Biologically inspired transparent material as an energy system

Alston, ME

Abstract

Glazed envelopes on buildings play a major role in operational energy consumption
as they define the boundary conditions between the climate outside and the thermal
comfort inside a building. Glass façades are viewed as an uncontrolled load that sets
the operational performance requirements for air-cooling mechanical systems. These
façades are determined by code compliant performance levels set by a single
prescriptive static, the U value. This is energetically weak, a dynamic IR absorber
strategy is needed, since performance requires change by the hour, season, and
weather conditions to sync with a warming earth atmosphere. A transparent dynamic
IR absorber , will be modulated by temperature-dependance of the absorber by active
tailored flows in a microfluidic based platform, than conventional IR static absorbers.
Nature’s characterization of materials is a thermally dynamic response in real time to
a microenvironment.

This functionality of heat seeking materials would advance a transparent material by
energy capture and storage. The hypothesis demonstrates
nature’s use of fluidics to direct the structural assembly of a polymer into a thermally
functional device, to actively regulate solar radiation as an IR absorber, to lower the
polymer device phase transition temperature. This research determines this
functionality by hierarchical multi micro-channel network scaling, as a leaf resistor.
Resistor conduit analysis defines flow target resistance through simulation to generate
a multi micro-channel network, for enhanced solar radiation absorption. This is
demonstrated by precise hydrodynamic control in a network using switching of water
flow as a thermal switching medium to regulate heat transport flow. Nature evaluates
heat flow transport in real time that is not emulated in current glass façade static
performance. The knowledge gap is therefore to advance a transparent material from a
static function, to a dynamic IR absorber for solar modulation, and this is
demonstrated in this research.

Citation

Alston, M. (in press). Biologically inspired transparent material as an energy system. (Thesis). University of Salford

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Acceptance Date: Mar 19, 2023
• Deposit Date: Feb 21, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 21, 2018