Hydrogel-Based Evaporative and Radiative Cooling Prototype for Hot-Arid Climates

Dorit Aviv, Maryam Moradnejad, Aletheia Ida, Zherui Wang, Eric Teitelbaum, Forrest Meggers

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

A roof aperture lined with hydrogel membrane is proposed for combined evaporative and radiative cooling in the desert climate. In order to determine the design, materials and predicted performance of this device, several types of digital simulations and physical experiments were performed. The proposed full-scale prototype, planned to be built and tested in Tucson, Arizona, responds to the climate’s extreme diurnal temperature gradient through the use of adaptive materials. During the day, the roof aperture acts as a downdraft chimney, trapping the hot dry air passing through it. The funnel-shaped top of the chimney is embedded with a wet hydrogel membrane, which humidifies the air, causing instantaneous cooling and a consequent downdraft airflow into the building’s interior. During the night, pockets of enclosed hydrogel encapsulated in the roof’s structural frame are exposed to radiative cooling from the night sky and act as thermal storage for additional cooling during daytime. The complexity of the system requires several simulation and physical testing methods to be employed simultaneously: digital simulation tools of CFD, solar radiation analysis, radiative heat loss analysis were employed to analyze the overall geometry’s effect on airflow radiant heat exchange; physical bench tests were conducted to analyze the performance of hydrogel membrane and compare it to other materials. A full-scale prototype will be built to validate the results of the model.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationSimAUD 2020
Subtitle of host publicationProceedings of the 11th Annual Symposium on Simulation for Architecture and Urban Design
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery, Inc
ISBN (Electronic)9781565553712
StatePublished - May 25 2020
Event11th Annual Symposium on Simulation for Architecture and Urban Design, SimAUD 2020 - Virtual, Online, Austria
Duration: May 25 2020May 27 2020

Publication series

NameSimAUD 2020: Proceedings of the 11th Annual Symposium on Simulation for Architecture and Urban Design

Conference

Conference11th Annual Symposium on Simulation for Architecture and Urban Design, SimAUD 2020
Country/TerritoryAustria
CityVirtual, Online
Period5/25/205/27/20

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • History
  • Conservation
  • Architecture
  • Nature and Landscape Conservation
  • Geography, Planning and Development
  • Urban Studies

Keywords

  • Airflow Simulation
  • Author Keywords Energy Performance
  • Hydrogel Membrane
  • Material Properties
  • Responsive Envelope

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