Monitoring the thermal–hygrometric conditions induced by traditional heating systems in a historic Spanish church (12th–16th C)

Abstract

Most historic churches are characterised by low thermal efficiency due primarily to their architectural design and the traditional materials used in their construction. Heating the huge volumes of air involved may be more or less effective depending on the HVAC system used. Up until very recently, traditional heating has been the system of choice in Spanish churches. The present study analysed the parish church at Talamanca de Jarama (a village on the outskirts of Madrid), where the forced hot-air system was found to induce wide fluctuations in indoor thermal-hygrometric (T/RH) conditions, in turn translating into the temporal and horizontal stratification of temperature and relative humidity. As a result, the thermal comfort sought for parishioners is not reached, for the air remains cold at pew height while heat accumulates in the upper area of the church. A three-dimensional sensor network was designed to monitor these conditions. Suspended from helium balloons, the sensors could record the indoor air temperature and humidity without causing any damage whatsoever to church property.

Fluctuations in the indoor environment in Spanish rural churches and their effects on heritage conservation: Hygro-thermal and CO 2 conditions monitoring

“…It is a centralised, warm-air convection system in which the incoming outdoor air (north area) is rapidly heated to a pre-selected temperature of 45 C and mixed with the indoor air. The rated hot-air flow is 9600 m may rise by 7-8 ºC, the increase at the base is no more than 1-2 ºC [30]. When the facility is turned off, it is cooled for 25 minutes with cold, damp outdoor air that flows inward through the same vents to be mixed with the hot, dry indoor air, abruptly modifying the conditions reached while the heating was on [30].…”

“…The Talamanca de Jarama church, like many other historic churches, is characterised by low thermal and energy efficiency [30,31], due primarily to their architectural design and the traditional materials used in their construction [1,12]. The heating facility is a LIESCOTHERM OS/D-125 gas-oil unit with a power of 145.35 kW, equipped with an automatic mechanical atomising burner.…”

“…Normal mass hours consist of one service each on Friday and Saturday evenings and two on Sunday mornings. The low efficiency of its centralised and intermittent warm-air heating system installed in 1972 [30,31] has led to its mere occasional use for 1-2 h four to five times a week (Friday through Sunday; 5-6 h/week) from November through April. In recent years considerable moisture has been detected in its lower walls, with the concomitant rise in environmental humidity.…”

Advanced Hygrothermal Performance of Building Component at Reconstruction of S. Radonezhskiy Temple in Volgograd

“…Heat and moisture conditions of some cultural buildings are in detail investigated in articles [3,6]. In articles [3,7,8] modern issues of improvement of thermal comfort in temples by means of heating and ventilation systems are considered.…”

“…In articles [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] the issue of thermal performance and indoor thermal comfort for cultural buildings is considered. Need of thermal reconstruction of some cultural buildings is shown in articles [4,5,9].…”