Literature Review on Building Envelope, Heating and ... - Beeshive.org

Energy Consumption
The average diesel fuel consumption of the power supply generators was about 100 litres
(26 gallons) per day. Future development included the use of solar and wind energy for
the power supply.
Building Monitoring
The main building was instrumented with sensors for measuring humidity, temperature,
moisture in walls, and displacement at various representative locations. The objective of
the instrumentation was to better understand the effect of the climate on the building and
the climatological strains and stresses to which the various materials are exposed. There
was a concern that building envelope components might suffer a considerable decrease in
moisture content in the spring when the sun starts to heat the building. Measured data will
be used in designing solar and wind energy for heating and power supply. Selection of
the instrumentation system was based on two criteria: very low electricity consumption
and whether it could operate in temperatures as low as -55ºC (-67ºF).
Four data loggers were used to ensure the reliability of the monitoring program. The
loggers were set to collect data eight times per day. Haugun (1991) presented an example
of measured temperature distribution in a wall section during a sunny day in January
1990. The outdoor air temperature varied from -10ºC (14ºF) in early morning to about
5ºC (41ºF) in the evening. The indoor air temperature varied between 21ºC to 24ºC (70ºF
to 75ºF). Temperature of the air in the wall cavity between the façade and the insulted
section followed outdoor air temperature variation but with about a two hour lag. In about
half a day, the cavity air temperature increased by about 40ºC (72ºF) from –5ºC (23ºF) in
the morning to about 34ºC (93ºF) in the evening. The variation in the temperature of the
wall insulation was much less. It ranged from about 14ºC to 22ºC (57ºF to 72ºF).
The US Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station
Ferraro (1999) discussed the design concept and the problems with on-surface structures
of the US Amundsen-Scott South Pole station. The station is located inland, on the
interior plateau that consists of a permanent ice shelf. The ice shelf is characterized by an
annual snow accumulation of about 50 cm to 150 cm (20 in. to 60 in.) depending on the
inland location, gale-force winds that are common 180 days a year, and seaward drift of
the ice shelf of about 1000 m (3281 ft.) per year (Brooks, 2000).
The facilities were initially built in 1957 on the snow surface inland. The station was
annually covered with snow up to 8 m (26 ft.) above the roofs. This necessitated
extensive snow maintenance at the beginning of each summer season. Snow that had not
been removed led to structural deterioration problems in the timber panelized
components. The facilities were rebuilt in 1975 using corrugated steel arches, a 51 m
(165 ft.) diameter aluminum geodesic dome, and a balloon inflation tower. The arch
structures acted as a protective shell over the utility facilities. The dome sheltered the
staff living, labs, and office spaces. The expected life cycle of the 1975 facilities was 15
to 20 years. The buildings were still built on the snow surface and needed snow removal.
As a solution, the new facilities scheduled for completion in 2007 were elevated above
the snow surface using a pier foundation.
PERD-079: Task 2 - <strong>Literature</strong> <strong>Review</strong> 52