Design, instrumentation and validation of an insulated lab module with galvanized cover, internal heating, forced ventilation; SolidWorks simulation, Tinkercad prototype

Abstract

An insulated “mini-house” lab module was built to study the heating of a galvanized-steel roof (0.305 × 0.305 m, 1 mm thick). A 100 W bulb provided internal heating, and a roof-mounted fan promoted heat removal by ventilation. Roof and nearby air temperatures were measured using two sensors connected to a microcontroller, with circuit prototyping in Tinkercad. The roof heated rapidly and reached 118.38 °C, while the air stayed around 31–34 °C. A heat-exchange indicator computed from the measurements stabilized between 12.78 and 14.30 W·m−2·K−1 after 10 minutes. A SolidWorks thermal simulation produced similar values (e.g., about 106 °C and 31–32 °C at 10 minutes), supporting the experimental findings. Overall, the fan dominated heat removal, with a possible buoyancy contribution due to large temperature differences.