Expertmental study of a Roof Solar Collector towards the natural ventilation of new habitations

The paper discusses the possibility of offering thermal comfort, without inducing mechanical energy cost, in new habitations, built in European style and situated in a hot and humid climate, by means of a construction element: the Roof Solar Collector (RSC), which is made by using concrete roofing tiles on the outer side and gypsum board on the inner one. With this RSC it is possible, on the one hand, to minimize the fraction of the solar flux absorbed by the dwelling (insulation) and, on the other hand, to induce a natural ventilation which allows thermal comfort. The influence of length and tilt angle of the RSC on the performance of the RSC is studied experimentally. The results of the study, with regard to the natural ventilation of habitation, were that the optimum length of roof solar collector must be shorter than about 100 cm and the tilt angle should equal 30°. The natural ventilation rate was about 0.08 – 0.15 m3.s−1.m−2.