Green roof heat and mass transfer mathematical models: A review

This work reviews and criticisms the most important mathematical models for heat and mass transfer in green roofs developed and published during the last three decades. The review let see the evolution of the mathematical modeling in green goof, it start with an analysis of the first attempts to model the heat and mass transfer and proceeds to the most representative current models. The criticism shows the most important considerations of each model and the heat flux calculation, as well as the most important contributions of each author in green roof modeling. Currently, there are many mathematical models in green goof but each one of them has their own notation, it complicates the study of this field. An additionally, contribution of this work is the homogenize of the notation used by the different authors, and the presentation of the different methods developed to calculate the heat flux terms. This work serves as a starting point for the proposal of new heat and mass transfer mathematical models; as well as to give to researchers an overview of the phenomena that have been considered in the transfer of heat and mass through green roofs, and help to understand the process to development models more accurate. Finally, some recommendations about the direction that modeling work in this field must be followed are proposed. •The review let see the evolution of the mathematical modeling in green goof.•The criticism shows the most important considerations of each model to calculate heat flux.•Does homogenize of the notation used by the different authors.•Recommendations about the direction that modeling work in this field.