THERM 2.0: a PC Program for Analyzing Two-Dimensional Heat Transfer through Building products

THERM is a state-of-the-art, Microsoft Windows?-based computer program developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) for use by building component manufacturers, engineers, educators, students, architects, and others interested in heat transfer. Using THERM, you can model two-dimensional heat-transfer effects in building components such as windows, walls, foundations, roofs, and doors; appliances; and other products where thermal bridges are of concern. THERM's heat-transfer analysis allows you to evaluate a product?s energy efficiency and local temperature patterns, which may relate directly to problems with condensation, moisture damage, and structural integrity.

This version of THERM includes several new technical and user interface features; the most significant is a radiation view-factor algorithm. This feature increases the accuracy of calculations in situations where you are analyzing non-planar surfaces that have different temperatures and exchange energy through radiation heat transfer. This heat-transfer mechanism is important in greenhouse windows, hollow cavities, and some aluminum frames.