In situ detection of product age and argon concentration as measure of the re-use potential of insulating glass units in buildings

Abstract

High level circular use of post-consumer insulating glass units will contribute to lower the environmental and social impact of insulation glass industry. The application of various circular strategies for insulating glass units (IGU’s) is rising. The product age will give an indication of the remaining life-time of an IGU, but a method which includes screening a technical quality is needed to check if an IGU is indeed suitable for re-use on a high level of circularity. In this study the argon concentration is suggested as discriminative quality. Energy efficient double glazing applied in windows of buildings situated in The Netherlands were studied. Product codes were noted and unraveled. Measurements were performed using the Sparklike Laser Portable, a non-invasive argon measuring device, which generates argon concentration, glass thickness and cavity width values. In addition, measurements were performed with a Glass Check thickness meter. The resulting data were analyzed. Measuring errors were explored and used to setup a testing procedure. Threshold values of the product age and argon concentration were selected for different circular strategies. In conclusion, a screening method using the product age and argon concentration to determine the circular use potential of insulating glass units is proposed.

Thermal Performance Analysis of Windows, Based on Argon Gas Percentages between Window Glasses

“…The more recent the construction year, the higher the argon gas filling rate; how ever, this is not an absolute trend, and it can be attributed to the argon gas filling rate being influenced by the appropriate manufacturing process and initial quality, as indi cated in previous studies. As reported in a previous study [15], the thermal performance of gas-filled windows deteriorates when the argon gas filling rate falls below 80%. In this study, the argon gas filling rate of all investigated windows was confirmed to be less than 80%, except in the case of a building completed in 2023.…”

“…Consequently, the U-value has been analyzed in real time using data measured in the field with a low-cost method [35,36]. Despite many studies being conducted on window insulation performance deterioration, there is limited research on the decline in thermal performance as influenced by the gas leakage rates of gas-injected double-glazed windows [8,9,15]. According to the existing research, the nominal gas-filling rate is 85-90%, and the U-value degrades when the percentage of gas falls below 80% [15].…”

“…Despite many studies being conducted on window insulation performance deterioration, there is limited research on the decline in thermal performance as influenced by the gas leakage rates of gas-injected double-glazed windows [8,9,15]. According to the existing research, the nominal gas-filling rate is 85-90%, and the U-value degrades when the percentage of gas falls below 80% [15]. Therefore, spacer bars, gas filling, and sealants, which determine the initial quality, must be applied using an appropriate manufacturing process that significantly affects the sustainability of the thermal performance of the insulating glass [31,32].…”

“…1. The Sparklike Handheld™ 3.0 device has a problem wherein the measurement error increases when the argon gas filling rate is less than 50% [15]; therefore, measurements with a filling rate of less than 50% were excluded from the test conditions. 2.…”