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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/S08633/01
Title: FARADAY Fast Track Proposal - Vacuum Window Design Optimisation and Thermal Comfort Implications
Principal Investigator: Lomas, Professor K
Other Investigators:
Fiala, Dr D Mardaljevic, Professor J
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Northern Ireland Housing Executive Redbus Serraglaze Limited
Department: Institute of Energy and Sustainable Dev
Organisation: De Montfort University
Scheme: Faraday (PreFEC)
Starts: 01 April 2003 Ends: 31 March 2006 Value (£): 131,134
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Building Ops & Management Energy Efficiency
Heat & Mass Transfer
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Related Grants:
GR/S08626/01
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
The research will examine the performance of low heat loss evacuated glazing windows with a mid-pane U-value approaching 0.6W/m2K. A range of vacuum glazings will be manufactured using a patented, low temperature (<200C) edge sealing technique developed at the University of Ulster (UU). Glazings will be produced using tempered and un-tempered glass with different low emissivity films. Stress analysis codes will be developed for the vacuum glazing and will be used to assist with frame design. Generic frames will be modelled, designed and fabricated for inclusion with the vacuum glazings. The window systems will be characterised experimentally and through field testing. A comprehensive thermal/stress model will be developed and validated with measurements from tests in the hotbox calorimeter. The time varying irradiation input to the models will be predicted by De Montfort University (DMU), as will the transmitted solar irradiances. These, together with the predicted time-varying glazing temperatures, will be used for a detailed radiative heat transfer comfort analysis of the near-window environments using an advanced model at DMU. The project will be the first time that the comfort performance of windows will be carried out to reproduce reality at such a level of accuracy.
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Project URL:  
Further Information:  
Organisation Website: http://www.dmu.ac.uk