Thermal Mass

• What is Thermal Mass?

• Types of Thermal Mass
• Historical Applications
• Thermal Properties of Materials
• Analyzing Heat/Cool Storage
• Strategies
• Other Factors
• Computer Analysis
• Bibliography
 Thermal Mass
• Thermal mass refers to materials have the
capacity to store thermal energy for
extended periods.
• Thermal mass can be
used effectively to
absorb daytime heat
gains (reducing cooling
load) and release the
heat during the night
(reducing heat load).
 Types of Thermal Mass
• Traditional types of thermal mass include water,
rock, earth, brick, concrete, fibrous cement,
caliche, and ceramic tile.
• Phase change materials store energy while
maintaining constant temperatures, using
chemical bonds to store & release latent heat.

PCM’s include solid-liquid Glauber’s salt, paraffin wax, and the newer
solid-solid linear crystalline alkyl hydrocarbons (K-18: 77oF phase
transformation temperature). PCM’s can store five to fourteen times more
heat per unit volume than traditional materials. (source: US Department of
Energy).
 Historical Applications
• The use of thermal mass in shelter dates
back to the dawn of humans, and until
recently has been the prevailing strategy for
building climate control in hot regions.

Egyptian mud-brick storage rooms (3200 years old).

The lime-pozzolana (concrete) Roman Pantheon

Today, passive techniques such as thermal mass are ironically

considered “alternative” methods to mechanical heating and
cooling, yet the appropriate use of thermal mass offers an efficient
integration of structure and thermal services.
 Thermal Properties of Materials
The basic properties that indicate the thermal behavior of
materials are: density (p), specific heat (cm), and conductivity (k).

The specific heat for most masonry materials is similar (about

0.2-0.25Wh/kgC).

Thus, the total heat storage capacity is a function of the total

mass of masonry materials, regardless of its type (concrete, brick,
stone, and earth).
Material Density(kg/m3)
Concrete 600-2200
Stone 1900-2500
Bricks 1500-1900
Earth 1000-1500 (uncompressed)
Earth 1700-2200 (compressed)
 Diffusivity
Diffusivity is the measure of how fast heat travels through the material,
and is a function of the conductivity divided by the product of the
density and specific heat (units: area/time). The time lag between
outside and inside peak temperatures is a function of the thickness of
the material divided by the square root of the diffusivity.

For solid masonry materials, conductivity can be approximated as a

function of density, though precise values will vary according to
moisture content : k=0.072exp(1.35x(density/1000)).

Using these relations, we find that diffusivity has a non-linear relation

to density. For example, the diffusivity of 2200kg/m3 concrete (k=1.3)
is only 1.8 times the diffusivity of 600kg/m3 (k=0.2) concrete.
 Thermal Time Constant
One of the more important mathematical constructs to imagine the
behavior of thermal mass is the Thermal Time Constant of an
building envelope, defined as the product of the heat capacity (Q)
and the resistance (R) to heat transmission. The TTC is
representative of the effective thermal capacity of a building.
To calculate the TTC of an area, the heat capacity per unit area (Q A) is multiplied by the resistance to
heat flow of that area ( where QA=thickness*density*specific heat, R=thickness/conductivity).
In calculating the TTCA (TTC per area) of a composite wall, the Q AR value of each layer, including
the outside and inside air layers, is calculated in sequence. The Q AR for each layer is calculated from
the external wall to the center of the section in question, thus:
QAiRi= (cm*l*p)i*(R0+R1+…+0.5Ri)
For a composite surface of n layers, TTC A=QA1R1+QA2R2+…QAnRn .
The TTCs for each surface is the product of the TTC A multiplied by the area. Glazed areas are
assumed to have a TTC of 0. The total TTC total of the buliding envelope equals the sum of all TTC s
divided by the total envelope area, including the glazing areas.

A high TTC indicates a high thermal inertia of the building and

results in a strong suppression of the interior temperature swing.
 Example TTC Calculations

Wall 1: exterior
insulation
insulation

Thermal inside
outside
mass

TTC = 43.8
Wall 2: interior insulation
insulation

Thermal
outside inside
mass

TTC = 7.8 Source: Givoni

 Diurnal Heat Capacity
The DHC is a measure of the building’s capacity to absorb
solar energy coming into the interior of the space, and to
release the heat to the interior during the night hours. The DHC
is of particular importance for buildings with direct solar gain.
The DHC of a material is a function
of building material’s density,
specific heat, conductivity, and
thickness. The total DHC of a
building is calculated by summing the
DHC values of each surface exposed
to the interior air.
Note that the DHC for a material increases initially
with thickness, then falls off at around 5”. This
behavior reflects the fact that after a certain
thickness, some of the heat transferred to the surface DHCper area=F1s
will be contained in the mass rather than returned to
the room during a 24 hour period. P=period (24hr.)
 TTC and DHC
Relative values of TTC indicate the thermal capacity of the
building when a building is affected mostly by heat flow across
the opaque parts of the envelope (i.e., when it is unventilated, and
when solar gain is small relative to the total heat transfer through
the building envelope).
Relative values of DHC, on the other hand, indicate the thermal
capacity for buildings where solar gain is considerable. The DHC
also is a measure of how much “coolth” the building can store
during the night in a night ventilated building.
Both measures indicate the amount of interior temperature swing
that can be expected based on outdoor temperatures (higher
values indicate less swing).
Delta T(swing)= 0.61Qs/DHCtotal,
Qs is the daily total solar energy absorbed in the zone.
 TTC and DHC Examples
Building which is externally insulated with internal exposed mass.
Here, both TTC and DHC are high. When the building is ventilated at night and closed
during the day, it can absorb the heat in the mass with relatively small indoor temperature
rise. Best for hot-dry regions.

Building with mass insulated internally.

Here, both the TTC is and DHC are low. The mass will store energy and release energy
mostly to the exterior, and the thermal response is similar to a low mass building.
Building with high mass insulated externally and internally.
Here, the building has a high TTC, but a negligible DHC, as the interior insulation separates
the mass from the interior. When the building is closed and the solar gain is minimized, the
mass will dampen the temperature swing, but if the building is ventilated, the effect of the
mass will be negated. With solar gain, the inside temperature will rise quickly, as the
insulation prevents absorption of the energy by the mass.
Building with core insulation inside two layers of mass.
Here the TTC is a function of mostly the interior mass and the amount of insulation,
and the DHC is a function on the interior mass. The external mass influences heat
loss and gain by affecting the delta T across the insulation.
 Strategies
Slow rate of indoor heating in summer (minimize solar gain).
Fast rate of indoor cooling and ventilation in summer evenings.
Higher indoor temperatures during the day in winter.
Slow release of stored heat during winter night.
 Rules of Thumb
• Windows:
Mass surface to solar aperture ratios between 6:1 to 3:1 for
passive solar heated and cooled buildings (more south facing
glazing in cold areas, less glazing in hot areas).
• Amount of mass (Givoni):
Mass per square meter= 10(Tmax-Tmin) + 0.5 a*Imax
• Insulation (Givoni):
R=0.05(Tmax -25) + 0.002 (a* Imax) Walls
R=0.05(Tmax -25) + 0.002 (a* Imax) Roof
 Other Factors to Consider
• Hygroscopic & vapor diffusion properties, enthalpic
response
• Ventilation, convective heat exchangers, and
evaporative cooling methods
• Insulative additives to cast thermal mass
• Fire resistance, earthquake behavior, and building
codes
• Acoustics
• Life Cycle Analysis
 Absorption and Emission
•Absorptivity (a) and emissivity (e) are
properties of a material which determine
radiant exchange of a surface with its
environment. Exact values depend on a=0.2 a=0.6
wavelength.
•Absorptivity is the main factor in
determining the temperature response to
short-wave (solar) radiation, and is
dependent largely by color.
Tsol-air= To + (a*I/ho) - LWR where I is the incident
solar radiation, ho is the external surface coefficient,
and LWR is a function of the long-wave radiation to
the sky (~6o for clear sky, 0o for cloudy sky).

•Emissivity is the main factor which

determines the response to long wave
(thermal) radiation. Generally e = 0.9 for
non-metallic surfaces.
•UV: <400nm Visible: 400-760nm Infared: 760-3000nm
4
Building Material Embodied Energy

Masonry Embodied Energy

• Concrete block 29,018 BTU
• Common brick 13,570 BTU
• Adobe brick (14”x10”x4”) 2,500 BTU
 Computer Programs
•Solar 5 (free) Displays 3-D plots of hourly energy performance
for the whole building. SOLAR-5 also plots heat flow into/out of
thermal mass, and indoor air temperature, daylighting, HVAC
system size, cost of electricity and heating fuel. Only four
pieces of data initially required (floor area, number of stories,
location, and building type), the expert system designs a basic
building, filling in hundreds of items of data; user can make
subsequent revisions. University of California at Los Angeles.

•Energy 10 ($50) Design tool for smaller residential or commercial buildings that are less than 10,000
ft2 floor area, or buildings which can be treated as one or two-zone increments. Performs yearly
whole-building energy analysis, including dynamic thermal and daylighting calculations. Passive Solar
Industries Council.
•BuilderGuide ($80) Design tool for residences that calculates annual heating and cooling estimates
of loads based on simplified, but validated, algorithms; especially suitable for evaluating passive solar
houses. Uses solar-load-ratio method (modified degree-day), diurnal heat capacity method, and
simplified cooling load method. National Renewable Energy Laboratory
•Micropas4 ($795) Energy simulation program which performs hourly calculations to estimate
annual energy usage for heating, cooling and water heating in residential buildings. Data is required
describing each building thermal zone,opaque surfaces, fenestration, thermal mass. Used
extensively for California code requirements. Calculates HVAC size and U-values. Enercomp, Inc.
•Blast: ($1500) Performs hourly simulations of buildings to provide accurate estimates of a building's
energy needs. The zone models of BLAST (Building Loads Analysis and System Thermodynamics),
which are based on the fundamental heat balance method. Building Systems Laboratory, University
of Illinois.
 Sunrel (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)
•SUNREL (free on request) A general-purpose thermal analysis program for residential buildings. The solution
approach is a thermal network using a combination of forward finite differencing, Jacobian iteration, and constrained
optimization. It was written to aid in the design of small energy efficient buildings, where the loads are dominated by
the dynamic interaction of the building envelope, the environment, and the occupants. It is especially appropriate for
buildings that incorporate energy efficient design features, such as: moveable insulation, control of interior shading,
energy efficient windows, thermochromic switchable glazings, and thermal storage in Trombe walls, water walls,
phase change materials and rockbins. Energy efficient buildings tend to be more free floating than buildings which
are tightly controlled by large HVAC systems, therefore, proper design is essential for comfort and usability. The
goal was to create a program that was simple to use with sophisticated thermal models and yet maintain flexibility to
accommodate additional computational modules by researchers.

SUNREL ANALYSIS OF CAPACITY WALLS

Sunrel allows for the description of the wall as composed of one or more layers of material. Each of these
layers may consist of either an R-value or a specified material described by its thickness, specific heat,
density, and conductivity. In this way, walls of almost arbitrary complexity may be treated. Additionally, if
the walls are part of an exterior surface and the user wishes to determine the effects of solar energy on the
wall, the azimuth, absorptance, and parameters for shading can also be specified.
 Bibliography
• Bagnani, Gilberto, The Pantheon, Atlas Portland Cement, 1929.
• Bansal, N., Passive Building Design, Elsevier Science, 1994.
• Baucomb, J. Douglas, Passive Solar Buildings, MIT Press, 1992.
• Bourgeois, Jean-Louis, Spectacular Vernacular, Gibbs Smith, 1983
• Brown GZ Sun, Wind and Light, John Wiley, 2001
• Butler, Robert Brown, Standard Handbook of Architectural Engineering, McGraw Hill, 1998
• Diamant, RME, Thermal and Acoustic Insulation, Butterworths, 1986
• Givoni, Baruch, Climate Consideration in Building and Urban Design, VN Reinhold, 1998.
• Gut, Paul, Climate Responsive Buildings, Swiss Center for Development Cooperation, 1993.
• Houben, Hugo, Earth Construction, Intermediate Technology, 1994
• Masters, Gil et al, More Other Homes and Garbage, Sierra Club, 1981
• Minke, Gernot, Earth Construction Handbook, WIT Press, 2000
• Morrow, Baker, Anasazi Architecture, University of New Mexico Press, 1997.
• Neville, AM, Properties of Concrete, John Wiley and Sons, 1996.
• Wright, David, Passive Solar Architecture, Van Nostrand, 1982
• Parachek, Ralph, Desert Architecture, Parr, 1967
• Taylor, John S. A Shelter Sketchbook, Chelsea Green, 1997.
• Porges, F, HVAC Engineer’s Handbook, Butterworth, 1995
Canyon de Chelly, Arizona