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Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences: AENSI Journals
Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences: AENSI Journals
AENSI Journals
Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences
ISSN:1991-8178
INTRODUCTION
The production of 30% carbon dioxide in 2005 comes from buildings in many developed countries (United
Nations Environment Programme, 2009). McKinsey & Company (2009) stated that greenhouse gases can be
reduced through building insulation. Thermal insulation materials can retard heat from solar radiation from
penetrating into the building. There are many different types of commercialized insulation materials in the
industry. Traditional insulation materials such as mineral wool, cellulose, cork and polyurethane are widely used
because of their high thermal resistance (Jelle, 2011). However, many building insulation materials in the
market are expensive (Al Yacoubyet al., 2011) and some of them are hazardous and not environmentally
friendly. Many of the commercialized products such as expanded polystyrene, cellulose fibre, cork, glass wool
and polyurethane has thermal conductivity ranging between 0.02 to 0.06 W/mK.
Insulation materials can be installed in different parts of the building envelope such as walls, ceiling and
roof. Other than that, insulation materials can also be mixed into the material that is used to construct the
building envelope (Khamidiet al., 2014; Farhanet al., 2012b). Previous research on building insulation focused
more on wall insulation (Farhanet al., 2012a).The effectiveness of installing insulation in the roofing system
must be explored further as most of the heat gain into the building is through the roof(Suehrckeet al., 2008; Al-
Homoud, 2005).
Corresponding Author: Dr. Muhd Fadhil Nuruddin, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering,
UniversitiTeknologi PETRONAS, Bandar Seri Iskandar, 31750 Tronoh, Perak, Malaysia.
E-mail: fadhilnuruddin@petronas.com.my
87 Muhd Fadhil Nuruddin et al, 2014
Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 8(15) Special 2014, Pages: 86-91
Kapok fibre is an organic material extracted from kapok trees and it has a low thermal conductivity (0.034
to 0.035 W/mK) (Louppeet al., 2008). Kapok fibre has a low density and is seven times less dense compared to
cotton because it contains unicellular fibres (Chaiarrekijet al., 2011; Manohar et al., 2006). Kapok fibre shows
better performance in thermal properties compared to other natural fibres and allows it to challenge other
synthetic fibres (Voumbo, 2010). However, Nuruddinet al.(2014) reports that based on previous literature, there
is presently no research that explores the adoption of kapokfibre as a roof insulation material.
Herein, this paper determines the effectiveness of kapok fibre as an insulation roofing material in residential
buildings in hot climate. Also, the effect of thickness on its insulation effectiveness is also determined.
Experimentation:
Measurements of outdoor and indoor temperatures were conducted using two scaled-down experimental
house models equipped with temperature data loggers. The house models were built with reference to the
minimum dimensions of a room as mentioned in Uniform Building By-Laws (UBBL) 1984 (Legal Research
Board, 2012a; Legal Research Board, 2012b) Dark grey coloured roof tiles were employed to allow maximum
absorption of heat from solar radiation. Table 1 presents the insulations installed in the house model variations.
Figure 4 shows the indoor and outdoor temperature profiles of Model A. In general, daily outdoor
temperatures peak in between 1000 to 1600 hours due to the position of the sun that leads to maximum solar
radiation. The highest outdoor-indoor temperature difference recorded was 4.82°C, which was obtained at 1100
hours in Day 4.
40
uninsulated house model
35
Temperature for
(Model A) (°C)
30
25
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Hours
Indoor Outdoor
Fig. 4: Indoor and outdoor temperature profiles for uninsulated house model (Model A)
Figure 5 shows the indoor and outdoor temperature profiles for Model B. The highest outdoor-indoor
temperature difference recorded was 5.26 °C, which was obtained at 1000 hours in Day 3. The outdoor-indoor
temperature difference for Model A at this time was 4.63 °C, which is 0.63 °C lower compared to Model B.
Therefore, Model B is effective in retarding heat into the house model.
89 Muhd Fadhil Nuruddin et al, 2014
Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 8(15) Special 2014, Pages: 86-91
45
1700
0900
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Hours
Indoor Outdoor
Fig. 5: Indoor and outdoor temperature profiles for 5-cm kapok fibre insulated house model (Model B)
Figure 6 shows indoor and outdoor temperature profiles for Model C. The highest outdoor-indoor
temperature difference recorded was 8.4°C, which was obtained at 1000 hours in Day 3. Model B recorded a
5.26 °C difference during this time. This proves that the outdoor-indoor temperature difference for Model C is
3.14°C higher than Model B. Therefore, Model C provides better thermal performance than Model B. In
addition, the outdoor-indoor temperature difference for Model A is 4.63 °C, which is 3.77 °C lower than Model
C.
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kapok fibre insulated house
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Temperature for 10-cm
35
30
25
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1400
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Indoor Outdoor
Fig. 6: Indoor and outdoor temperature profiles for 10-cm kapok fibre insulated house model (Model C)
Figure 7 shows indoor and outdoor temperature profiles for Model D. The highest outdoor-indoor
temperature difference recorded is 7.05°C, which was obtained at 1100 hours in Day 4. Model C recorded a 2.79
°C difference during this time. This proves that the outdoor-indoor temperature difference for Model D insulated
house model is 4.26°C higher than Model C. Therefore, Model D provides better thermal performance than
Model C. In addition, the outdoor-indoor temperature differences for Model A and Model B are 4.82 and 2.79
°C, which are 2.23 and 2.11 °C lower than Model D respectively. Table 2compares the outdoor-indoor
temperature differencesof all house models from 1000 to 1400 hours. The highest average temperature
difference is 5.09 °C, which was obtained by Model C.
90 Muhd Fadhil Nuruddin et al, 2014
Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 8(15) Special 2014, Pages: 86-91
45
(°C)
20
0900
1400
1900
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1500
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Hours
Indoor Outdoor
Fig. 7: Indoor and outdoor temperature profiles for radiant barrier insulated house model (Model D)
Conclusion:
Findings suggest that kapok fibre is effective as a roof insulation material in residential buildings in hot
climate. In addition, thicker kapok fibre improves its effectiveness. The highest outdoor-indoor temperature
difference was 5.09 °C for 10-cm kapok fibre insulated house model, which is 2.37°C higher than the
uninsulated house model. For future research, it is recommended that higher thicknesses of kapok fibre are used
for evaluation. Also, the evaluation can be conducted in actual houses with the presence of occupants,
appliances and furniture.
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ISSN: 2040-7467.