Ricerc@Sapienza

In this work, the thermal potentialities of insulation panels made of cork have been explored by means of a numerical approach based on experimental data. A comparative analysis between the panel in unaltered state, and then covered with an innovative shield coating (COIB 250®) was carried out. In addition, a defect simulating an inner detachment of the panel was fabricated to understand its behaviour during a daily solar thermal load. The site was selected ad hoc to avoid any shadow cast effect on the panel itself and any conduction phenomenon from the surrounding area.

This work explores the potentialities of combining a multi-layer eco-friendly panel with a phase change material coating. Although the work is based on a numerical approach performed by COMSOL Multiphysics® computer program, it can be considered as rigorous, robust, and optimized since the most important parameters added to the model were experimentally evaluated. The scientific soundness was guaranteed by a comparative analysis performed in two different times.