A Study Into The Insulative Effects Of Snow On Flat Roofs Under Extreme Conditions

Henshaw, Grant; Fitton, Richard; Dgali, Mohamed

Abstract

Research centres in extreme conditions should be well insulated, provide good levels of thermal comfort and should have a limited effect on the natural environment.  Generally, these metrics are modelled and are taken as fact.  However, research over many years has illustrated a performance gap between buildings that are designed and measured, in terms of heat loss through elements.  Snow has been shown in past studies to provide a layer of insulation that can help reduce thermal transmission.  Snow also has very dynamic characteristic during its change from one past to another.  This study will be carried out at the Energy House 2 Research Facility at the University of Salford, Manchester.  A set of large climatic chambers will be used to create real snow on the roof the test house and the chamber will cycle through a range of temperatures.  Measurements are taken of surface/air temperature and heat flux to determine the measured U-value of the flat roofed structure.  The research presents a real and dynamic view of the insulating effects that can then be used to help calibrate energy models of polar research bases.

Citation

Henshaw, G., Fitton, R., & Dgali, M. (2024, August). A Study Into The Insulative Effects Of Snow On Flat Roofs Under Extreme Conditions. Poster presented at 11th SCAR Open Science Conference 2024, Pucón, Chile

• Presentation Conference Type: Poster
• Conference Name: 11th SCAR Open Science Conference 2024
• Conference Location: Pucón, Chile
• Start Date: Aug 22, 2024
• Deposit Date: Sep 12, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 1, 2024