An Apparatus for Thermal Performance Measurements of Insulated Roof Systems
SourceThe U.S. Department of Energy is conducting thermal performance measurements on low-slope roofs with a recently developed field test apparatus at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The apparatus accommodates four 1.2 by 2.4-m (4 by 8-ft) test specimens and includes the measurement capabilities for specimen temperatures, temperature gradients, heat flows, and moisture content. A weather station characterizes outdoor weather conditions. Tests underway include (1) validation of a roof surface temperature model developed to study the effects of wet insulation, (2) measurement of temperature distributions and heat transfer in high R value roofs, and (3) validation of an analysis of the effectiveness of high reflectance surfaces. Preliminary experimental results are presented and correlations between experiment and modeling are discussed.