civil Engineering and Environmental Management - Lecturer
Person

Cite this

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title = "A method for calculating the solar transmittance, absorptance and reflectance of a transparent insulation system",

abstract = "Transparent insulation materials (TIMs) can combine the advantages of opaque insulation with solar collection when applied to building facades. Mathematical models developed to calculate the optical performance of a transparent insulated (TI) system are presented. The TI-system modelled consisted of a 6 mm outer glass pane, a 22 mm wide polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) capillary cell section and an 8 mm inner glass pane. When solar beam radiation passed through the TI-system, the solar transmittance, absorptance and reflectance that occurred in the system were calculated. Optical interactions at each layer in the TI-system were numerically modelled for five incidence angles. A direct to diffuse transmittance was calculated for solar radiation passing through the PMMA capillary cells with an incidence angle, θi, in excess of 0°. The calculated transmittance for the PMMA capillary cells at 0° incidence angle was 0.8264 with overall solar transmittance of up to 0.66 calculated for the whole TI-system, a value which is consistent with that found in previous research. This paper presents a method for calculating the optical properties for multiple PMMA capillary cells, encapsulated between two glass panes for different solar incidence angles, with input of relevant data from other sources. This method can also be adapted for other types of glazing systems.",

keywords = "solar energy, solar transmittance",

author = "Wong, {Ing Liang} and Philip Eames",

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doi = "10.1016/j.solener.2014.09.028",

language = "English",

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T1 - A method for calculating the solar transmittance, absorptance and reflectance of a transparent insulation system

AU - Wong, Ing Liang

AU - Eames, Philip

N1 - postprint (word doc) received by academic 1-2-16 ET acceptance from webpage 9/3/2020 TM

PY - 2015/1

Y1 - 2015/1

N2 - Transparent insulation materials (TIMs) can combine the advantages of opaque insulation with solar collection when applied to building facades. Mathematical models developed to calculate the optical performance of a transparent insulated (TI) system are presented. The TI-system modelled consisted of a 6 mm outer glass pane, a 22 mm wide polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) capillary cell section and an 8 mm inner glass pane. When solar beam radiation passed through the TI-system, the solar transmittance, absorptance and reflectance that occurred in the system were calculated. Optical interactions at each layer in the TI-system were numerically modelled for five incidence angles. A direct to diffuse transmittance was calculated for solar radiation passing through the PMMA capillary cells with an incidence angle, θi, in excess of 0°. The calculated transmittance for the PMMA capillary cells at 0° incidence angle was 0.8264 with overall solar transmittance of up to 0.66 calculated for the whole TI-system, a value which is consistent with that found in previous research. This paper presents a method for calculating the optical properties for multiple PMMA capillary cells, encapsulated between two glass panes for different solar incidence angles, with input of relevant data from other sources. This method can also be adapted for other types of glazing systems.

AB - Transparent insulation materials (TIMs) can combine the advantages of opaque insulation with solar collection when applied to building facades. Mathematical models developed to calculate the optical performance of a transparent insulated (TI) system are presented. The TI-system modelled consisted of a 6 mm outer glass pane, a 22 mm wide polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) capillary cell section and an 8 mm inner glass pane. When solar beam radiation passed through the TI-system, the solar transmittance, absorptance and reflectance that occurred in the system were calculated. Optical interactions at each layer in the TI-system were numerically modelled for five incidence angles. A direct to diffuse transmittance was calculated for solar radiation passing through the PMMA capillary cells with an incidence angle, θi, in excess of 0°. The calculated transmittance for the PMMA capillary cells at 0° incidence angle was 0.8264 with overall solar transmittance of up to 0.66 calculated for the whole TI-system, a value which is consistent with that found in previous research. This paper presents a method for calculating the optical properties for multiple PMMA capillary cells, encapsulated between two glass panes for different solar incidence angles, with input of relevant data from other sources. This method can also be adapted for other types of glazing systems.

KW - solar energy

KW - solar transmittance

U2 - 10.1016/j.solener.2014.09.028

DO - 10.1016/j.solener.2014.09.028

M3 - Article

VL - 111

SP - 418

EP - 425

JO - Solar Energy

JF - Solar Energy

SN - 0038-092X

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