Three-Dimensional Characterization Of The Air Infiltration Path Using Infrared Technology

Air infiltration control is essential to guarantee thermal comfort, good performance of the ventilation systems, and more energy-efficient buildings. The evaluation of the global airtightness of the building envelope based on pressurization tests has been widely used combined with infrared thermography as a complementary tool to locate air leakage paths. This work proposes a new methodology whose main objective is the characterization of the air infiltration path using infrared thermography.
By means of laboratory experimental measurements, the three-dimensional definition of the air temperature entering a built space through a controlled envelope gap was made. This method is based on the bi-dimensional temperature matrix of the infiltration path close to the opening depending on different configurations of the air inlet and flows, obtained from infrared images. The image capture was done using a non-continuous representation surface in order to avoid the Coanda effect that continuous surfaces cause, achieving in that way an increase of 42% in the measuring accuracy. This method sets the basis for the quick evaluation by thermal analysis of the air infiltration path produced through air leakages in the building envelope.