The hot box method is widely used by researchers to characterize window insulation materials under controlled conditions in the lab. However, it requires samples bigger than 1 m². Researchers from the University of Colorado (Xinpeng Zhaoa, Majed R. Al Hulayela , Gabriel W. Saxea , Ronggui Yang) and Trondheim (Sohrab A. Mofida and Bjørn Petter Jelleb) have recently proposed a new set up that allows running accurate measurements with smaller samples. The new method is published in the journal Applied Thermal Engineering.

The simplicity of the model benefits the development of novel insulating materials. To measure the heat flux during the experiments, greenTEG’s gSKIN® XO heat flux sensor was used. The obtained results were compared with commercially available materials which proved the accuracy of the reduced hot box model.

Heat flux sensors are a cheap and accurate way to measure the U-Value of building elements, allowing researchers to get accurate data regarding insulation and heat transfer. If you want to learn more about the topic, don’t forget to download our Introduction to U-Value Measurement Methods for Building Elements.

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