AnTherm (Analysis of Thermal behavior of Building Constructions with Thermal Bridges and Vapour Diffusion)
3181 visits
Posting Date | 3 August 2009
Type of tool | Benchmarking tool, Simulation Tool, Planning tool, Simulation Tool
Countries where the tool has been developed | Austria
Country where the tool is in use | Austria , Belgium , Croatia , Cyprus , Czech Republic , Denmark , Estonia , France , Germany , Greece , Hungary , Ireland , Italy , Netherlands , Poland , Romania , Slovakia , Spain , Switzerland , United Kingdom , Pan European , EU Institutions , North America
Geographic Coverage | International
Theme | Building operation, monitoring, energy management, Thermal comfort, indoor air quality, acoustics, Building envelope (walls, windows,...), Energy efficiency technologies and materials, Calculation, simulation, Energy performance certification
Conditions of availability | Other
Price | 2000
Validation/testing information | The software is validated conform all 4 cases of ISO 10211:2007, Annex A, for three-dimensional calculation programs.
The software is validated conform all the ten cases of ISO 10077:2003, Annex D.
Expertise required | basic thermal bridging understandig, available standards, using personal computer
Number of users | 100
Input of the tool | Data is entered provided graphical user interface, instant numerical and graphical (2d and 3d) feedback supported by detailed construction reports.
Geometry (2-dimensional, 3-dimensional sliced or 3-dimensional) entered by rectangular areas assigned to materials, power sources or spaces.
Model draft can be imported from selectively preprocessed DXF, Waebru, Kobru86 and Heat2/3 files.
Thermal (and optionally vapor diffusion) conductance properties of materials, transfer coefficient of surface elements (standard properties available by selection from the material database included).
Boundary conditions:
air temperatures, (optionally) power densities and relative air humidity
(primary results - like the conductance matrix, linear and point transmittance, U-values at adiabatic boundaries - can be obtained without providing any boundary conditions).
Output of the tool | Results from AnTherm include:
Generally applicable results in the form of g-values (temperature weighting factors) and conductance matrices (thermal coupling coefficients) conformant to the European Standards, including the required information on calculation precision
Specific results, applicable to particular air temperature conditions in spaces thermally coupled by the building components analyzed, in the form of surface temperature minima and maxima as well as respective dewpoints (maximum non-condensing air humidity).
Interactive two- and three dimensional graphic plots and prints of isotherms, surface and interior temperature or heat flux distribution as well as streamlines of the heat flow (not limited to 2-dim. models only, but also in 3D). Vapor diffusion pressures, flux and flow visualizations are available as an extended option.
Fully automatic execution of calculation with AnTherm is given even in the event of poorly conditioned calculation cases. The maximum quantity of balanceable equations is nearly unlimited (several ten millions), thus making the thorough analysis of large, three-dimensional models feasible. Complex cases are given, for example, by components or spaces in contact with ground, entire spatial envelopes or groups of spaces, or detailed modeling of complicated assemblies like window frame and installation details, steel reinforced structures, etc.).
Textual Output (standardized reports):
Project description, materials used, detailed construction report including U-values at adiabatic boundaries
Conductance matrix and distribution factors (thermal coupling coefficients)
Standardized information on calculation precision (close-up error)
Linear thermal transmittance (psi) for two dimensional, two space cases
All data for deriving point thermal transmittance (chi) for three dimensional cases
Minimum and maximum temperatures for each space surface and location, g-Values, fRsi temperature factors
Maximum relative air humidity of surface condensation at coldest point of each space
Temperatures at arbitrary chosen interior or surface points (probe points)
Export to file formats like PDF, RTF, XLS
Graphical output (three dimensional graphs and advanced visualization techniques) include:
Model view colored by material conductance (optional explosion view)
Colored surface (with isolines) and orthogonal slices (with isolines) of temperature, condensing humidity, heat flux and optionally partial or saturated vapor pressure or vapor diffusion flux
Heat flow streamline(s) colored by any other scalar value (e.g. temperature, heat flux, etc.)
Vapor diffusion flow streamline(s) (option)
Isosurface of any of the above scalar values within components interior (valuable for identification of three dimensional thermal heat or vapor diffusion bridges)
Combinations of above through opacity/transparency and visibility options
Axes, labels, annotations, probing of values, various coloring tables
Export to pictures formats such as JPG, PNG, and BMP as well as to scene formats such as VRML, OOGL, and OIV
Graphics can be transferred via clipboard to other picture or word processing application
Strengths | Easy to use, short learning curve.
Fast and fully automated generation of computational discrete model and computation (optionally, users can take full parametric control of that).
Immediate and precise results conformant to standards, standardized result reports
Advanced interactive visualization techniques significantly speeding up the process of analysis.
Direct calculation of characteristic indicators for the construction, such as linear (or point) thermal transmittance or the matrix of thermal coupling coefficients (i.e. boundary conditions independent results).
Very fast recalculation of result under new, different boundary conditions without the need to run the full simulation from scratch (based on the concept of "basic solutions" independent of boundary conditions).
Precise calculation of even very large models of millions of equations (and the eightfold number of “super-fine-grid” nodes during evaluation) easily possible on moderate equipped typical PCs. Equation size limits result only on technical limits of hardware used.
Fully validated conforming to EN ISO 10211:2007: AnTherm has been qualified as a "Class A" tool ss for two- and three-dimensional, stationary high precision method.
Fully validated conforming to EN ISO 10077:2003: AnTherm has been qualified as standard method for calculation of heat flow through frames of windows, doors and shutters.
Extensive documentation and tutorials (English and German) including nearly full theoretical background information. Includes context sensitive help available directly within the application.
English and German user interface which can easily be adopted in the future for additional languages.
Maximally utilizes currently available personal computer technology, including multiprocessor/multicore environments.
Weaknesses | Both the application and documentation currently available in English and German only.
Additional documents |
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(295.04 KB)
(962.78 KB)
Computer platform | Windows
Publisher | Tomasz Kornicki
Publisher URL | Kornicki, Software, Building Physics, Bauphysik, Wärme, Heat, Vapor, Dampf, Diffusion, Energy, Efficiency, Wärmebrücken, Thermal Bridges
Source of funding | Private
Tool Languages | English , German
This Thermal Heat / Cold Bridge Simulation Software calculates the distribution of temperature, heat streams and vapor diffusion streams within building components of arbitrary form built as composite of arbitrary materials. Furthermore AnTherm can compute end evaluate the dew point values (condensing humidity) at all component surfaces as well as partial vapor pressure in components interior.
For the technically qualified designer, AnTherm is a reliable, indispensable tool in meeting the demands of the current European standards (EN ISO) for evaluating thermal performance thoroughly and precisely.
Illustrations | 
Description |
AnTherm provides totally new capabilities for evaluating building envelope elements or even whole buildings with particular attention to thermal bridges and (optionally) vapour diffusion. It provides modern three dimensional visualization functionality speeding up the complex evaluation process in terms of qualitative research followed by quantitative (numerical) analysis of results.
It is validated as “two- and three dimensional precision method” conformant with EN ISO 10211 and EN ISO 10077.
AnTherm can provide significant value (being a really valuable tool) to daily thermal bridges, energy performance and building quality evaluation work.
Tool website URL(s) | http://www.kornicki.com/antherm/EN/, http://www.kornicki.com/antherm/, http://antherm.kornicki.com/, http://www.kornicki.de/antherm/
Submitted by Tomasz Kornicki (T.Kornicki)
Comments
Transient, periodic (harmonic) indicators calculated with AnTherm (EN ISO 13786, EN ISO 10211)