Experimental validation and sensitivity analysis of a coupled BES–HAM model

In this paper the ability of a coupled BES–HAM model to reproduce realistic data is evaluated by comparing numerical results with measured data from a climatic chamber experiment. Calcium silicate plates are introduced into a test room and a small calcium silicate sample is installed in one of the walls. The response of the test room to relative humidity variations of the supply air is evaluated, while the supply air temperature is kept constant. The measurements confirm that due to the presence of hygroscopic materials in the test room, the relative humidity variations in the room are damped. The calculated temperature and relative humidity in the middle of the test room are well within the uncertainty interval of the measurements. On the other hand the coupled model predicts a larger damping and phase shift of the relative humidity variations inside the sample, yet the agreement between the calculated and the measured temperatures in the sample proves to be good. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is performed to evaluate the dependence of the numerical results on the uncertainty of the input parameters. It is demonstrated that by using a lower vapour resistance factor for the calcium silicate material, the agreement between the measured and calculated data is improved.