Spectral Relative Attenuation of Solar Radiation through a Skylight Focused on Preventive Conservation: Museo De L’almoina in Valencia (Spain) Case Study

• Main Authors: María-Antonia Serrano, José-Luis Baró Zarzo, Juan-Carlos Moreno Esteve, Fernando-Juan García-Diego
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-07-01
• Series: Sensors
• Subjects: preventive conservation; archaeological heritage; solar irradiance; transparency; glazing; UVB band
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/21/14/4651

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relative attenuation of VIS, UV and NIR solar radiation through a large pond skylight into the interior of the l’Almoina Archaeological Museum (Valencia, Spain), and to determine how relative attenuation varied throughout the year and time of day. Measurements were taken at 9:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. during July 2019 and January 2020. Relative attenuation values were obtained from the measurement of spectral irradiance in the exterior and at different points in the interior by means of two Ocean Optics spectrometers: HR4000CG-UV-NIR for VIS (400–700 nm) and NIR (700–1000 nm) bands, and FLAME-S-UV-VIS for UV-A (280–315 nm) and UV-A (315–400 nm) bands. The central points of the skylight had relative attenuation at 520 nm, reaching a value of 50% in summer at noon and 38% in the afternoon. At noon in winter, there were two relative attenuation peaks above 33% at 520 nm and at 900 nm. For mean relative attenuation, in the UVB range, the highest relative attenuation (20%) was inside the ruins in the morning in both summer and winter, and the UVA band relative attenuation was quite constant throughout the museum, but lower than that of the UVB band, in the range 0–3%.