A Novel Concept of Container House With Zero Energetic Consumption

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A Novel Concept of Container House with Zero 2012-01-1507

Published
Energetic Consumption 02/29/2012
Antonio Dumas, Michele Trancossi, Mauro Madonia and Maurizio Bonnici

Universita' di Modena e Reggio Emilia
Piergiorgio Scaccaglia
SP Parma di Scaccaglia Piergiorgio
Mario Guareschi
ABertozzi snc
Copyright © 2012 SAE International

doi:10.4271/2012-01-1507
countries due to the necessity of the cargo ships to navigate

ABSTRACT with a high load.
This paper presents a novel concept of acclimatized container
to increase people comfort in case of temporary housing. It is By these reasons the presented Zebra concept can be not only
based on the ZEBRA concept (Zero Energy Building a zero energy consumption solution but also a very
Renewable Addicted) concept studied by Università of inexpensive solution for any temporary residential exigency
Modena e Reggio Emilia. such as temporary construction sites and military camps.
The original concept developed for industrial building has Constructive details and container temporary housing design
been extended to mobile metallic housing systems such as the are provided.
containers transported by trucks which are used for troops
and military command during field operations. This system INTRODUCTION
do not requires any external source of energy. It requires only
the presence of a water well or drilling a hole to place inside GENERALITIES
a closed loop exchanger which is used to stabilize ZEBRA means “Zero Energy Consumption Building totally
temperature of internal water which is used as a dynamic Renewable Addicted”. It is a new concept of building with
thermal barrier which maintains in the wellness conditions null energy consumption from fossil fuels in order to
inside the mobile housing equipment. maintain the comfort conditions both during the summer and
during the winter climatic cycle. It has been developed
Energetic costs of this system are related only to the very starting from a patent by Antonio Dumas [1]. The concept
reduced energy necessary for water pumping operations. It below this patent, even if presented at the end of the 70s, has
could be easily produced, together with necessary energy for been recently updated leading to the LESP (Low Exergy
light and instrumentation by a photovoltaic ceiling. The Structured Panel) adiabatic panel concept.
absence of fenestrations will be obviated by optic fiber based
external light capturing and distributing, together with air With the revitalization of the economic and oil crisis and the
ventilation system. worsening energy problems of today studies begun in 70's
and 80's, and then abandoned in the subsequent period
This paper presents the energetic balance of this military field characterized by the illusion of energy supply at low cost,
and building concept which can be used also to reduce the have been taken in account as the basis of novel studies and
surplus of naval container in the harbours of all the occidental projects.
Figure 1. Ventilated façade: (a) summer case; (b) winter case.
Figure 2. Section and image of radiant floors.
It is well known that a good portion of the wellness high temperature energy supply and the relations between the
conditions of a building depends on the thermo-physical use of radiant heating system and human comfort conditions
envelope of the buildings and its thermal quality. It is also [2, 3, 4, 5].
known that walls can be insulated by the presence of air
cavities or acclimatized by radiant floor and wall. In In particular it is well known to adopt different systems to
particular, several techniques are known and used for increase the wellness conditions mixed together with the
increasing energetic efficiency of a building and the comfort exigency of increasing the general thermal efficiency of the
conditions for occupants: system. In particular two technologies can be cited:
• prefabricated cladding for thermal insulation; 1). Ventilated facades: they increase the climatic insulation
• ventilated facades; of walls through the use of air cavities with circulating air in
communication with interior environment or exterior (Fig. 1);
• thermally insulating materials to decrease the heat losses to
the surroundings. 2). Radiant acclimatization: in many building related
applications radiant floors and walls are used, which permits
The following applications are also of common utilization: the use of low temperature water [Fig.2] for heating purposes
1). the so-called solar plans with the ability of capturing the (33-45 °C).
solar radiation;
High energetic efficiency and passive building concepts have
2). the use of radiant “floor” or “ceiling” for internal heating been developed to meet very advanced energy performance
which operates using low temperature energetic sources (33 ÷ requirements.
45 °C).
1). demand for useful energy for heating less than 15 kWh /
It is also known that low temperature energy supply is less m2 per year;
expensive on an economic and exergetic point of view than a
2). no thermal bridges; Referring to Fig. 3 it can be identified the following plant
3). total primary energy demand less than 120 kWh / m2 per components:
year;
1). building wall;
4). percentage of days with air temperature less than 25 ° C
under 10%. 2). internal coil for the dynamic insulation of the wall;
CALCULATION METHODOLOGY 3). return pipe;

The energy efficiency and dispersion evaluation presented in 4). geothermal heat exchanger;
the paper needs a certified calculation method, in order to
produce comparable results. They are realized using the 5). discharge pipe;
methodologies related to European and Italian Standards [6,
7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16]. 6). circulation pump.
In particular the energetic evaluation has been defined by The purpose of the LESP system is to create a barrier able to
using the general framework of Italian standardization [6, 7, minimize building heat loss and ensure an increased sensation
8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16]. of comfort with the unique contribution of internal energy of
low-level or derived from renewable sources. In particular
this project aims to maintain thermo-hygrometric levels of
THE LESP WALL wellness constant within the building, regardless of external
The idea of ZEBRA wall can be considered a further weather conditions, without the need of energy supplies from
development of the above basic concepts, in order to produce fossil fuels.
a dynamic building envelope with a level of energetic
dispersion much lower than any other system known today. It The project aims to achieve objectives Zebra far more
uses a novel thermal cut by circulating water which is ambitious than those associated with the passive house
presented in detail in the following paragraph. concept:
The purpose of the LESP panel concept is to create a This solution even if has some difficulties for the use into
complete building envelope system able to minimize overall large buildings presents interesting benefits in terms of
building heat loss and ensure an enhanced comfort for energy consumption of the building itself. In many cases it
occupants. In particular the novel dynamic building concept cannot need any energetic source except the necessary
can use low level energy sources and renewable energy pumping system for the water.
sources. The main objective of this concept is to maintain the
thermo-hygrometric levels of well-being constant within the
building, regardless of external weather conditions, without
the need of energy supplied from fossil fuels.
The novel feature of this system lies primarily in the renewed

approach to the global problem of the building design, which
starts from the need to achieve the highest level of comfort
while minimizing energy consumption. The zero energy
consumption for this purpose becomes a target not only
possible but absolutely not resolved using insulation and
traditional plants. Instead by design and optimization of the
very conception of the building and mathematical
optimization of dynamic physical parameters can be reached
by using the LESP wall concept.
The building envelope consists of two essential parts:

1). a circuit designed to create a thermal barrier thermally
stabilized by exchanges in the soil, which can be guaranteed Figure 3. Original ZEBRA wall and building plant
to have a source temperature not far from groundwater schema.
temperature all over the year, considering that a thermal
contribution can be ensured by the excess of solar thermal
energy for hot water production. This solution is being studied in the case of insertion into a
2). solar systems that provides two functions: water heating traditional concrete prefabricated panel [17] producing the
and photovoltaic production. ZEBRA building model [Fig. 3].
By this study also different panel architectures seem possible is the representation of the external and internal adductive
and even in terms of design. One of these solutions is related coefficient.
to the use of a container building, which can be interesting
both in terms of performances and of building simplicity.
Figure 4. Seasonal behaviour of the proposed wall.
TRADITIONAL WALL MODEL

The traditional wall model is well known and can be simply
modelled by electrical analogy [Fig. 5]. It is constituted by Figure 6. ZEBRA wall schema
more layers of different material both in terms of nature and
thermal properties.
ZEBRA WALL MODEL
The ZEBRA wall model presents an increased complexity
when compared to traditional insulated walls. The schema is
present into Fig. 6.
The introduction of a coil in which water flows at T0 reduces

the heat loss from the internal environment to the
surroundings. In particular the internal thermal profile is
different from the one of traditional wall because of the
Figure 5. Traditional wall schema and internal thermal presence of a thermal discontinuity generated by circulating
profile (red line). water at almost constant temperature shown in Fig 6.
The following equation can be used to model the Zebra wall

In order to quantify the losses the heat flow between the
behaviour:
interior and exterior environment must be considered. Steady-
state flow of heat from the inside environment to the
surrounding one is given by:
(2)
the waste of heat from this new configuration and
(1)
Where
•
(3)
the corresponding new amount of flow assigned outside,
is the thermal resistance of the wall;
these are obviously to be determined depending on the
• distance x from the inner wall of the plate.
Consequently, the amount of energy needed to reverse the net

flow of heat through the wall is given by:
Figure 7. Container Frame
cargo securing and correctly to assess container loading

(4) capacity.
where the subscript t indicated the amount of heat subtracted Problem-free dispatch has been assisted by the
to the ground. standardization of transport units, such as containers, while
the standardization of certain components and some
This concept is nearly similar to geothermal heat pumps, but dimensions permits the use of standard handling equipment
uses directly the water in the ground to improve the system. and means of transport [Fig 7].
The benefit of this solution is that the waste heat dispersed
from the walls is provided almost entirely by thermal The load-carrying element of all box containers is a steel
exchanges in the ground. framework [Fig. 7], consisting of four corner posts and two
bottom side rails, two top side rails, two bottom rails, a front
In particular, a careful design activity and a correct definition top end rail and a door header.
of water velocity depending on climatic conditions allow an
effective reduction the heat dispersions of the building. In In Fig. 8 it is possible to see the container walls:
particular, the behaviour of the system parameters can be
adjusted according to different water temperature in the a). Lateral walls;
ground after the exchange. This dynamic system provides an b). Initial and end walls;
effective insulation to reduce heat loss depending on the
position of the dynamic water insulation inside the wall. c). Ceiling and floor.
GENERALITIES ABOUT The possible payload depends on the quality of the

constructions materials used for the walls and floor.
CONTAINERS
HISTORY AND STANDARDIZATION CONTAINER SIZING
Malcolm P. McLean had the idea of rationalizing goods Containers are strongly standardized in terms of size. Since
transport by avoiding the constant loading and unloading American standards could only be applied with difficulty to
from one means of transport to another way back at the end conditions in Europe and other countries, an agreement was
of the 1930s at the port of Hoboken, when still operating as a eventually reached with the Americans after painstaking
small-scale hauler. The development of standardized negotiations. The resulting ISO standards provided for
containers and trailers, moved by tractors, made it possible to lengths of 10′, 20′, 30′ and 40′. The width was fixed at 8′ and
ship just the trailers with the containers, so saving on space the height at 8′ and 8′ 6′. For land transport within Europe,
and costs. Later, the trailers were also left behind and the agreement was reached on a 2.50 m wide inland container,
ships transported just the containers. which is mainly used in combined road/rail transport
operations.
The majority of containers used worldwide today comply
with the ISO standard, with 20′- and 40′-long containers CONTAINER MOBILITY
predominating. The most important benefit of container housing especially
for temporary use is related to the ease of movement. They
CONTAINER DESIGN can be easily transported both by ships over the sea and by
A container user should be aware of the most important trucks over the ground. An example of containers based road
structural differences between containers, so that it is in a transport is represented in Fig. 9.
position to make appropriate preparations for packing and
Figure 8. Container's walls: (a) Side walls; (b) End walls; (c) Roof panel and pavement
Figure 9. Container Chassis and dimensions
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION Radiating industrial preassembled thermal panels can be

easily found on the market.
The system can be analyzed to simplify the assembly
operations and to reduce the necessary time necessary for The system can be designed include thermal panels realized
operations. It is certainly true that the realization of a circuit by plasterboard (Fig. 10) which can be derived by common
with circulating water creates a constructive complication. thermal radiating panels. Their coupling with other elements
However, a careful rational design and can make the of the walls is represented in Fig. 11, which shows an
assembly of the walls and of the system sufficiently assembly schema which could minimize the presence of
economical and simple. thermal bridges in the structure.
In particular the design of the walls of the system is The presented design can certainly minimize the presence of
optimized to minimize the presence of thermal bridges and thermal bridges, reducing them to the corners only,
irregular conduction zones to minimize the energetic minimizing their effect on thermal properties of the building.
dispersions.
Figure 10. Internal cladding plasterboard panels
The general Container house layout is represented in Fig. 12. ENERGETIC EVALUATION
CLIMATIC DATA
An effective evaluation of the energetic performances of the
above described container house requires to define the
geographic location where the system is located. In particular,
because of nationality of the authors and the disposability of
meteorological data, about the town of Bologna. Climatic
data are reported in Table 1.
Reference static temperature for determining the heat

transmission of a building is defined by Italian and European
standards:
• Internal Reference Temperature: Summer 26 °C; Winter 20
°C;
• External Reference Temperature: Summer 35 °C; Winter - 5
°C.
By the assumption of the reported values energy calculations
can be performed.
Figure 11. Section detail
Table 1. Climatic Data (Bologna, Italy)

Figure 12. Container building layout hypothesis
Table 2. Solar radiation in Bologna (MJ/m2)

REFERENCE CONTAINER By assuming the following reference data:

To ensure an effective level of comparison between both
Gross external surface 75.6 m2
configurations the same wall structure has been assumed and
traditional and water based thermal shield with circulating
Usable area 27 m2
water.
By thermal calculation during winter the overall thermal Gross heated volume 73 m3
transmittance Uwall = 0.435 that means a resistance of the
degree days 2259
reference container walls results about 2.29 W / m2 K.
Table 3. Table of material properties (MJ/m2) Shape factor S / V 1.04 1/m
Indoor temperature 20 ° C
In particular the following geometric data (Table 4) have
been assumed:
Table 4. Geometric Data and Thermal Properties
Calculation have realized by a certified Italian (16) freeware

(18) for thermal resistance calculation. It has been adopted
TerMus-G code, software for the calculation of thermal
transmittance and Glaser diagrams of walls, floors and
window sections.
It has also assumed to use a 20 ft container represented in
Fig. 12.
The energetic performance can be calculated by energetic
Windows has been assumed to have an overall thermal certification software DOCET 2.0 (by CTI/ENEA) and
monthly results are reported into Table 5 and 6.
transmittance U = 1.8 kW/m2 K (a common value on the
southern Europe market).
Table 5. Energy monthly balance (Winter)
Table 6. Energy monthly balance (Summer)

Figure 13. Thermal model of the panel
The following average annual energetic values for 1 m2 of net It has been calculated the thermal conductivities of the
plant area (Table 7) have been obtained. external and internal wall, which can be assumed:
1) Internal wall U = 0,7 W / m2 K

Table 7. Average annual energetic values for 1 m2 of net
plant area 2) External wall U = 1,32 W / m2 K
The thermal barrier effect has been evaluated for tree

different heat barrier average temperatures:
1) Winter Tw = 10°C; 15°C, 17°C
2) Summer Ts = 18°C, 16 °C, 12°C

CONTAINER WITH LESP WALLS
The general model of the system is represented in Fig. 13. It Thermal distribution and Glaser diagram have been
presents a hydraulic circuit where water flows after an calculated in both configurations for the two wall parts.
exchange of heat with the ground to ensure a thermal shield
for the building. In particular the model of the real wall is In particular the following average exchanges between the
represented in Fig. 13. interior and the exterior has been evaluated, assuming a
thermal transfer coefficient between the thermal barrier and
To ensure the best possible distribution of the temperature it the interior are represented into Table 8.
can be inserted (on both sides of the adiabatic panels) two
metallic sheets which ensure the optimal distribution of Fig. 14 represents the graphs of average seasonal heat
temperature for this thermal cut. dispersions from the building envelope and net energy needs
by building in different conditions during winter time. The
It is possible to calculate the main thermodynamic parameters reference condition is supposed to be equal to the average
of the system by the model expressed by equation 3 and 4. temperature from October to April. Figure 15 represent the
same for summer building management.
It has been assumed that the thermal insulation by water acts
on lateral surfaces and not on the ground floor. By assuming
this envelope the system has been modelled by assuming
different values of the thermal barrier temperature.
Table 8. Average annual energetic values for 1 m2 of net plant area with Zebra walls
Figure 14. Dispersions through internal wall in different conditions and net energy needs during Winter
Figure 15. Dispersions through internal wall in different conditions and net energy needs during Summer
EXTERNAL HEAT DISPERSIONS Assuming that ground water temperature is 14° C, that the
Heat dispersions trough the exterior envelope of the maximum consented difference of temperature during winter
acclimatized walls can be calculated by a simple energetic is 1° C and the same during Summer. It is evident that for
balance. In this way it can be easily calculated the water mass average temperature between 12 and 18°C the system has no
flow (and speed in the coils) to produce the necessary thermal convenience. In particular the analysis of system convenience
barrier. can be performed on the basis of the following schema (Table
10):
It can be easily calculated and results are reported as a
function of water average temperature in Table 9, both in
winter and summer.
Table 9. Energy dispersions by external walls.
Table 9 can be understood by considering the sign convention Table 10. Operative Model
adopted: minus means that water must be cooled, while plus
means that it must be heated to maintain thermal equilibrium.
WATER ACCLIMATIZATTION PLANT

HYPOTHESIS
To perform adequate water acclimatization it is possible to
use a mix of methodologies:
1. to cool water it can be possible to proceed to heat

dispersion in the ground, also in combination with any kind
of cool recovery from cooling plants.
2. to warm water it can be possible to use any kind of low

temperature heat recovery or solar thermal energy.
In the location of Bologna (Italy) it is assumed to use ground

exchange plus a little solar addiction as a solar energy source. The comparison of annual thermal needs demonstrates the
It can be interesting to envelope the south facade of the advantage of the thermal shield with water (Table 11):
building as a solar thermal increasing the thermal efficiency
of the system on one side and reducing solar heating during Table 11. Energetic comparison in defined operative
summer. conditions
OPTIMAL ENERGETIC CONDITIONS

Optimal energetic conditions are can be defined by some
considerations:
In particular the most interesting configuration considered is To describe the wall behaviour an equivalent thermal
the one which has an average exchange temperature of 12°C transmittance can be defined (Eqn. 5).
during winter and 18 °C during summer. In this case the
water can be operated and exchange at groundwater
temperature, by use of ground based exchangers, having a
free energy contribution such as the one schematized in Fig.
3. (5)
In these operative conditions it is evaluated as 0,342.
Table 12. Operative evaluations
The energetic exchanges needed for the water thermal shield In particular the following consumption data have been
can be evaluated and water mass flow velocity can be evaluated for one occupant (Table 10).
defined. By assuming an efficiency of the heat exchanger
equal to 0,5 it can be evaluated the following data (Table 12). Table 14. Appliance consumptions
Pipes are assumed to have a diameter of 1″ (24,5 mm) and
operations are assumed to be 16 hours per day.
It can be verified that the required operative conditions are

good and that water velocity in the defined operative
conditions are good and ensures quiet operations.
Water pumping average power can be evaluated as 0,18 kW

assuming a conservative efficiency about 0,8.
It means that overall annual consumption for 16 hours of

work a day it can be calculated the overall annual
consumption for pumping (about 870 kWh/year). Total consumptions including water pumping necessities and
air treatment are about 3,25 MWh/year.
Assuming to use an air heat pump conditioner with the
following performance table (Table 13) for conditioning it Hot water production consumption can be evaluated by
can be determined an electric energy need for acclimatization European standards in about 0,800 MWh/year.
of about 650 KWh.
Table 13. Air Conditioner Performance Table

ENERGY PRODUCTION
Energy production for sanitary use can be produced using
solar heating modules which can be applied on the vertical
façade with south orientation. By 6 m2 solar thermal plant a
production of about 1,800 MWh, which is almost double.
Considering the above mentioned consumptions and the

acclimatization consumptions, the overall energy needs for
living can be satisfied by renewable entirely stored on the
OTHER ENERGY NEEDS ceiling of the container house.
To ensure a complete satisfaction of users needs it has been
evaluated on one side the necessary energy for These conditions can be ensured together with other energy
acclimatization and, on the other side the necessary energy needs by a 3 kW photovoltaic plant.
for any other domestic use.
Table 15. Photovoltaic Performance analysis helps to maintain an effective balance between the
operative temperature and the mean radiant temperature can
create a more comfortable space.
WEIGHTS ANALYSIS AND

TRANSPORTATION
The mass of the proposed version zebra walls can be
evaluated about 72 kg/m2. It is a very preliminary version and
its weights could be reduced by assuming a lower thickness
of the sheets of stainless steel. In particular by reducing steel
thickness till 0,25 mm, the system weight becomes about 42,5
kg/m2. in this case the weight of the system is reduced from
about 8 ton to 6 ton, for example. This reduction of weight
does not affect significantly the thermal resistance of the
walls. These weights must be enhanced assuming the weights
of photovoltaic and solar thermal plants, together with other
plants. This increment can be assumed by a very conservative
Total photovoltaic production and the thermal production are evaluation of about 2 tons including also furniture.
more than the required need and can be personalized for
specific applications and deployment of the container house. This container due to actual dimensions can be comfortably
transported by ships and trucks, but also with large aerial
CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT INTERNAL cargo such as Boeing 747, even if in this case volumes are
not optimized for massive transport. Considering that the
COMFORT standard 40 ft container has a weight of 3,7 tons and that it
The obtained results show that the energetic behaviour of the can have a cargo capacity of 26,78 tons, the weight increase
proposed building with a thermal shield realized by due to the application of ZEBRA walls is not significant and
circulating water is very interesting in terms of energy saving. the systems remains much lighter than traditional containers.
On the other side the new wall model has the advantage of By these considerations the weight of a ZEBRA based
increasing human comfort. It is well known that Macpherson container house will not affect negatively the energy
[18] identified six factors that affect thermal sensation. These consumption for road transport. In particular it could be used
factors are air temperature, humidity, air speed, mean radiant as to transport fright inside during surface transport, even if
temperature (MRT) [19], metabolic rate and clothing levels. this hypothesis will require a careful interior design. A further
hypothesis for an important improvement of transportation
It is not sufficient for heat comfort only to heat the air on could be realized by using the chassis of a foldable container
certain temperature. Feelings of heat or cold perception are in this case there is a certain lose in term of time for
more complex and are influenced by: installation but also a sure gain in terms of transportation
costs because at least 3 container houses could be moved by
• temperatures of areas limiting the heated area
one truck reducing the mobility costs.
• velocity of air in room (draught)
• person's activity and his/her clothes
CONCLUSIONS
The proposed building model permits an effective reduction
A fundamental importance is assumed by the temperatures of of thermal needs by design using the water circulation Zebra
areas limiting heated area e.g. walls, ceiling, floor, windows. wall. In particular these applications regulating the
Cool walls remove radiated heat from exposed skin and temperature of the internal walls with a negligible energy
clothes. Cold walls or to the contrary high temperature of need can increase the radiant comfort for occupants,
radiant source is perceived this way. maximizing internal wellness.
In particular the proposed building system allows realizing an It is also a low cost, and easy to move solutions for a
effective regulation of the indoor Mean Radiant Temperature comfortable life in any situation of temporary housing needs
which is usually regulated by enclosure performances. During and in the case of slow moving champs, such as military.
winter, as the quality of wall increases, the wall is also
warmer and therefore higher the mean radiant temperature. This building concept has the advantage of being more than
The ZEBRA concept, which needs a further investigation and auto sufficient energetically and of being adaptable in terms
of renewable production in any climatic condition. Further 14. UNI EN ISO 15927-1, Prestazione termo igrometrica
studies are necessary to produce an effective optimization of degli edifici - Calcolo e presentazione dei dati climatici -
the container house in terms of walls composition and of Medie mensili dei singoli elementi meteorologici;
plant optimization.
15. UNI EN ISO 15927-6, Prestazione termo igrometrica
degli edifici - Calcolo e presentazione dei dati climatici -
This paper demonstrates the energetic feasibility and some
Differenze di temperatura cumulate (gradi giorno);
technical features related to this building concept. In
particular the authors aims to promote an international group 16. UNI/TS11300-1, Prestazioni energetiche degli edifici,
of study comprising research institutions and companies Parte 1: Determinazione del fabbisogno di energia termica
which could lead to the optimization of this building concept, dell'edificio per la climatizzazione estiva ed invernale;
its personalization for different operative scenarios and to its
17. Madonia, M., Dumas, A., Trancossi, M., Bonnici, M.,
industrialization.
Studio del comportamento di due pannelli a diversa tipologia
di taglio termico, 66° Congresso Nazionale ATI - Rende
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mario@abertozzi.it
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for calculation of system energy requirements and system
efficiencies - Space heating generation systems, boilers; DEFINITIONS/ABBREVIATIONS
10. UNI EN ISO 7345, Isolamento termico - Grandezze
fisiche e definizioni; LESP
Low Exergy Structured Panel
11. UNI EN ISO 7726, Ergonomia degli ambienti termici -
Strumenti per la misurazione delle grandezze fisiche;
12. UNI EN ISO 7730, Ergonomia degli ambienti termici -
Determinazione analitica e interpretazione del benessere Thermal energy flux for unitary area [W/m2 K]
termico mediante il calcolo degli indici PMV e PPD e dei
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13. UNI EN ISO 10456, Materiali e prodotti per edilizia - Thermal energy flux for the whole building [W/m2]
Procedimenti per la determinazione dei valori termici
dichiarati e di progetto;
αi
Coefficient of internal convection [W/m2K]
λ
Thermal Conductivity [W/m K]
S
Wall thickness [m]
αe
Coefficient of external convection [W/m2 K]
Ti
Indoor Temperature [°C]
Te
Outdoor Temperature [°C]
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A Novel Concept of Container House With Zero Energetic Consumption

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A Novel Concept of Container House With Zero Energetic Consumption

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Gratis copy for Antonio Dumas

Copyright 2012 SAE International

A Novel Concept of Container House with Zero 2012-01-1507

Antonio Dumas, Michele Trancossi, Mauro Madonia and Maurizio Bonnici

Copyright © 2012 SAE International

countries due to the necessity of the cargo ships to navigate

Figure 1. Ventilated façade: (a) summer case; (b) winter case.

Figure 2. Section and image of radiant floors.

CALCULATION METHODOLOGY 3). return pipe;

The novel feature of this system lies primarily in the renewed

The building envelope consists of two essential parts:

Figure 4. Seasonal behaviour of the proposed wall.

TRADITIONAL WALL MODEL

The introduction of a coil in which water flows at T0 reduces

The following equation can be used to model the Zebra wall

Consequently, the amount of energy needed to reverse the net

Figure 7. Container Frame

cargo securing and correctly to assess container loading

GENERALITIES ABOUT The possible payload depends on the quality of the

Figure 9. Container Chassis and dimensions

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION Radiating industrial preassembled thermal panels can be

Figure 10. Internal cladding plasterboard panels

Reference static temperature for determining the heat

Table 1. Climatic Data (Bologna, Italy)

Figure 12. Container building layout hypothesis

Table 2. Solar radiation in Bologna (MJ/m2)

REFERENCE CONTAINER By assuming the following reference data:

Calculation have realized by a certified Italian (16) freeware

Table 6. Energy monthly balance (Summer)

Figure 13. Thermal model of the panel

1) Internal wall U = 0,7 W / m2 K

The thermal barrier effect has been evaluated for tree

2) Summer Ts = 18°C, 16 °C, 12°C

Table 9. Energy dispersions by external walls.

WATER ACCLIMATIZATTION PLANT

1. to cool water it can be possible to proceed to heat

2. to warm water it can be possible to use any kind of low

In the location of Bologna (Italy) it is assumed to use ground

OPTIMAL ENERGETIC CONDITIONS

Table 12. Operative evaluations

It can be verified that the required operative conditions are

Water pumping average power can be evaluated as 0,18 kW

It means that overall annual consumption for 16 hours of

Table 13. Air Conditioner Performance Table

Considering the above mentioned consumptions and the

WEIGHTS ANALYSIS AND

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