LARGE AREA FLUIDIC WINDOWS

Project Information

LaWin

Grant agreement ID: 637108

DOI

10.3030/637108

Project closed

EC signature date 7 November 2014

Start date 1 January 2015

End date 31 December 2017

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies - Advanced manufacturing and processing

Total cost

€ 7 508 780,88

EU contribution

€ 5 481 912,25

Coordinated by

FRIEDRICH-SCHILLER-UNIVERSITÄT JENA
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - LaWin (LARGE AREA FLUIDIC WINDOWS)

Reporting period: 2016-07-01 to 2017-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

LaWin targets an innovative material solution for efficient solar energy and ambient heat harvesting through an active building envelope. This uses large-area microfluid devices, which are implemented into windows and facades. As a key feature, the LaWin devices are designed for compatibility with existing process chains in window and facade manufacture such as used in, e.g. triple glazing.
LaWin devices implement a set of four new materials, i.e. a structured base glass sheet comprising an array of microchannels, a thin and mechanically robust cover glass, a bonding process and a functional liquid circulating within the microchannels.
The project consortium aims to reduce embodied energy and CO2 to 0 for window surfaces after four months of usage. LAWIN also aims to improve thermal insulation figures for window surfaces by at least 20 % as well as to reduce the energy spent during the complete life cycle of a building by 10 %.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Significant technical progress towards LaWin devices has been achieved within the first 18 months of the project. That is, the first generation of functional demonstrators has been constructed, tested and qualified. This also includes the setting-up of a verified finite-element simulation model which now enables concrete parametrization and optimization for Gen-2 and Gen-3 set-ups. An analytical model is available for the final design of Gen-3, a fully functionel LaWin device of 1200 x 1000 mm². Using the 300 x 210 mm² demonstrators of the first generation, a mobile testing stage has been set-up. Large-area manufacture through glass rolling has been implemented in a fully-functioning FEM model, and the first plant trial has been conducted, producing rolled LaWin microstructured sheet with very good quality for device construction of up to 600 x 400 mm² at this point. In parallel, design and prototype manufacture of window frames, including the liquid distributor duct, has been completed. As a prerequisite for large-area manufacture, a systematic glueing study is now ongoing, based upon PVA extrusion. Finally, visualization experiments have been conducted through computational rendering, provinding further boundary conditions for building integration.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The project is providing a new approach to fluid integration with window and facade constructions. This targets significant improvements in energy consumption and CO2 emissions on building level. The consortium estimates that the high-end windows will cost 2.5 times more than state-of-the-art triple glazed windows but that the higher price will be partly offset by energy savings as well as advanced functional or aesthetic features.

Computational rendering of LaWin facade