Determining the effect of transformable air ducts and a heat-reflecting screen inside them on the thermal-humidity condition of the corner element considering significant seasonal temperature gradients

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2026.352434

Keywords:

energy efficiency, wall structures, heat transfer, numerical modeling, temperature gradients

Abstract

This study investigates a corner element in a multi-story building with varying numbers of stories. The task addressed relates to the vulnerability of building corner elements to temperature fluctuations.

The energy efficiency of corner elements in external wall structures of buildings with vertical air ducts and a heat-reflecting screen was numerically evaluated under conditions of significant seasonal temperature gradients and varying numbers of stories.

The thermal and humidity conditions of corner zones in building envelopes, characterized by spatial heat transfer and increased thermal vulnerability, were analyzed. Numerical modeling was performed using the finite element method in the ANSYS programming environment, using coupled heat and moisture transfer calculations under various climatic scenarios. The influence of corner zone geometry and building height on temperature distribution and the risk of condensation in the outer envelope was analyzed.

The study results showed that in winter, pronounced non-uniformity of the temperature field occurs in corner zones due to the thermal bridge effect. Moreover, the relative temperature reduction in the corner zone, compared to straight wall sections, ranges from 7% to 12%. During transitional and summer periods, temperature gradients are significantly reduced, and the influence of building height is insignificant. Analysis of the humidity regime revealed the possibility of short-term condensation without conditions for long-term moisture accumulation.

The results could be used in the design of energy-efficient adaptive external wall structures for buildings in regions with pronounced seasonal temperature fluctuations

Author Biographies

Nurlan Zhangabay, South Kazakhstan University named after M. Auezov

PhD, Associate Professor

Scientific Research Laboratory of Mechanical Engineering Problems

Ulzhan Ibraimova, South Kazakhstan University named after M. Auezov

PhD

Department of Architecture and Urban Planning

Timur Tursunkululy, South Kazakhstan University named after M. Auezov

PhD

Department of Architecture and Urban Planning

Bolat Duissenbekov, South Kazakhstan University named after M. Auezov

PhD

Department of Industrial, Civil and Road Construction

Bagdaulet Urmashev, South Kazakhstan University named after M. Auezov

PhD

Department of Chemistry

Akmaral Utelbayeva, South Kazakhstan University named after M. Auezov

Doctor of Chemical Sciences, Associate Professor

Department of Chemistry

Shugyla Shayakmet, South Kazakhstan University named after M. Auezov

Student

Department of Architecture and Urban Planning

References

  1. Pajek, L., Košir, M. (2021). Exploring Climate-Change Impacts on Energy Efficiency and Overheating Vulnerability of Bioclimatic Residential Buildings under Central European Climate. Sustainability, 13 (12), 6791. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126791
  2. Piggot-Navarrete, J., Blanchet, P., Cabral, M. R., Cogulet, A. (2025). Impact of climate change on the energy demand of buildings utilizing wooden prefabricated envelopes in cold weather. Energy and Buildings, 338, 115714. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2025.115714
  3. Al-Shatnawi, Z., Hachem-Vermette, C., Lacasse, M., Ziaeemehr, B. (2024). Advances in Cold-Climate-Responsive Building Envelope Design: A Comprehensive Review. Buildings, 14 (11), 3486. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14113486
  4. Wang, Y., Tian, Y., Zhao, Z., Wang, D., Liu, Y., Liu, J. (2021). Effect of moisture transfer on heat transfer through exterior corners of cooled buildings in hot and humid areas. Journal of Building Engineering, 43, 103160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2021.103160
  5. Evola, G., Gagliano, A. (2024). Experimental and Numerical Assessment of the Thermal Bridging Effect in a Reinforced Concrete Corner Pillar. Buildings, 14 (2), 378. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14020378
  6. Paz-Pérez, J. A., López-Guerrero, R. E., Carpio, M. (2025). Evaluating the impact of thermal bridges on the thermal performance of concrete and mass timber buildings: Case study in Chile. Case Studies in Thermal Engineering, 74, 107014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csite.2025.107014
  7. Zhangabay, N., Tagybayev, A., Baidilla, I., Sapargaliyeva, B., Shakeshev, B., Baibolov, K. et al. (2023). Multilayer External Enclosing Wall Structures with Air Gaps or Channels. Journal of Composites Science, 7 (5), 195. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcs7050195
  8. dos Santos Pizzatto, S. M., Pizzatto, F., Raupp-Pereira, F., Arcaro, S., Angioletto, E., Klegues Montedo, O. R. (2025). Ventilated facade system: A review. Boletín de La Sociedad Española de Cerámica y Vidrio, 64 (3), 100443. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bsecv.2025.100443
  9. Borodulin, V. Yu., Nizovtsev, M. I. (2021). Modeling heat and moisture transfer of building facades thermally insulated by the panels with ventilated channels. Journal of Building Engineering, 40, 102391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2021.102391
  10. Nizovtsev, M. I., Letushko, V. N., Yu. Borodulin, V., Sterlyagov, A. N. (2020). Experimental studies of the thermo and humidity state of a new building facade insulation system based on panels with ventilated channels. Energy and Buildings, 206, 109607. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2019.109607
  11. Zhangabay, N., Bonopera, M., Baidilla, I., Utelbayeva, A., Tursunkululy, T. (2023). Research of Heat Tolerance and Moisture Conditions of New Worked-Out Face Structures with Complete Gap Spacings. Buildings, 13 (11), 2853. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13112853
  12. Zhangabay, N., Baidilla, I., Tagybayev, A., Sultan, B. (2023). Analysis of Thermal Resistance of Developed Energy-Saving External Enclosing Structures with Air Gaps and Horizontal Channels. Buildings, 13 (2), 356. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13020356
  13. Zhangabay, N., Oner, A., Ibraimova, U., Ibrahim, M. N. M., Tursunkululy, T., Utelbayeva, A. (2026). Assessment and Numerical Modeling of the Thermophysical Efficiency of Newly Developed Adaptive Building Envelopes Under Variable Climatic Impacts. Buildings, 16 (2), 366. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16020366
  14. Asan, H. (2006). Numerical computation of time lags and decrement factors for different building materials. Building and Environment, 41 (5), 615–620. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2005.02.020
  15. Dombaycı, Ö. A., Gölcü, M., Pancar, Y. (2006). Optimization of insulation thickness for external walls using different energy-sources. Applied Energy, 83 (9), 921–928. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2005.10.006
  16. Çomaklı, K., Yüksel, B. (2004). Environmental impact of thermal insulation thickness in buildings. Applied Thermal Engineering, 24 (5-6), 933–940. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2003.10.020
  17. Vasileva, I. L., Nemova, D. V., Vatin, N. I., Fediuk, R. S., Karelina, M. I. (2022). Climate-Adaptive Façades with an Air Chamber. Buildings, 12 (3), 366. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12030366
  18. Cuce, P. M., Cuce, E. (2025). Ventilated Facades for Low-Carbon Buildings: A Review. Processes, 13 (7), 2275. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13072275
  19. Lin, Z., Song, Y., Chu, Y. (2022). An experimental study of the summer and winter thermal performance of an opaque ventilated facade in cold zone of China. Building and Environment, 218, 109108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.109108
  20. Milardi, M. (2023). Adaptive Building Technologies for Building Envelopes Under Climate Change Conditions. Technological Imagination in the Green and Digital Transition, 695–702. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-29515-7_62
  21. Grillo, E., Sansotta, S. (2021). Experimentation of a new adaptive model for envelope system. Possible and preferable scenarios of a sustainable future, 5, 166–177. https://doi.org/10.19229/978-88-5509-232-6/5102021
  22. Tagybayev, A., Zhangabay, N., Suleimenov, U., Avramov, K., Uspenskyi, B., Umbitaliyev, A. (2023). Revealing patterns of thermophysical parameters in the designed energy-saving structures for external fencing with air channels. Eastern-European Journal of Enterprise Technologies, 4 (8 (124)), 32–43. https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2023.286078
  23. Tao, S., Yu, N., Jiang, F., Su, X., Zhao, K. (2023). Correlations for forced convective heat transfer coefficients at the windward building façade with vertical louvers. Building and Environment, 242, 110611. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2023.110611
  24. Tao, S., Yu, N., Ai, Z., Zhao, K., Jiang, F. (2023). Investigation of convective heat transfer at the facade with balconies for a multi-story building. Journal of Building Engineering, 63, 105420. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2022.105420
  25. Vox, G., Blanco, I., Convertino, F., Schettini, E. (2022). Heat transfer reduction in building envelope with green façade system: A year-round balance in Mediterranean climate conditions. Energy and Buildings, 274, 112439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2022.112439
  26. Zhang, Y., Zhang, L., Meng, Q. (2022). Dynamic heat transfer model of vertical green façades and its co-simulation with a building energy modelling program in hot-summer/warm-winter zones. Journal of Building Engineering, 58, 105008. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2022.105008
  27. Ismaiel, M., Chen, Y., Cruz-Noguez, C., Hagel, M. (2021). Thermal resistance of masonry walls: a literature review on influence factors, evaluation, and improvement. Journal of Building Physics, 45 (4), 528–567. https://doi.org/10.1177/17442591211009549
  28. Lv, L. W. (2014). Thermal Analysis Module of ANSYS. Advanced Materials Research, 1030-1032, 653–656. https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.1030-1032.653
  29. Anicode, S. V. K., Madenci, E. (2021). Three-dimensional moisture diffusion simulation with time dependent saturated concentration in ANSYS through native thermal and spring elements. Microelectronics Reliability, 123, 114167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.microrel.2021.114167
  30. Theodosiou, T., Tsikaloudaki, K., Bikas, D., Aravantinos, D., Kontoleon, K. (2014). Assessing the use of simplified and analytical methods for approaching thermal bridges with regard to their impact on the thermal performance of the building envelope. Conference: World Sustainable Building Conference WSB14. Barcelona. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275329693_Assessing_the_use_of_simplified_and_analytical_methods_for_approaching_thermal_bridges_with_regard_to_their_impact_on_the_thermal_performance_of_the_building_envelope
  31. Arends, T., Ruijten, P., Pel, L. (2020). Moisture-induced bending of an oak board exposed to bilateral humidity fluctuations. Journal of Building Engineering, 27, 100957. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2019.100957
  32. Costanzo, V., Evola, G., Marletta, L. (2016). Energy savings in buildings or UHI mitigation? Comparison between green roofs and cool roofs. Energy and Buildings, 114, 247–255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2015.04.053
  33. Zhangabay, N., Oner, A., Rakhimov, M., Tursunkululy, T., Abdikerova, U. (2025). Thermal Performance Evaluation of a Retrofitted Building with Adaptive Composite Energy-Saving Facade Systems. Energies, 18 (6), 1402. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18061402
  34. Zhangabay, N., Tursunkululy, T., Ibraimova, U., Abdikerova, U. (2024). Energy-Efficient Adaptive Dynamic Building Facades: A Review of Their Energy Efficiency and Operating Loads. Applied Sciences, 14 (23), 10979. https://doi.org/10.3390/app142310979
Determining the effect of transformable air ducts and a heat-reflecting screen inside them on the thermal-humidity condition of the corner element considering significant seasonal temperature gradients

Downloads

Published

2026-02-27

How to Cite

Zhangabay, N., Ibraimova, U., Tursunkululy, T., Duissenbekov, B., Urmashev, B., Utelbayeva, A., & Shayakmet, S. (2026). Determining the effect of transformable air ducts and a heat-reflecting screen inside them on the thermal-humidity condition of the corner element considering significant seasonal temperature gradients. Eastern-European Journal of Enterprise Technologies, 1(1 (139), 70–80. https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2026.352434

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 1 (139) (2026): Engineering technological systems

Section

Engineering technological systems

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Nurlan Zhangabay, Ulzhan Ibraimova, Timur Tursunkululy, Bolat Duissenbekov, Bagdaulet Urmashev, Akmaral Utelbayeva, Shugyla Shayakmet

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The consolidation and conditions for the transfer of copyright (identification of authorship) is carried out in the License Agreement. In particular, the authors reserve the right to the authorship of their manuscript and transfer the first publication of this work to the journal under the terms of the Creative Commons CC BY license. At the same time, they have the right to conclude on their own additional agreements concerning the non-exclusive distribution of the work in the form in which it was published by this journal, but provided that the link to the first publication of the article in this journal is preserved.

A license agreement is a document in which the author warrants that he/she owns all copyright for the work (manuscript, article, etc.).
The authors, signing the License Agreement with TECHNOLOGY CENTER PC, have all rights to the further use of their work, provided that they link to our edition in which the work was published.
According to the terms of the License Agreement, the Publisher TECHNOLOGY CENTER PC does not take away your copyrights and receives permission from the authors to use and dissemination of the publication through the world's scientific resources (own electronic resources, scientometric databases, repositories, libraries, etc.).
In the absence of a signed License Agreement or in the absence of this agreement of identifiers allowing to identify the identity of the author, the editors have no right to work with the manuscript.
It is important to remember that there is another type of agreement between authors and publishers – when copyright is transferred from the authors to the publisher. In this case, the authors lose ownership of their work and may not use it in any way.