Indoor climatic conditions of ancient buildings by numerical simulation and thermographic measurements

The aim of this work is to set up an investigation method allowing predicting the best indoor conditions for the preservation of the frescos and the correct schedule of the number of visitors. The case study is a typical example of this problem bound to the fresco's maintenance, the Camera Picta (St George Castle, Mantova-Italy). The reported example presents a synergetic effect of results obtained by measurements and by a numerical study. IR Thermography effectively measures surface temperature on walls according to a special procedure. The data measured are the boundary conditions fed to the numerical code. The solution of the mass, energy and momentum equations allows the evaluation of the local values of indoor air parameters. Comparison of measured and calculated values for air parameters is brought out over and some indications on possible application of this methodology to design a proper Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning system are pointed out.