TY - EJOU AU - Wang, Ang AU - Wang, Hui TI - Analysis of the Thermal Performance of External Insulation in Prefabricated Buildings Using Computational Fluid Dynamics T2 - Fluid Dynamics \& Materials Processing PY - 2022 VL - 18 IS - 5 SN - 1555-2578 AB - This paper investigates the thermal performance of prefabricated exterior walls using the Computational Fluid Dynamics method to reduce energy consumption. The thermal performance of the prefabricated exterior wall was numerically simulated using the software ANSYS Fluent. The composite wall containing the cavity is taken as the research object in this paper after analysis. The simulation suggests that when the cavity thickness is 20 mm and 30 mm, the heat transfer coefficient of the air-sandwich wall is 1.3 and 1.29, respectively. Therefore, the optimal width of the cavity is 20 mm, and the most suitable material is the aerated concrete block. In addition, a comparative analysis is conducted on the cavity temperature in the wall under different conditions. It is proven that an intelligent environment control system can significantly improve thermal efficiency and provide a solid theoretical basis for further research in the external insulation of prefabricated buildings. KW - Fluid mechanics; prefabricated building; FLUENT software; architectural cavity; thermal performance DO - 10.32604/fdmp.2022.018561