COMSOL Multiphysics validation as simulation software for heat transfer calculation in buildings: Building simulation software validation

• Numerical model results of one-layer walls are compared with analytical solutions.
• COMSOL Multiphysics results are compared with outputs from BESTEST Task 34.
• Differences between measured and calculated temperature are sufficient.
• Results are highly sensitive to the value of convective heat transfer coefficient.

The main purpose of this article is a presentation of software validation for a calculation of heat transfer in buildings. The heat transfer calculation in the COMSOL Multiphysics is validated by using the analytical models, by the comparative verification provided by the International Energy Agency in the Task 34, and by the comparison with measured data in real building segment. The last model represents transient heat transfer process in an environment with complicated bindings. The similarity between the COMSOL Multiphysics results and other software tools for building simulations was investigated using the Task 34 results with minor dissimilarities. The comparison of simulation results with measured data is described in the paper with sufficient accuracy. The main deviation between the simulation and measured temperature data was caused by the precise calculation of the convective heat transfer coefficient value.