Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society ISSN:1598-6411(Print) 2508-3562(Online) 한국태양에너지학회 논문집

The application of the high-performance insulation materials for buildings seems to be an essential measure for reducing energy use in buildings. Phenolic foam is a readily available insulation material with thermal conductivity of about 0.018 to 0.020 W/(mK). It has the advantage of higher thermal resistance and better fire resistance compared to other conventional building insulation materials. Insulation material used for building envelope is regarded as one of the decisive factors for building's energy load. Furthermore, the degradation of its thermal performance over time increasingly affects the building's energy use demand. Generally, the life span of conventionally built buildings is expected to be more than 50 years, so the long-term performance of insulation materials is critical. This paper aims to evaluate the long-term performance of phenolic form boards through an accelerated aging test. The tests were conducted according to BS EN 13166 and KS M ISO 11561. Based on the results of the accelerated aging test, the thermal performance variation of the material was analyzed, and then its aged value after 25 years was computed. Also, the characteristics of the phenolic foam board's long-term performance were also examined based on the standard testing methods adopted.