An experimental and analytical investigation of liquid moisture distribution in roof insulating systems

An experimental investigation was carried out to determine the feasibility of using thermal conductivity measurements to detect moisture concentrations in a highly porous glass fiber insulation. A new technique employing thermistor probes was used to measure thermal conductivity over a range of low moisture contents.

The results indicate that the material's thermal conductivity is a strong nonlinear function of the moisture concentration. The sensitivity of the moisture content to thermal conductivity is greatest for moisture contents less than 25 per cent for the material tested.

A numerical procedure for predicting the temperature and moisture distributions in a highly porous material is detailed.