Estimation of Thermal Properties of Straw-Based Insulating Panels

Cereal straw is an environmentally friendly, rapidly renewable, and sustainable raw material for manufacturing insulating panels for building engineering. Credible data on thermal properties of insulating panels are crucial for appropriate and accurate design of building envelopes. The objective of the study was to determine and validate thermal properties of the panels made of cereal straw. Specific heat was measured with the calorimetric method. Thermal conductivity was determined with the inverse method and Isomet 2114 instrument, respectively. Both approaches accounted for the temperature influence. The specific heat of the panels was as high as 1600 J/(kg center dot K), while the thermal conductivity varied in the range from 0.025 to 0.075 W/(m center dot K) depending on the applied experimental method. The studied properties were validated and their credibility was assessed. High accuracy of heat transfer modeling was obtained for the properties measured with the calorimetric method and identified with inverse modeling.

Automated summary

This study aims to determine and validate the thermal properties of insulating panels made of cereal straw, including specific heat and thermal conductivity. The results demonstrate that the properties measured with the calorimetric method have high accuracy, and precise heat transfer modeling can be achieved using inverse modeling.