High-Performance Thermal Insulation for Building Envelope Construction

近年来，对全球变暖和气候变化的担忧已经影响到我们日常活动的方方面面，建筑环境也不例外。建筑消耗了我国总能源需求的40%左右，加拿大是世界上人均能源消耗量最高的国家之一。提高建筑环境能效的最具成本效益的方法是在建筑外围护结构中增加隔热材料。很自然，新更新的加拿大国家建筑能源规范(NECB)和各种绿色建筑评级系统(LEED、Net-Zero等)正在推动在建筑外墙围护结构中更多地使用隔热材料。因此，这些发展为高性能和环境友好型隔热材料的研究提供了新的动力。*本研究计划的主要目标是在加拿大建筑围护结构中开发和集成环境友好型高性能隔热材料。该研究计划头五年的主要重点将是基于真空技术的真空绝缘板(VIP)和纳米孔气凝胶绝缘。气凝胶隔热材料的隔热系数约为闭孔泡沫隔热材料的两倍，VIP隔热材料的热阻系数约为闭孔泡沫隔热材料的五到十倍。*未来五年将开展四项主要任务：(1)为VIP开发可替代的低成本核心材料，(2)从可再生生物资源开发基于生物的VIP，(3)VIP的长期性能的确定，以及(4)对新型和高绝缘建筑围护结构的湿热(即湿度和热)性能的评估和管理。*本项目的研究方向是由我参与几个国家和国际组织/协会(ULC、SCC、ISO、ASTM、这一研究项目的结果将对加拿大人和加拿大建筑业产生深远的影响。这些成果将帮助加拿大人建造更节能的建筑，降低住房和供暖成本，缓解导致气候变化的因素，并为加拿大建筑业提供廉价、环保和高性能的隔热技术。

In recent times, concerns over global warming and climate change have been influencing every aspect of our day-to-day activities, and built environment is no exception. Buildings consume up to about 40% of our total national energy demand and Canada has one of the highest per-capita energy consumption in the world. The most cost-effective way to enhance the energy efficiency of built environment is the addition of thermal insulation in exterior building envelopes. Quite naturally, the newly updated National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings (NECB) and various green building rating systems (LEED, Net-Zero etc.) are promoting increased use of thermal insulations in exterior building envelope constructions. Consequently these developments are providing fresh impetus to the research on high-performance and environment-friendly thermal insulations.****** The principle goals of this research program are to develop and integrate environment-friendly high-performance thermal insulations in Canadian building envelope constructions. The primary focus of the first five years of this research program will be on the vacuum technology based vacuum insulation panel (VIP) and nanoporous aerogel insulation. Aerogel based thermal insulations have about two times and VIPs have about five to ten times higher thermal resistivity than closed-cell foam insulation. ****** There are four major tasks that will be carried out during the next five years and they are: (1) development of alternative low-cost core materials for VIPs, (2) development of bio-based VIPs from renewable bio-resources, (3) determination of long-term performance of VIPs, and (4) assessment and management of hygrothermal (i.e. moisture and thermal) performance of novel and highly insulated building envelopes.****** The research direction of this program is motivated by my involvement with several national and international organizations/associations (ULC, SCC, ISO, ASTM, IEA-EBC etc.).The outcomes from this research program will have profound impacts on both Canadians and Canadian construction industry. The outcomes will help Canadians to build more energy efficient buildings, reduce housing and heating costs, and mitigate the elements causing climate change, and also provide inexpensive, environment-friendly and high-performance thermal insulation technologies to the Canadian construction industry.*****