Numerical study of a ventilated facade panel

An energy-saving facade panel for non-residential buildings has been numerically investigated. Structured like a composite Trombe-Michel wall, the panel consists of a glazing, an absorber plate and insulation and contains a dead air space between glazing and absorber, as well as a convection channel between absorber and insulation. The influence of convection channel spacing on both recovery of solar energy during sunshine periods and on heat losses during night hours has been assessed. Two different options have been considered. First, the total panel thickness was maintained, which involves an increase of channel spacing having to be compensated by a corresponding decrease of the insulation thickness. Then, this constraint was removed so that an increase in channel spacing was allowed to entail an equivalent increase of the total panel thickness. The results indicate that large spacing favors energy recovery during sunshine periods for both options and reduces, although only slightly, heat losses during night hours for the second option. In the case of the first option, however, these losses tend to grow when channel spacing increases.