CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 GLOBAL NECCESSITY TO NOVEL WINDOW TECHNOLOGIES

Saving energy and carbon emissions is a top priority for buildings and constructions.
With up to 60% of the total energy loss of a building coming from its windows,
fenestration products have a huge potential to provide large energy savings. Hence,
windows with a low thermal transmittance, or U-value, can substantially reduce
energy losses and save costs. In recent years building codes have been requiring lower
U-values for new windows, e.g. the Norwegian Building Codes recently restricted the
U-value for new windows to 1.2 W/(m 2K) (NBC 2007), and this trend is set to
continue as governments seek to save energy and reduce emissions. The UK aims at
reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, where the residential sector
accounts for 27% of total emissions. The program also adopts a fabric energy
efficiency standard, where the new buildings have to achieve an annual energy
demand below a certain maximum level. For instance, a detached dwelling in the UK
would have to achieve annual energy requirement for heating below 46 kWh/m 2 year
resulting to the U-values of windows in the region of or lower than 1.21.4W/m 2K to
be able to meet the fabric energy efficiency standard as recently reported. Similarly in
Germany, the Passivhaus Standard set out by the Passivhaus Institute of Darmstadt
indicates that the buildings are expected to require an energy amount less than 15
kWh/m2 year for space heating/cooling per year corresponding to a U-value range for
windows below 0.85 W/m2K. Current fenestration market is dominated by single
glazing. However, their U-values are very high and insufficient to fulfil the
requirements of low-carbon building concepts adopted by many developed countries.
Therefore, there is a consensus among scientists on the global necessity of low-cost,
efficient and environmentally friendly window technologies.

1.2 WINDOWS AND HEAT LOSS

It is well-documented in literature that the greatest percentage of the energy consumed

in buildings belongs to the energy losses through building envelope as a consequence

1
of poor thermal insulation characteristics of existing building elements notably
windows. Windows are indispensable components of building envelope which
provide air ventilation, vision, day-lighting, passive solar gain and the opportunity to
leave the building in extreme situations. However, they are responsible for a
significant amount of energy used in buildings due to their remarkably higher U-
values compared to other components of building envelope. Optimizing the thermal
performance of individual window components is essential to achieving a good
overall thermal performance for the entire window product. Prior research areas have
addressed components of insulating glass (IG) units, including the glass panes, types
of gas fill, and window frame. This work aims to study in details about the technology
of Insulated Glazing Unit and the variations in it that changes the thermal properties
of the same with changes in insulating material used.

Figure 1 : Thermal imaging of a house, it shows the extent of heat transfer through windows

2
 CHAPTER 2
INSULATED GLAZING UNIT

Glazing can be considered as the most important part of fenestration products. This is
especially true when calculating the U-value of a window as the glazing nearly always
has the largest area of the constituent parts, and this greatly affects the overall Uw
value. Multilayer glazing is the most popular commercially available glazing.

2.1 MULTILAYERED GLAZING

The most commonly used glazing technique, this employs multilayer of glass
separated by a fixed space, typically with a gas fill of either argon or krypton, with
krypton producing lower U-values with less cavity or fill thickness (and volume).
This can help to reduce the weight of the window, as reduced cavity thickness means
the frame can be made smaller, i.e. thinner. Table 1 presents a few examples of the
best low U-value triple glazing, showing the glazing U-value (U g), visible solar
transmittance (Tvis) and the solar factor (SF).
Insulated glass units (IGUs) are manufactured with glass in range of thickness from 3
to 10 mm or more in special applications. Laminated or tempered glass may also be
used as part of the construction. Most units are produced with the same thickness of
glass used on both panes, but special applications such as acoustic
attenuation or security may require wide ranges of thicknesses to be incorporated in
the same unit. The insulating glazing unit, consisting of two glass panes bound
together into a single unit with a seal between the edges of the panes, was patented in
the United States by Thomas Stetson in 1865. It was developed into a commercial
product in the 1930s, when several patents were filed, and a product was announced
by the Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass Company in 1944. Their product was sold under the
Thermopane brand name, which had been registered as a trademark in 1941. The
Thermopane technology differs significantly from contemporary IGUs. The two panes
of glass were welded together by a glass seal, and the two panes were separated by
less than the 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) typical of modern units. The brand name
Thermopane has entered the vocabulary of the glazing industry as the genericized
trademark for any IGU

3
2.2 HEAT INSULATING PROPERTY

The effectiveness of insulated glass can be expressed as an R-value. The higher the R-
value, the greater is its resistance to heat transfer. A standard IGU consisting of clear
uncoated panes of glass (or lites) with air in the cavity between the lites typically has
an R-value of 0.35 Km2/W.

Using US customary units, a rule of thumb in standard IGU construction is that each
change in the component of the IGU results in an increase of 1 R-value to the
efficiency of the unit. Adding argon gas increases the efficiency to about R-3. Using
low emissivity glass on surface #2 will add another R-value. Properly designed triple
glazed IGUs with low emissivity coatings on surfaces #2 and #4 and filled with argon
gas in the cavities result in IG units with R-values as high as R-5. Certain vacuum
insulated glass units (VIGU) or multi-chambered IG units using coated plastic films
result in R-values as high as R-12.5

Additional layers of glazing provide the opportunity for improved insulation. While
the standard double glazing is most widely used, triple glazing is not uncommon, and
quadruple glazing is produced for very cold environments. Even quintuple glazing
(four cavities, five panes) is available - with mid-pane insulation factors equivalent to
walls.

2.3 ACOUSTIC INSULATING PROPERTIES

In some situations the insulation is in reference to noise mitigation. In these

circumstances a large air space improves the noise insulation quality or sound
transmission class. Asymmetric double glazing, using different thicknesses of glass
rather than the conventional symmetrical systems (equal glass thicknesses used for
both lites) will improve the acoustic attenuation properties of the IGU. If standard air
spaces are used, sulphur hexafluoride can be used to replace or augment an inert
gas and improve acoustical attenuation performance.

4
Other glazing material variations affect acoustics. The most widely used glazing
configurations for sound dampening include laminated glass with varied thickness of
the interlayer and thickness of the glass. Including a structural, thermally improved
aluminium thermal barrier air spacer in the insulating glass can improve acoustical
performance by reducing the transmission of exterior noise sources in the fenestration
system.

Reviewing the glazing system components, including the air space material used in
the insulating glass, can ensure overall sound transmission improvement.

Figure 2 : application of Glazed windows

5
6
 CHAPTER 3
CONSTRUCTION OF AN INSULATED GLAZING UNIT

The main components of an IGU is

Glass

Spacers

Sealants

Desiccants

Insulating Material

Figure 3: construction details of a typical IGU (double glazed)

#1#2#3#4 glass surfaces

7
3.1 GLASS

It is the most important part of a glazed unit. It covers the most surface area and hence
is a great factor in deciding the properties of the unit. Glazing itself means
arrangement of glass lites; hence with varied configuration of glass lites IGUs are
classified into multiple units like double glazed, triple glazed etc.

Figure 4 : a double glazed window

Figure 5 : triple glazed window

8
3.2 SPACERS

The main function of the spacer bar is to hold the glass panes at a fixed distance from
each other, thus establishing the size of the interpane space. The typical profile width
of spacer bars (ws) varies between 4 mm and 8 mm. The most common spacer bar
thicknesses are 12 mm and 14 mm. Hollow (metal) shaped spacer bars as well as solid
(non-metal) spacer bars are commercially available.

Figure 6: various spacer types and arrangements

Different types of materials for spacers are

Aluminium
Butyl
Foam
Roll Formed
Stainless Steel

The high thermal conductivity of traditional metal spacer bars in multi-pane IG units
creates a significant risk of condensation and a high heat flow through the edge-of-
glass region. In place of traditional aluminium and galvanized steel spacer bars,
stainless steel spacer bars have been implemented, and several studies have
documented the resulting reduction in heat transmission.

9
3.3 SEALANTS

The sealant used in an edge seal structurally bonds the glass panes and spacer bar
together while providing a high level of moisture vapour and gas diffusion resistance
and allowing flexion to accommodate glass movement. In dual-sealed IG units these
functions are performed by separate primary and secondary sealants whereas single-
sealed IG units have only one (secondary) sealant. Today, the majority of IG units
manufactured globally are dual sealed, with the market share of dual-sealed units
being much larger in Europe (85-90 percent) than in North America (45-50 percent of
IG units manufactured in 2003). The primary sealant in an IG unit is applied between
the spacer bar and the glass panes. Its key function is to reduce water vapour and gas
permeability in the edge-of-glass area.
Synthetic rubbers, typically poly-isobutylene (PIB), are used for this purpose.
However, the strength of thermoplastic PIB decreases rapidly as temperature
increases, so a PIB seal alone cannot guarantee the structural integrity of an IG unit;
therefore, a secondary sealant is required, which is applied around the perimeter of the
glass. The secondary sealant functions as the adhesive that unites the glass panes and
spacer bar and prevents excessive movement under different environmental stresses.
Polyurethane (PU), silicone (Si) and polysulphide (PS) are widely used as secondary
sealants, but hot-melt butyl- or epoxy-based sealants may also be used.
The thickness of a primary PIB sealant is typically 0.2 to 0.6 mm, and the secondary
seal width is about 4 mm. A minimum 3 mm of secondary sealant is required to cover
the primary sealant and protect it from contact with moisture. A PIB seals adhesion to
the glass and spacer is not resistant to continuous water exposure. When butyl sealant
becomes damp, it loses its ability to adhere, which can lead to premature failure of the
IG unit.

Figure 7: types of sealants

10
3.4 DESICCANTS

Desiccants are used in IG units to prevent the inside glass surfaces from fogging as
because of condensation of moisture vapour or organic vapours that may be in the
interpane space. Moisture vapour might be trapped in the interpane space during
manufacturing of the IG unit or can permeate through the edge seal while the IG unit
is in use. Organics that off-gas in the interpane space can react with glass surfaces that
become damp from water vapour condensation. These reactions leave a permanent
opaque deposit on the inside glass surface, a phenomenon referred to as chemical
fogging. ISO 20492 describes chemical fogging tests and requirements for IG units.
Desiccants in IG units prolong the windows service life by adsorbing moisture and
organic vapour until the desiccant is saturated. Desiccant can either be integrated in
the edge seal design or used as a fill in hollow spacer bars that are perforated to allow
contact between the desiccant fill and the vapour.

The capacity of desiccants is limited, and any water vapour infiltrating the interpane
space after the desiccant is saturated can result in fog on the internal surface of the IG
unit. Commonly used desiccants in the IG industry are molecular sieves or a blend of
silica gel with molecular sieves. Highly porous crystals of molecular sieves with
uniform pore sizes of 3, 4, 5, and 10 Angstroms () exist, each having a strong
affinity for a specific size of molecule. The 3- molecular sieves structure allows
water vapour adsorption yet excludes most other molecules. The 4- molecular sieve
has a slightly higher water vapour capacity but also adsorbs larger molecules
including oxygen and nitrogen; it is, therefore, less commonly used in IG edge seals.
Molecular sieves have a high adsorption capacity at low relative humidity and are
therefore particularly useful in dry environments such as the interpane glazing space.

Silica gel is a highly porous granular-shaped desiccant with pore sizes ranging from
20 to 200 . Because of this wide range of pore sizes, silica gel is capable of
adsorbing compounds other than water, such as ammonia, alcohols, aromatics,
diolefins, olefins, and paraffins. A blend of 3- molecular sieve and silica gel can
prevent both condensation and chemical fogging by adsorbing water vapour as well as
off-gassed organics while also limiting the adsorption of argon or nitrogen gas.

11
3.5 INSULATING MATERIAL

An established way to improve insulation performance is to replace air in the space

with a lower thermal conductivity gas. Gas convective heat transfer is a function of
viscosity and specific heat. Monatomic gases such as argon, krypton and xenon are
often used since (at normal temperatures) they do not carry heat in rotational modes,
resulting in a lower heat capacity than poly-atomic gases. Argon has a thermal
conductivity 67% that of air, krypton has about half the conductivity of argon.
Krypton and xenon are very expensive. These gases are used because they are non-
toxic, clear, odourless, chemically inert, and commercially available because of their
widespread application in industry. Some manufacturers also offer sulphur
hexafluoride as an insulating gas, especially to insulate sound. It has only 2/3 the
conductivity of argon, but it is stable, inexpensive and dense. However, sulphur
hexafluoride is an extremely potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global
warming.

In Europe, SF-6 falls under the F-Gas directive which ban or control its usage for
several applications. Since 1 January 2006, SF-6 is banned as a tracer gas and in all
applications except high-voltage switchgear. In general, the more effective a fill gas is
at its optimum thickness, the thinner the optimum thickness is. For example, the
optimum thickness for krypton is lower than for argon, and lower for argon than for
air. However, since it is difficult to determine whether the gas in an IGU has become
mixed with air at time of manufacture (or becomes mixed with air once installed),
many designers prefer to use thicker gaps than would be optimum for the fill gas if it
were pure. Argon is commonly used in insulated glazing as it is the most affordable.
Krypton, which is considerably more expensive, is not generally used except to
produce very thin double glazing units or relatively thin or extremely high
performance triple glazed units. Xenon has found very little application in IGUs
because of cost.

We shall take a detailed look at the following insulating materials

De-hydrated Air

Inert Gas

12
 Vacuum

Aerogel

CHAPTER 4
INSULATING MATERIALS

4.1 DE-HYDRATED AIR

Insulating Glass Units (IG Units) can be made with air between the two layers of
glass. The molecules of dehydrated air are relatively immobile, and therefore have a
lower thermal conductivity. The same physical properties of dehydrated air also give
it lower acoustic conductivity.

While air itself is a good insulator, filling the gap between the glass panes with a
lower-conductivity gas such as argon can improve performance by reducing
conductive and convective heat transfers. This phenomenon results from the fact that
the density of the gas is greater than the density of the air. The molecules of
dehydrated air are relatively immobile, and therefore have a lower thermal
conductivity. The same physical properties of dehydrated air also give it lower
acoustic conductivity

The use of a less conductive gas in an IG unit has insulating benefits but may come at
a higher initial cost compared to an air-filled IG unit. There are also concerns about
maintaining the gas fill levels over time. Argon permeation is greater than air for most
IG sealants, which can result in negative pressure in the IG air space. Argon-filled
units also cannot use breather tubes for high-altitude applications.

Commonly observed values for an air filled IGU are

U value - 0.3 W/m2 K

R value - 3.2 m2K / W

SHGC - 0.62

13
Oxygen and Nitrogen can also be used for filling as they are cheaply available and
less reactive to an extent. But they do not offer any significant improvement over air.

14
4.2 INERT GASES

Currently, argon is the most common gas fill for new double or triple glazing units
being produced today, although krypton is also used to some extent as it produces
lower U-values, though to a substantially higher cost. And as mentioned earlier,
another gas that is not so widely used is xenon, which has the best thermal properties
compared to those of air, argon and krypton. However, again, xenon is by far the most
expensive of these gases, which has hindered its use. Making gas fills more efficient
may be done by evacuating the glazing cavity. Gas fill durability (sealant durability) is
critical and more research is needed to improve the gas retention performance. It may
be noted that Prausnitz and Arasteh (2009) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
propose in a yet unpublished work to manufacture krypton at a possible lower cost
process by separating krypton from air by absorption with an ionic liquid. The
proposed process results in a krypton rich gas with some xenon residuals (about one
order of magnitude less xenon in air than krypton) which may be further separated if
desirable.
When 90 percent argon gas-fill is used in a low-e IGU instead of air, the windows
insulating value can be improved by up to 16 percent. Krypton can improve the
insulating value in a low-e IGU by up to 27 percent.

Figure 8: graph showing performance comparison of insulating gases

15
Even with the extensive advantages on thermal comfort front there are some major
drawbacks to using inert gases. They are more practical for residential windows than
for large commercial buildings. Unlike homes, large commercial buildings can save
the most energy by preventing solar heat radiation from even entering the building
because by doing so it helps contain air conditioning costs. Its for this reason that
commercial glass design focuses more on reducing the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient
than on increasing insulating properties.

The partial pressure differentials between the air outside and the gas inside cause both
argon and krypton to naturally escape an IGU. Even when an IGU is perfectly
constructed, the gas will escape at a rate of about one percent per year, and that rate is
much faster when the IGU is poorly made.

As the gas leaks out, the IGU loses insulating performance, and, since air doesnt
backfill into the IGU, the two lites of glass begin to collapse into the centre of the
unit, which can cause the glass to look distorted or even break. This can be a major
problem on a commercial building especially if it has an all-glass curtain wall
construction.

In addition, while argon gas is relatively cheap, it can result in a slower cycle time in
fabrication, which also adds to increased costs. And, while Krypton performs much
better than argon, it can be very expensiveup to 1,000 times more than Argon.
Krypton also has the same added fabrication time and costs that you find with Argon.
Furthermore, theres no easy way to measure the gas fill after installation to know if
its even in the IGU and at the correct fill percent.

Finally, both argon and krypton achieve optimal insulating performance in spacer
sizes less than the standard 1/2 inch, making it impractical to specify commercial
IGUs in these thicknesses.

4.3 VACUUM GLAZING

Vacuum glazing is a unique and high performance fenestration technology which

enables minimum heat loss and high visible transmittance in a slim window product.
The idea was first introduced by Zoller in 1913 but was not successfully fabricated
until 1989. The first successful manufacturing of vacuum glazing was achieved by
Robinson and Collins at the University of Sydney. The glazing configuration utilized

16
a contiguous solder glass edge seal which can be produced only at a process
temperature above 450 C. At a further stage, they elucidated this prerequisite by
producing an edge seal vacuum glazing at below 200 C.

Figure 9: construction of a vacuum glazed unit

Vacuum glazing technology does not have complex fabrication details. A conventional
vacuum glazing consists of two sheets of glass separated by a vacuum medium with
an array of support pillars keeping the two sheets of glass apart as shown. The support
pillars are mostly imperceptible from a distance of about 23 mm, hence their
influence on vision is negligible. The key role of the vacuum gap between the glass
sheets is to eliminate the conduction and convection which play a significant role in
the U-value of fenestration products. The working principle of vacuum glazing is
similar to that of double glazing in which the gas-filled space is evacuated to a
particular pressure to be able to eliminate convection and gaseous conduction.
However, fabrication process of vacuum glazing is considerably complicated
compared to other glazing technologies. Especially challenges in developing vacuum-
tight and thermally insulating materials to be utilized in edge seal notably delayed the
commercialization of vacuum glazing. However, theoretical works and continuing
stream of patents in the field of vacuum glazing over the last decades indicated the
high level of interest in this unique fenestration technology as a consequence of the
global awareness of the role of windows in total energy consumption. The first

17
commercialization attempts of vacuum glazing started in 2000s by Nippon Sheet
Glass (NSG) Group. Three different vacuum glazing products called SPACIA,
SPACIA-21 and Laminated SPACIA were fabricated in Japan and intensive efforts
were made in the following years to enhance the thermal insulation characteristics and
cost-effectiveness of the aforesaid vacuum glazing products. The SPACIA was
constructed from two 3, 4 or 5 mm sheets of glass, with pillars 0.2 mm high and 0.5
mm diameter
Fang et al. conducted an experimental research to evaluate the thermal performance of
a novel hybrid vacuum glazing integrated with an air gap and low-e coating. They
investigated the impact of vacuum gap configuration on the overall thermal insulation
performance as shown in Fig. 3. The lowest U-value was reported to be 0.24 W/m 2K
for the sample integrated with three low-e coatings. A similar work was conducted by
Manz et al in Switzerland on a triple vacuum glazing sample. The U-value was found
to be 0.20W/m2K by using stainless steel support pillars and four low-e coatings.

4.3.1 VACUUM TUBE GLAZING

Cuce and Riffat developed a unique vacuum glazing concept called vacuum tube
window at the University of Nottingham, and conducted several experiments on
different samples fabricated for an accurate thermal insulation performance
assessment. Vacuum tube window concept was basically the combination of a
particular amount of evacuated glass tubes at optimized dimensions, and integration
of them into a double glazed frame as illustrated.

Figure 10: vacuum tube windows

18
The evacuated tubes at a particular vacuum pressure were fixed between two glass
window panes and for the external connection between vacuum tubes, an insulating
adhesive was utilized. The results indicated that the U-value of vacuum tube window
is highly dependent on the tube diameter (D) as shown.

Figure 11: variation of u value with variation in diameter of vacuum tubes

The U-value was found to be around 0.30 and 2.00 W/m2K for D= 80 and 20 mm,
respectively. There was not a remarkable difference between the U-values for D= 60,
70 and 80 mm. Thus, 60 mm was considered as the optimum tube diameter with a U-
value of 0.40 W/m2K.

4.3.2 AEROGEL SUPPORT PILLARS FOR VACUUM GLAZING

Although vacuum glazing is a recent technology, intensive attempts have been done to
date in literature both theoretically and experimentally for greater thermal
performance with slimmer, lighter and cost-effective constructions. The heat
conduction through the support pillars and edge seal and the radiation between two
glass sheets have been evaluated. The heat conductance of residual gas in vacuum gap
has been ignored for a low pressure of <0.1Pa. Fang et al. have analysed thermal
performance of vacuum glazing by using 2D finite element and 3D finite volume
models. In the 2D model, the vacuum space, including the pillar arrays, has been
represented by a material whose effective thermal conductivity is determined from the

19
specified vacuum space width, the heat conduction through the pillar array and the
calculated radiation heat transfer between the two interior glass surfaces within the
vacuum gap. In the 3D model, the support pillar array has been incorporated and
modelled within the glazing unit directly.

Figure 12: construction of glazed unit using aerogel pillars

The predicted difference in overall heat transfer coefficients between the two models
for the vacuum window simulated has observed to be < 3%. A guarded hot box
calorimeter has been utilized to determine the experimental thermal performance of
vacuum glazing. The experimentally determined overall heat transfer coefficient and
temperature profiles along the central line of the vacuum glazing are in very good
agreement with the predictions made using the 2D and 3D models. Papaefthimiou et
al. have developed electro chromic evacuated glazing prototypes utilizing vacuum
techniques and chemical methods. Their vacuum glazing has aimed at dynamically
controlling the solar radiation penetrating into the residential buildings. The results
have revealed that the prototype is very promising in terms of optical and thermal
performance. Zhao et al. have developed amethod to prepare transparent supporting
spacers for vacuum glazing. Transparent glass spacers between the glass sheets have
been found to be very efficient to improve appearance and light transmittance. Schultz

20
and Jensen have combined monolithic silica aerogel and vacuum concept into a single
glazing and investigated the thermal insulation performance. Their results have shown
that an evacuated aerogel glazing with 20mm glass distance can yield a U-value
below 0.50 W/m2K.

We can see the difference when using aero-gel as pillars.

4.4 AERO-GEL GLAZING UNITS

Aero-gels are regarded as one of the most promising thermal super insulation
materials for energy-efficient retrotting of residential buildings. The aero-gel glazing
products are commonly fabricated by silica aero-gel; however different types can also
be utilized. Silica aero-gel is not a new material, but has demonstrated a remarkable
development in the last few decades. Monolithic silica aerogel is an attractive porous
material, which has pore diameters in the range of 10100 mm. Its highly porous
structure combined with the nanometer pore size makes the aerogel a super insulation
material which has a thermal conductivity notably lower than still air. Extraordinary
optical and thermal characteristics of aerogel enable it to be utilized as insulation
layers in windows. Compared to other high performance insulating glazing
technologies, aerogel glazing has greater solar thermal transmittance, which plays an
important role on annual energy consumption for space heating in cold climates.
Aerogel has very low tensile strength, which makes the material fragile. If aerogels
get contact with water, the surface tension in the pores might demolish the aerogel
structure. Therefore the application of aerogel glazing requires the aerogel to be
protected against water and tensile stress.

21
In literature, several attempts are made for commercialization purposes of aerogel
glazing. Schultz et al. carry out an EU project on super insulating glazing based on
monolithic silica aerogel. Prototypes measuring roughly 55x55 cm 2 are made with 15
mm evacuated aerogel between two layers of low-iron glass. Thus, anti-reective
treatment of the glass and a heat- treatment of the aerogel increase visible quality and
solar energy transmittance. A centre heat loss coefficient of the prototypes is found to
be below 0.70 W/m2K and solar transmittance of 76%. A granular aerogel based
window is developed by ZAE Bayern in Germany. Granular silica aerogels are
integrated into highly-insulating translucent glazing. To avoid settlement of the
granules, which often occurred in earlier glazing concepts and even caused
destruction of the glazing, the granules are sandwiched between a double skin sheets
made of polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA). The sheet is mounted between two low-e
coated glass panes. To optimize the thermal insulation, Krypton is used as lling gas.
This construction allows achieving heat transfer coefficients of less than 0.40 W/m2K.
Optimized granular layers provide high solar transmittance of 65% for thicknesses of
20 mm. The aerogel glazing is integrated into facades and found to be a visually
attractive, light-scattering daylight element with extremely low energy loss during the
heating period. Energy saving of 1180 kWh/year (19%) is achieved by exchanging
triple-layered argon-lled glazing with aerogel glazing in a typical new built single
family house in climate conditions of Denmark. The thermal conductivity of aerogel-
window glazing decreases as aerogel lm thickness increases.

Integration of aerogel into glazing systems started to appear on the market in 2005.
The most promising of the investigated materials is the monolithic aerogel, because of
the better light transmittance (0.62) together with very low U-values (about 0.60
W/m2K in a double glazing with evacuated conditions), lower thickness (14 mm) and
high lightness. On the other hand, for the granular systems the light reduction is about
60% if compared to a double glazing with a low-e layer; the U-value is little higher

22
than 1.00 W/m2K with the same total thickness. The results also indicate that the
monolithic aerogel innovative glazing systems allow obtaining thin windows with U-
values lower than 0.50 W/m2K, without diminishing the solar factor or reducing
considerably the daylight transmittance.

Figure 13: difference of lighting, left is clear glass and right is aerogel infused glazing unit

23
 CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSION AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVE

As global energy prices continue on an increasing trend, there is a raising awareness

of the energy efficiency requirement in all areas, and as discussed previously
buildings are of signicant relevance. Windows are essential components of
buildings which provide vision, air ventilation, passive solar gain, day-lighting and
the opportunity to leave the building in extreme situations. However, they play an
important role in total energy consumed in buildings due to their remarkably higher
U-values compared to other components of building envelope. For a typical building,
the U-values of roof, oor, external walls and windows are around 0.16, 0.25, 0.30
and 2.00 W/m2K, respectively. Jelle et al. report that the windows are responsible for
about 60% of the total energy consumption of a building. Due to the signicance of
windows in reducing the energy demand of buildings, considerable attention at global
scale is given to improving their performance.

This work shows that there are many high performance fenestration products on the
market today. With regard to glazing the majority are single glazed products, but the
vacuum glazing and aerogel solutions are growing and produce competitive U-values.
Aerogels in particular have a large potential. They are already in use for translucent
applications, and if their clarity could be improved for transparent applications,
together with large production cost reductions, the aerogels could become part of the
future of the fenestration industry. The lowest centre-of- glass U g-values found was
0.28 W/ (m2K) and 0.30 W/ (m2K), which was from a suspended coating glazing
product and an aerogel glazing product, respectively.

Technologies like electrochromic windows and suspended coated film products may
also have great potential in the fenestration industry. Integrated production techniques,
e.g. manufacturing the window as a whole, and other to-be-developed novel solutions
have the potential to revolutionize the way windows are produced. Currently, aerogels
have the lowest U-values, and potentially, therefore a joint aerogel and vacuum
glazing solution could become the optimum product.

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 REFERENCES

[1] B.P. Jelle, A. Hynd, A. Gustavsen, D. Arasteh, H. Goudey, R. Hart, Fenestration

of Today and Tomorrow: A State-of the-Art Review and Future Opportunities
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[2] Cuce E, Riffat SB. A state-of-the-art review on innovative glazing technologies.

Renew Sustain Energy Rev 2014;41:695714, 2014.

[3] S. Van Den Bergh, R. Hart, B. Petter Jelle, A. Gustavsen, Window Spacers and
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[4] Cuce, E.; Cuce, P.M.; Wood, C.J.; Riffat, S.B.: Toward aerogel based thermal
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[5] Erdem Cuce, Pinar Mert Cuce : Vacuum glazing for highly insulating windows:
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[6] Erdem Cuce, Saffa B. Riffat: Aerogel-Assisted Support Pillars for Thermal
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[7] Mslm Arc, Mira Kan ; An investigation of flow and conjugate heat transfer in
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Renewable Energy March 2015

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