EFRI-SEED: Living Wall Materials and Systems for Automatic Building Thermo-Regulation

这个EFRI-SEED项目的目标是研究一个“活墙”的概念，它从人体温度调节系统的仿生学中获得了最初的想法（即，呼吸和循环系统），可以通过复杂的传热过程和代谢调节有效地适应周围环境的变化。该新型活墙系统将两组优化的微血管流体通道（MVFC）网络和分布式相变介质（PCM）嵌入到创新的聚合物基墙单元中，以允许空气和液体的自主运动以及PCM的充/放响应于实时室内外温度变化，从而动态地调节建筑围护结构和整个住宅的热行为。虽然自然对流驱动空气通过多孔保持材料，但将开发具有定制温度敏感性的新型水凝胶，以在壁厚方向上移动液体。通过组合具有不同温度敏感性的水凝胶，响应性将增加，并且游离液体的量减少到可忽略的水平。将开发数学模型和计算设计方法，以优化保持材料、MVFC和PCM组件的布局。一个原型的生活墙将制作和研究下的一系列热和结构载荷的情况。通过多物理场模拟和新颖的设计方法，系统地研究整个活墙系统在动态室内和室外条件下的性能，将活墙概念无缝集成到当前和未来的建筑结构中。该项目将加快研究净零能耗建筑，通过智能建筑围护结构设计显著减少供暖和制冷能源需求。根据初步结果，新的活墙概念预计将减少80-95%的当前建筑能源需求，以抵消传统墙壁的不利热损失/增益，并由于更紧密和不透明的墙壁结构而提供额外的通风和电气照明。这项研究的成功将极大地促进仿生设计原理在开发可持续节能工程设计中的应用，并重塑当前的建筑设计和施工理念和实践。拟议的研究将最终导致生物建筑科学与工程（BASE）的一个全新的跨学科学术计划的发展。这将包括为来自广泛兴趣领域的大学预科，本科和研究生开发横向和纵向整合的跨学科研究和教育计划，以及开发丰富，多方面的外展计划。 PI将与NSF资助的科罗拉多研究生教育联盟以及工程学院的BOLD中心合作，以吸引和整合来自代表性不足群体的本科生和研究生进入该研究项目。2010财政年度EFRI-SEED专题是由美国国家科学基金会（NSF）工程部（ENG）、数学与物理科学部（MPS）、社会、行为与经济科学部（SBE）以及计算机信息科学与工程部（CIT）与美国能源部（DOE）和美国环境保护署（EPA）共同赞助的。

The objective of this EFRI-SEED project is to study a "living wall" concept that acquires its original idea from biomimicry of the body's thermo-regulation systems (i.e., respiratory and circulatory systems) that can efficiently adapt to changes in the surrounding environment via sophisticated heat transfer processes and metabolic adjustments. The novel living wall system embeds two sets of optimized microvascular fluid channel (MVFC) networks and a distributed phase change medium (PCM) into an innovative polymer-based wall unit to allow autonomous movement of air and liquid and charge/discharge of PCM in response to real-time indoor and outdoor temperature variations so as to dynamically regulate the thermal behavior of the building envelope and the entire dwelling. While natural convection drives air through a porous holding material, novel hydrogels with tailored temperature sensitivity will be developed to move liquid in the wall thickness direction. By combining hydrogels with different temperature sensitivities the responsiveness will be increased and the amount of free liquid reduced to negligible level. Mathematical models and computational design approaches will be developed to optimize the layout of the holding material, the MVFCs and PCM components. A prototype of the living wall will be fabricated and studied under a series of thermal and structural loading scenarios. The performance of the entire living wall system under dynamic indoor and outdoor conditions will be systematically investigated through multi-physics simulations and novel design approaches to seamlessly integrate the living wall concept into current and future building constructions.This project will expedite the research for net-zero-energy buildings with significant reduction of heating and cooling energy needs via smart building envelope designs. Based on preliminary results, the new living wall concept is expected to reduce 80-95% of the current building energy needs for offsetting adverse heat losses/gains through conventional walls and for providing extra ventilation and electrical lighting due to tighter and opaque wall structures. The success of this research will greatly stimulate the application of biomimetic design principles for developing sustainable energy efficient engineering designs and reshape the current building design and construction philosophy and practice. The proposed research will ultimately lead to the development of a brand new interdisciplinary academic program in Bio-Architectural Science and Engineering (BASE). This will include the development of a horizontally and vertically integrated cross-disciplinary research and education program for pre-college, undergraduate and graduate students from broad fields of interest, as well as developing a rich, multi-faceted outreach program. The PIs will team up with the NSF-funded Colorado Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate and College of Engineering's BOLD Center to attract and integrate undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented groups into this research project. A formal assessment plan will be implemented to measure the success of the education and outreach activities.The FY 2010 EFRI-SEED Topic that supports this project was sponsored by the US National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorates for Engineering (ENG), Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) and Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE), and Computer & Information Science and Engineering in collaboration with the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).