October 15, 2003—Research to gather performance data to reduce air leakage and improve U-factor of non-residential doors will be conducted by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
ASHRAE approved funding totaling $986,953 for eight research projects in the areas of indoor air quality, comfort and health, energy conservation, operating and maintenance tools, environmentally safe materials and design tools at its 2003 Annual Meeting held here June 28-July 2.
Among them is 1236-TRP, Heat Transfer Through Roll-Up Doors, Revolving Doors and Opaque Non-residential Swinging, Sliding and Rolling Doors. The principal investigator is Alex McGowan, P.Eng., Levelton Engineering Ltd., Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The project is expected to take 10 months to complete at a cost of $114,510. It is sponsored by ASHRAE Technical Committee 4.5, Fenestration.
Existing data on thermal performance of roll-up doors, revolving doors, and opaque non-residential swinging, sliding and rolling doors is limited and only simulation results are available.
Design data for the products is not always reliable, particularly if there is no consensus standard or authority to ensure that performance has been determined in an unbiased manner, according to McGowan. The National Fenestration Rating Council rates a variety of fenestration products, but rating methods for the types of nonresidential doors in this project are still preliminary.
“The research will contribute to a better understanding of heat transfer effects in various door systems and help improve evaluation of other fenestration systems, such as windows,” McGowan said.
It also will contribute to information on U-factors and door air leakage in the ASHRAE Handbook, Fundamentals, and expand the scope of ASHRAE Standard 142P, Standard Method for Determining and Expressing the Heat Transfer and Total Optical Properties of Fenestration Products.
For more information, contact ASHRAE.
