Selected Window Thermographs From the IRLab at LBRL

The Infrared Thermography Laboratory (IRLab) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBRL) conducts detailed laboratory experiments on the thermal performance of windows and other insulated systems. During a typical experiment, a specimen is placed between two environmental chambers that simulate a long, cold night during winter.

Besides generating informative thermal images, the experiments collect several types of quantitative data with high spatial resolution that are useful for understanding subtle details in the thermal performance and for validating computer simulations of heat and fluid flows.

Dual Glazing vs. Single Pane - 50K

Dual Glazing, Clear vs. Low-E - 60K

SuperWindow vs. Regular Low E - 90K

Vinyl Windows, Hollow vs. Foam-filled - 70K

Prototype Vacuum Glazing - 80K

Thermography experiments in the IRLab use an infrared imager to produce qualitative thermal images, or thermograms, that help provide a visual interpretation of how heat is flowing through the specimen.

The infrared thermograms are also taken and postprocessed to extract numerical data to perform quantitative thermography that produces a database of the distribution of surface temperatures on the warm side of various specimen.

A traversing system is also used to measure the distribution of air temperatures and velocities near the specimen. Research results are presented at various technical conferences — see our schedule of upcoming conferences.

Technical papers on infrared thermography are available for downloading.

The IRLab contains a machine tool shop area that supports fabrication efforts in the Building Technologies Department. Other types of research, such as Non-Destructive Evaluation, are also conducted in the IRLab.

For more information contact:

Howdy Goudey Building Technologies Program 510-486-6046 (fax)

For window properties, measurements, simulations and ratings, contact Dariush Arasteh.

For software contact RESFENHelp@lbl.gov, THERMHelp@lbl.gov or WINDOWHelp@lbl.gov

For daylighting materials, systems, simulation tools and performance issues, contact Eleanor Lee.

For residential window performance guidelines, analysis and measurements of window and skylight performance contact Dariush Arasteh.

For commercial window performance guidelines, analysis and measurements of fenestration products and systems, contact Eleanor Lee.

To contact specific individuals in the Windows and Daylighting Group, visit the STAFF section of their website.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
1 Cyclotron Road, MS 90-3111
Berkeley, California 94720 USA

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is Operated by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 1st, 2007 at 8:51 pm and is filed under General, Infrared Thermography, R&D. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.