Tools & ServicesInstitut für Erneuerbare Energie

Assessment of hygrothermal performance in dynamic conditions (UNI EN 15026)

Over the years, Eurac Research has accumulated considerable experience in assessing the hygrothermal performance of building components according to UNI EN 15026. Various simulation softwares are used for this purpose, including DELPHIN, WUFI and ProCasaClima Hygrothermal, software developed by Eurac Research in collaboration with Agenzia CasaClima and available free of charge.

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The calculation of hygrothermal performance allows to get realistic results by describing all mechanisms of transport and accumulation of moisture and heat within building materials. In addition to heat conduction, it also makes it possible to model moisture transport both as vapour diffusion and water transport by capillarity. With regard to the interaction of building elements with climatic parameters, it is also possible to include all the factors required for a realistic calculation, modelling not only heat transfer by conduction and moisture transport by diffusion, but also effects such as driving rain, solar radiation or long-wave radiation. Furthermore, it is possible to model these effects on an hourly or even sub-hourly time scale. Both 1D stratigraphies and 2D building details can be modelled.

Example of hygrothermal analysis in dynamic regime of an internal insulation system in a potentially critical detail: the crossing of a wooden beam that interrupts the continuity of the insulation layer.

Fields of application

Hygrothermal simulations in dynamic regime can be used for a variety of applications:

Analysis and prevention of moisture damage such as: interstitial condensation, degradation of materials, mould formation...
Design and evaluation of interior insulation systems
Design of flat roofs
Performance evaluation of hygroscopic membranes
Assessment of the absorption of driving rain and design of strategies to prevent it
Assessment of construction moisture drying times
Evaluation of the hygrothermal behaviour of building components in dynamic regime

The simulations and calculations performed can also be integrated with experimental analyses. In particular, in our infrastructure Hygrothermal Testing Lab, we can measure all the physical parameters of materials required for modelling in hygrothermal software in dynamic mode. This gives manufacturers and companies the opportunity to have a specific evaluation of their materials and products.