Printed Heat Flux Sensors for Building U-Value Measurement

要实现英国政府的净零目标，需要在2050年之前减少80%的碳排放。住宅建筑的脱碳至关重要，因为采暖住宅占英国总能源需求的7%。热通量传感器测量通过墙壁和窗户等表面的传热率，以找出建筑物的U值(即导热系数)。这个数值量化了建筑材料的隔热性能。热通量传感器在绿色建筑建设中的应用越来越广泛。绿色建筑的一个主要方面是这些建筑的电力消耗是最小的。为了实现这一点，有必要确定在建筑物的不同部分在哪里以及产生多少热量(通量)，以便可以应用相关的建筑材料/暖通空调操作来更好地分配热量。这些信息对评估能源效率和优化建筑结构的持续性能至关重要。不幸的是，目前测量建筑结构热性能的技术仍然过于昂贵和复杂，严重限制了正确评估的能力，从而有效地为提高能效提供资金。我们的目标是使用新材料和新工艺来降低成本，提高热通量测量技术在U值测量中的可及性。矢量住宅开发用于绿色住房的新型传感器和材料。该项目将为与印刷电子和泰瑞尔建筑技术公司的合作提供资金。我们将共同开发一种低成本、全印刷的热流传感器，利用现代丝网印刷，这是一种高产量和工业兼容的制造技术。我们将围绕这一传感器设计一个智能建筑产品，以无缝集成到新建筑中，提供持续的热健康监测。一种颠覆性的技术，用于评估和改进建筑物的真实热封。

To achieve the UK Government net-zero ambition requires an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050\. Decarbonising domestic buildings is essential, as heating homes accounts for 7% of the UK's total energy demand. Heat-flux sensors measure heat transfer rate through surfaces, like walls and windows, to find the 'U-value' (i.e., thermal conductivity) of a building. This value quantifies the insulation performance of building materials.A growing application for heat flux sensors is their use in the construction of green buildings. One of the main aspects of a green building is that the power consumption of these buildings are bare minimal. To achieve this, it is necessary to determine where and how much heat (flux) is created at different parts of the building so that relevant construction material / HVAC operation can be applied for better heat distribution. This information is crucial for assessing energy efficiency and optimising a building's ongoing fabric performance.Unfortunately, current technologies for measuring the thermal performance of building fabrics are still too costly and complex, severely limiting the ability to properly assess, and thus effectively finance energy efficiency improvements. Our goal is to reduce the cost, and increase accessibility of heat-flux measurement technology for U-value measurement using new materials and processes.Vector Homes develop novel sensors and materials for green housing. This project will fund a collaboration with Printed Electronics and Tyrrell Building Technologies. Together we will develop a low-cost, fully-printed heat-flux sensor, by leveraging modern screen-printing, a high-throughput and industrially compatible manufacturing technology. We will design a 'smart-building' product around this sensor, for seamless integration into new-builds, to provide continuous thermal-health-monitoring. A disruptive technology for assessing and improving the real-life thermal envelopes of buildings.