Browsing by Author "Maduranga, A.D."

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    Investigating the thermal efficiency of commercially available thermo-foils in Sri Lanka
    (Journal of Science of the University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2011) Maduranga, A.D.; Sumathipala, H.H.; Jayatissa, N.W.K.
    The thermo-foil is an insulation material which can be used to insulate roofs of residential buildings which causes less energy to accomplish a comfortable temperature inside the building. It?s becoming popular in Sri Lankan building construction sector. In this research, an investigation of the efficiency of the thermo-foils is done for commonly used brands. The important thermal properties are analyzed for thermo-foils with a thickness of 3mm, 5mm and 8mm and it is tested using a miniature building model for the further evaluation of the efficiency. It was observed that the aluminium layer of the thermo-foil could reflect most of the radiation back and the polyethylene foam layer could keep a temperature gradient of a few degrees. A temperature drop of 1.6 to 2.8 degrees was noted. The results obtained were discussed with an analysis of the thermal insulation properties. A heat transfer model for a residential building was also proposed.
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    Investigating the Thermal Efficiency of Thermo-foils as a Roof Insulation Material and Developing a New Roof Insulation Material Using Coir Fiber
    (2011) Maduranga, A.D.; Jayatissa, N.W.K.; Sumathipala, H.H.
    The thermo-foil is an insulation material which can be used to insulate roofs of residential buildings which causes less energy to accomplish a comfortable temperature inside the building. In this study, an investigation of the efficiency of the thermo-foils in building insulation is performed. The thermal insulation properties and structure of the thermo-foil were analyzed as well as how these properties affect the decrease of temperature inside the residential building. The thermo-foils were tested using miniature building models for a more general conclusion. A heat transfer mechanism for a residential building is also proposed. A new roof insulation material is designed using an efficient and low cost natural fiber, coconut fiber or coir. The insulation properties unique to the coir fiber are enhanced as an insulation material. The new foil which is called Coir-Foil is tested together with thermo-foil. The Coir-Foil could achieve considerable higher performance than the currently available thermo-foil. The performance analysis for new coir foil and existing thermo-foils was used to conclude how they affect the energy conservation of residential buildings, through reducing the cooling load.