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Leakage diagnostics, sealant longevity, sizing and technology transfer in residential thermal distribution systems

Description: This field study concentrated on measurement of duct leakage to outside the conditioned space because this is most useful in energy calculations. For room by room load/comfort requirements, the total duct leakage (including leaks to conditioned space) is more appropriate, particularly for additional comfort considerations. The objective of this field study is to help to identify major sources of uncertainty and to quantify the trade offs between different test methods. The identification of the… more
Date: January 1, 1998
Creator: Walker, I.; Sherman, M.; Modera, M. & Siegel, J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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ATR confinement leakage determination

Description: The air leakage rate from the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) confinement is an important parameter in estimating hypothesized accidental releases of radiation to the environment. The leakage rate must be determined periodically to assure that the confinement has not degraded with time and such determination is one of the technical safety requirements of ATR operation. This paper reviews the methods of confinement leakage determination and presents an analysis of leakage determination under windy c… more
Date: June 1, 1998
Creator: Kuan, P. & Buescher, B. J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Exterior exposed ductwork: Delivery effectiveness and efficiency

Description: Most of California`s light commercial buildings use air transport through ductwork for thermal distribution. The same air distribution systems are often used to provide both thermal comfort and ventilation. Some air distribution ductwork is installed on rooftops, exposed directly to the outside environment. As such, there exist potential energy penalties related to externally installed ductwork. In order to evaluate the magnitude of these penalties, a case study was conducted of a one-story com… more
Date: July 1, 1996
Creator: Delp, W.W.; Matson, N. & Modera, M.P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Predicting moisture problems in low-slope roofing

Description: Moisture intrusion is the major reason why low-slope roofing systems fail prematurely. With approximately 75% of all roofing activity being reroofing, the roofing professional is faced with deciding what to do with an existing wet roof on almost a daily basis. This paper describes finite-difference computer modeling that has been performed to address moisture control in low-slope roof systems. Based on a large database of finite difference modeling results, algorithms have been developed that a… more
Date: November 1, 1998
Creator: Desjarlais, A.O. & Byars, N.A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Assembly and method for testing the integrity of stuffing tubes

Description: A stuffing tube integrity checking assembly includes first and second annular seals, with each seal adapted to be positioned about a stuffing tube penetration component. An annular inflation bladder is provided, the bladder having a slot extending longitudinally there along and including a separator for sealing the slot. A first valve is in fluid communication with the bladder for introducing pressurized fluid to the space defined by the bladder when mounted about the tube. First and second rel… more
Date: December 31, 1996
Creator: Morrison, Edward F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Energy effectiveness of duct sealing and insulation in two multifamily buildings

Description: Energy losses from forced air distribution systems have a significant impact on the energy efficiency of buildings. Little work has been done to quantify these losses in apartment buildings. In this paper the authors will discuss field measurements made on four forced air heating systems to evaluate the duct system energy losses to unconditioned basements. The apartments were heated by natural gas furnaces located in the basements. The systems had bare sheet metal ductwork exposed to the baseme… more
Date: August 1996
Creator: Walker, I. S.; Modera, M. P.; Tuluca, A. & Graham, I.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The performance check between whole building thermal performance criteria and exterior wall measured clear wall R-value, thermal bridging, thermal mass, and airtightness

Description: At the last IEA Annex 32 meeting it was proposed that the annex develop the links between level 1 (the whole building performance) and level 2 (the envelope system). This paper provides a case study of just that type of connection. An exterior wall mockup is hot box tested and modeled in the laboratory. Measurements of the steady state and dynamic behavior of this mockup are used as the basis to define the thermal bridging, thermal mass benefit and air tightness of the whole wall system. These … more
Date: June 1, 1998
Creator: Kosny, J.; Christian, J.E.; Desjarlais, A.O.; Kossecka, E. & Berrenberg, L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Home test kit for duct leakage

Description: An inexpensive device whose purpose is to test for duct leakage in the home is described. This device is intended for use by homeowners and others untrained in the art of duct testing. While not as accurate as testing done by professionals, it should be able to give the homeowners enough information to justify a decision whether or not to call on professional assistance for further testing and possible remediation of their duct systems. The device has been reduced to practice.
Date: April 1, 1997
Creator: Andrews, J. W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Residential Commissioning to Assess Envelope and HVAC System Performance

Description: Houses do not perform optimally or even as many codes and forecasts predict. For example, Walker et al. (1998a) found large variations in thermal distribution system efficiency, as much as a factor of two even between side-by-side houses with the same system design and installation crew. This and other studies (e.g., Jump et al. 1996) indicate that duct leakage testing and sealing can readily achieve a 25 to 30% reduction in installed cooling capacity and energy consumption. As another example,… more
Date: August 31, 2001
Creator: Wray, Craig P. & Sherman, Max H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Practical Diagnostics for Evaluating Residential Commissioning Metrics

Description: In this report, we identify and describe 24 practical diagnostics that are ready now to evaluate residential commissioning metrics, and that we expect to include in the commissioning guide. Our discussion in the main body of this report is limited to existing diagnostics in areas of particular concern with significant interactions: envelope and HVAC systems. These areas include insulation quality, windows, airtightness, envelope moisture, fan and duct system airflows, duct leakage, cooling equi… more
Date: June 11, 2002
Creator: Wray, Craig; Walker, Iain; Siegel, Jeff & Sherman, Max
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Simplified modeling for infiltration and radon entry

Description: Air leakage in the envelopes of residential buildings is the primary mechanism for provided ventilation to those buildings. For radon the same mechanisms that drive the ventilation, drive the radon entry This paper attempts to provide a simplified physical model that can be used to understand the interactions between the building leakage distribution, the forces that drive infiltration and ventilation, and indoor radon concentrations, Combining both ventilation and entry modeling together allow… more
Date: August 1, 1992
Creator: Sherman, M. H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Residential air-distribution systems: Interactions with the building envelope

Description: Residential air distribution systems, used both for heating and cooling and less commonly for ventilation, have important interactions with the building envelope. These systems can either be enclosed within the envelope or pass outside the envelope (in which case they represent an extension of the envelope). This paper addresses the three major types of interaction between air distribution systems that pass outside the envelope and single-family buildings: (1) duct leakage and duct conduction w… more
Date: July 1, 1992
Creator: Modera, M. P. & Jansky, R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Particle size distribution of ground ITP washed precipitate for estimating filter box radioactive cesium release during transfer

Description: Synthetic washed ITP slurry (200 g) was oven dried for three days at 60--65{degrees}C in a pan, to a hard solid that stuck to the pan bottom. Between the cracks that formed were a few small particles of unknown size. The solids that were stuck to the pan bottom were pried free and repetitively ground in a mortar and pestle until they all passed through a 40 mesh sieve. This product was then sieved into 50, 80, 100, 170, 200, 325 sieve fractions and the results plotted. A protion of the fines pa… more
Date: October 13, 1993
Creator: Kilpatrick, L. L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Performance Evaluation of a Hot-Humid Climate Community

Description: Project Home Again is a development in New Orleans, LA created to provide new homes to victims of Hurricane Katrina. Building Science Corporation acted as a consultant for the project, advocating design strategies for durability, flood resistance, occupant comfort, and low energy use while maintaining cost effectiveness. These techniques include the use of high density spray foam insulation, LoE3 glazing, and supplemental dehumidification to maintain comfortable humidity levels without unnecess… more
Date: February 1, 2012
Creator: Osser, R. & Kerrigan, P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Air exchange rates in new energy-efficient manufactured housing

Description: During the 1989--1990 heating season, Pacific Northwest Laboratory, for the Bonneville Power Administration, measured the ventilation characteristics of 139 newly constructed energy-efficient manufactured homes and a control sample of 35 newer manufactured homes. A standard door fan pressurization technique was used to estimate shell leakiness, and a passive perfluorocarbon tracer technique was used to estimate overall air exchange rates. A measurement of the designated whole-house exhaust syst… more
Date: October 1, 1990
Creator: Hadley, D. & Bailey, S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Effect of taggant vapor adsorption and containment on the pedetonation detection of explosives

Description: Predetonation detection of explosives in realistic scenarios may be accomplished by detecting vapors emitted by the explosive. These vapors could be either the vapor emitted from the inherent compounds present in the explosive or the vapor emitted by a specific vapor taggant introduced into the explosive at the time of manufacture. The emitted vapor concentration in various detection scenarios can be diminished either by vapor adsorption onto adsorptive surfaces present in the scenario, e.g., c… more
Date: October 1, 1979
Creator: Senum, G. I.; Ferreri, E. M.; Greene, M. W.; Gergley, R. P. & Dietz, R. N.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Proven Performance of Seven Cold Climate Deep Retrofit Homes

Description: Seven test homes located in Massachusetts are examined within this report. The retrofit strategies of each home are presented along with a comparison of the pre- and post-retrofit airtightness achieved by the group. Pre- and post-retrofit utility bills were collected; energy models were used to estimate pre-retrofit energy use when bills were unavailable.
Date: June 1, 2012
Creator: Osser, R.; Neuhauser, K. & Ueno, K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Evaluation of the leakage behavior of pressure-unseating equipment hatches and drywell heads

Description: This paper presents the results of a recent research program to investigate the leakage behavior of pressure unseating equipment hatches. A total of thirteen tests have been conducted under various conditions to determine the pressure and temperature at which leakage through unseating equipment hatches would occur. A simple analytical model is presented that provides a good estimate of the leakage onset pressure for these tests. Because of the similarity in the sealing mechanism between unseati… more
Date: January 1, 1990
Creator: Parks, M. B.; Walther, H. P. & Lambert, L. D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Experimental plan for the fuel-oil study. Weatherization Assistance Program: Volume 2

Description: An up-to-date assessment of the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) is being performed by the US Department of Energy WAP Division and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Five studies form the evaluation. Major goals of the Fuel-Oil Study are to estimate the fuel oil saved by the WAP in the Northeast during the 1990 and 1991 program years, identify and quantify non-energy impacts of the WAP, assess the cost effectiveness of the WAP within this submarket, and assess factors which may cause sa… more
Date: January 1, 1992
Creator: Ternes, M. P.; Levins, W. P. & Brown, M. A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

A survey of air flow models for multizone structures

Description: Air flow models are used to simulate the rates of incoming and outgoing air flows for a building with known leakage under given weather and shielding conditions. Additional information about the flow paths and air-mass flows inside the building can only by using multizone air flow models. In order to obtain more information on multizone air flow models, a literature review was performed in 1984. A second literature review and a questionnaire survey performed in 1989, revealed the existence of 5… more
Date: March 1, 1991
Creator: Feustel, H.E. & Dieris, J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Measure Guideline: Internal Insulation of Masonry Walls

Description: This measure guideline provides recommendations for interior insulation assemblies that control interstitial condensation and durability risks; recommendations for acceptable thermal performance are also provided. An illustrated guide of high-risk exterior details (which concentrate bulk water), and recommended remediation details is provided. This is followed by a recommended methodology for risk assessment of a masonry interior insulation project: a series of steps are suggested to assess the… more
Date: July 1, 2012
Creator: Straube, J. F.; Ueno, K. & Schumacher, C. J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Field Measurements of Heating Efficiency of Electric Forced-Air Furnaces in Six Manufactured Homes.

Description: This report presents the results of field measurements of heating efficiency for six manufactured homes in the Pacific Northwest heated with electric forced-air systems. This is the first in a series of regional and national efforts to measure in detail the heating efficiency of manufactured homes. Only six homes were included in this study because of budgetary constraints; therefore this is not a representative sample. These investigations do provide some useful information on the heating effi… more
Date: July 26, 1994
Creator: Davis, Bob; Palmiter, Larry S. & Siegel, Jeff
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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