Performance evaluation of ductless personalized ventilation in comparison with desk fans using numerical simulations

The performance of ductless personalized ventilation (DPV) was compared to the performance of a typical desk fan since they are both stand-alone systems that allow the users to personalize their indoor environment. The two systems were evaluated using a validated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of an office room occupied by two users. To investigate the impact of DPV and the fan on the inhaled air quality, two types of contamination sources were modeled in the domain: an active source and a passive source. Additionally, the influence of the compared systems on thermal comfort was assessed using the coupling of CFD with the comfort model developed by the University of California, Berkeley (UCB model). Results indicated that DPV performed generally better than the desk fan. It provided better thermal comfort and showed a superior performance in removing the exhaled contaminants. However, the desk fan performed better in removing the contaminants emitted from a passive source near the floor level. This indicates that the performance of DPV and desk fans depends highly on the location of the contamination source. Moreover, the simulations showed that both systems increased the spread of exhaled contamination when used by the source occupant.     

Models of human thermoregulation and the prediction of local and overall thermal sensations

This study aims at comparing the predictions of skin temperature from different models of human thermoregulation and investigating the currently available methods for the prediction of the local and overall thermal sensations. In this paper, the Fiala model, the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) thermoregulation model and a multi-segmental (MS) Pierce model were tested against recently measured data from the literature. The local and overall thermal sensations were predicted for different room conditions, obtained from a recent experimental study, using the UCB comfort model coupled with the MS-Pierce model. The overall thermal sensation was further predicted using three other models. The predictions were then compared with the subjective votes obtained from that study. The equivalent temperature approach was also investigated based on the same experimental study. The results show comparisons of the predicted skin temperature by the thermoregulation models, under steady state and dynamic conditions, with the measured data as well as the predictions of the thermal sensations from the different models.     

Performance assessment of a ductless personalized ventilation system using a validated CFD model

The aim of this study is twofold: to validate a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model, and then to use the validated model to evaluate the performance of a ductless personalized ventilation (DPV) system. To validate the numerical model, a series of measurements was conducted in a climate chamber equipped with a thermal manikin. Various turbulence models, settings, and options were tested; simulation results were compared to the measured data to determine the turbulence model and solver settings that achieve the best agreement between the measured and simulated values. Subsequently, the validated CFD model was then used to evaluate the thermal environment and indoor air quality in a room equipped with a DPV system combined with displacement ventilation. Results from the numerical model were then used to quantify thermal sensation and comfort using the UC Berkeley thermal comfort model.     

A relation between calculated human body exergy consumption rate and subjectively assessed thermal sensation

Application of the exergy concept to research on the built environment is a relatively new approach. It helps to optimize climate conditioning systems so that they meet the requirements of sustainable building design. As the building should provide a healthy and comfortable environment for its occupants, it is reasonable to consider both the exergy flows in building and those within the human body.Until now, no data have been available on the relation between human-body exergy consumption rates and subjectively assessed thermal sensation. The objective of the present work was to relate thermal sensation data, from earlier thermal comfort studies, to calculated human-body exergy consumption rates.The results show that the minimum human body exergy consumption rate is associated with thermal sensation votes close to thermal neutrality, tending to the slightly cool side of thermal sensation.Generally, the relationship between air temperature and the exergy consumption rate, as a first approximation, shows an increasing trend. Taking account of both convective and radiative heat exchange between the human body and the surrounding environment by using the calculated operative temperature, exergy consumption rates increase as the operative temperature increases above 24 °C or decreases below 22 °C. With the data available so far, a second-order polynomial relationship between thermal sensation and the exergy consumption rate was established.     

The distorted power of medical surgical masks for changing the human thermal psychology of indoor personnel in summer

The medical surgical mask (MSM) has been the essential protective equipment in people's daily work. The experimental purpose is to explore the effects of wearing MSM on human thermal sensation, thermal comfort, and breathing comfort in office buildings in summer. A total of 30 healthy college students were recruited for the testing. The experiment was carried out in a climate chamber, which can simulate the office buildings in summer. The experiment collects the subjects’ skin temperature, microclimate in the mask, and subjective votes, including thermal sensory votes (TSV), thermal comfort votes (TCV), and respiratory comfort votes (BCV). Experimental results show that wearing MSM has no significant effect on the skin temperature of the human body. The microclimate temperature inside the MSM reaches over 34℃, and the relative humidity reaches over 70%. The high-temperature and high-humidity microclimate put human beings in an uneven thermal environment, which leads to poor human tolerance to the thermal environment and becomes the main reason for destroying human thermal comfort. Wearing MSM has a significant impact on the subjective thermal sensation, thermal comfort, and breathing comfort of the human body, and the impact becomes more significant as the environmental temperature increases. Once the mask is taken off, the human body will enter an extremely comfortable environment, resulting in an excessively high vote value. The difference in voting values before and after removing the mask becomes larger with the environmental temperature. By fitting the voting results and perform data processing, it can be found that wearing MSM will reduce the neutral temperature by 1.5°C, and the environmental temperature with the optimal thermal comfort by 1.4°C, and as the temperature increases, the respiratory discomfort will become more and more intense. Regardless of whether wearing a MSM, the subjects preferred a slight warmer environment. In conclusion, with the increase of ambient temperature, wearing MSM can cause the human worse tolerance to the thermal environment, and this disturbance will become more and more intense.     

冷却顶板对置换通风系统的影响:CFD研究

以计算流体力(CFD)的模型为基础,采用有限容积法对带有冷却顶板的置换通风系统和不带冷却顶板的普通置换通风系统的温度场、气流分布及人体的热舒适性进行了模拟分析,模拟结果表明,冷却顶板-置换通风系统可以减小室内温度梯度,提高人体热舒适性。     

Thermisches Komfortmodell für inhomogene Umgebungsbedingungen

Evaluation of thermal comfort at inhomogeneous environmental conditions. Thermal ambient conditions in rooms and cabins and vehicles show very complex and asymmetrical structures. The evaluation of the thermal comfort requires models, which allow a local resolution of the transient environment. Therefore a physiological comfort model based on the Tanabe model is programmed in the object oriented programming language Modelica. The conversion of the physiological results of the Tanabe model is handled by a psychological model similar to the approach of Zhang. The thermal comfort model is calibrated to a large experimental dataset in an automated optimization process. A coupling between the comfort model and a three dimensional flow simulation using the commercial flow solver ANSYS CFX, V. 11.0 gives detailed information of the local ambient conditions.     

Modeling coupled heat transfer and air flow in a partitioned building with a zonal model: Application to the winter thermal comfort

The assessment of building thermal comfort quality in the Mediterranean context necessitates detailed information concerning local air speed and temperature inside the space. We have extended the three-dimensional zonal model ZAER (Zonal AERial model) to enable predictions of air flow pattern and thermal distributions between and within rooms. Numerical simulations from the new program have been compared with data obtained from measurements on the experimental cell Minibat (CETHIL, INSA Lyon laboratory) and with the prediction of another zonal model as well as a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool. The comparison indicates that this new program is an effective model for predicting air flow and temperature distribution in a partitioned building. By coupling ZAER with a thermal comfort model, we study the influence of a passive solar component belonging to a south-oriented room upon the winter thermal comfort of an unconditioned Tunisian dwelling. The obtained results show that this simulation tool has the potential to describe realistically the thermal comfort within a dwelling, and that a Trombe wall can be a useful heating component to improve thermal winter comfort in the Tunisian context, even in another room.     

Predicting thermal and energy performance of mixed-mode ventilation using an integrated simulation approach

Mixed-mode ventilation can effectively reduce energy consumption in buildings, as well as improve thermal comfort and productivity of occupants. This study predicts thermal and energy performance of mixed-mode ventilation by integrating computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with energy simulation. In the simulation of change-over mixed-mode ventilation, it is critical to determine whether outdoor conditions are suitable for natural ventilation at each time step. This study uses CFD simulations to search for the outdoor temperature thresholds when natural ventilation alone is adequate for thermal comfort. The temperature thresholds for wind-driven natural ventilation are identified by a heat balance model, in which air change rate (ACH) is explicitly computed by CFD considering the influence of the surrounding buildings. In buoyancy-driven natural ventilation, the outdoor temperature thresholds are obtained directly from CFD-based parametric analysis. The integrated approach takes advantage of both the CFD algorithm and energy simulation while maintaining low levels of complexity, enabling building designers to utilize this method for early-stage decisionmaking. This paper first describes the workflow of the proposed integrated approach, followed by two case studies, which are presented using a three-floor office building in an urban context. The results are compared with those using an energy simulation program with built-in multizone modules for natural ventilation. Additionally, adaptive thermal comfort models are applied in these case studies, which shows the possibility of further reducing the electricity used for cooling.     

热湿环境下人体热反应的实验研究

采用问卷方式，对热湿环境下人体热感觉、对空气湿度的感觉、吹风感觉及热舒适感觉进行了研究，分析了空气相对湿度对热舒适的影响，给出了高温高湿条件下人体热反应的规律。并在分析人体散热的基础上，提出了一个可以对热湿环境中人体热舒适进行预测的数学模型。     

Simulation und Messung der thermischen Behaglichkeit

Vorgestellt wird ein Ansatz, der eine Bewertung der thermischen Behaglichkeit auch unter komplexen, inhomogenen raumklimatischen Verhältnissen unter Berücksichtung der menschlichen Physiologie zulässt. Dabei wird die Strömungssimulation an ein numerisches Modell (UC Berkeley Comfort Model), welches die Thermoregulation des menschlichen Körpers abbildet, gekoppelt. Mit Hilfe der Strömungssimulation können die klimatischen Bedingungen in Räumen detailliert ermittelt werden. Darauf basierend können durch das Thermoregulationsmodell die Temperaturverteilung im menschlichen Körper, die resultierende Wärmeabgabe an die Umgebung sowie die thermische Behaglichkeit bestimmt werden. Beispielhaft wird dieser Ansatz bei der Simulation der thermischen Behaglichkeit sowie des Empfindens bei einer Flächenkühlung angewendet. Simulation and measurement of thermal comfort. An approach is introduced, which enables the assessment of thermal comfort considering the complex and inhomogeneous climatic conditions in buildings as well as the human physiology. Computational fluid dynamic is linked with a numerical model representing the thermophysiological behavior of the human body (UC Berkeley Comfort Model). By dint of CFD, the climatic conditions in buildings are simulated with a detailed resolution. Basing on the simulations, the thermophysiological model is able to determine the temperature distribution of the human body, the heat flux to the environment as well as thermal comfort. The approach is used for the exemplified investigation of thermal comfort and sensation in a room equipped with a radiant cooling floor.     

通风降温建筑室内热环境模拟及热舒适研究

将热舒适评价标准ＰＭＶ／ＰＰＤ模型与建筑动态热模拟及计算流体动力学（ＣＦＤ）模拟相结合，分别对重庆地区自然通风房间和埋管送风通风房间进行了室内气候及热舒适性模拟与分析，结果表明，埋管系统通风降温可以改善炎热地区的室内热舒适性。     

冬季室内热环境与被褥微气候的匹配

冬季睡眠状态下,室内热环境与被褥微气候分别对人体头部和被覆躯体的热感觉造成直接影响。为了分析两个热环境的匹配关系以满足睡眠人体的热舒适水平,实验在不同的室内温度下,调节被褥微气候温度,测试了受试者的皮肤温度,并记录了热感觉和热可接受水平。研究结果表明:睡眠状态下,相比于室内热环境,人体热感觉对被褥微气候更敏感;此外,通过分析室内热环境和被褥微气候分别与整体热感觉和整体不满意率的关系,得到了睡眠热环境舒适区间。     

A simplified model of thermal comfort

The purpose of conditioning the air in a building is to provide a safe and comfortable environment for its occupants. Satisfaction with the environment is composed of many components, the most important of which is thermal comfort. The principal environmental factors that affect human comfort are air temperature, mean radiant temperature, humidity, and air speed; virtually all heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, however, are usually controlled only by an air-temperature set-point. Significant efficiency improvements could be achieved if HVAC systems responded to comfort levels rather than air-temperature levels. The purpose of this report is to present a simplified model of thermal comfort based on the original work of Fanger, who related thermal comfort to total thermal stress on the body. The simplified solutions allow the calculation of predicted mean vote (PMV) and effective temperature which (in the comfort zone) are linear in the air temperature and mean radiant temperature, and quadratic in the dew point, and which can be calculated without any iteration. In addition to the mathematical expressions, graphical solutions are presented.     

厦门高校教室冬季热环境测试及热舒适预测

为考察冬季非空调环境下人体热感觉,对厦门某高校教室的热舒适度进行了现场测试.在测量室内外热舒适参数的同时,通过问卷调查得到了人体热反应样本.分析样本得出厦门高校教室冬季非空调工况下人体热中性温度和热期望温度分别为19.3和19.4℃.综合考虑温度、相对湿度、平均辐射温度、风速及服装热阻对坐姿轻度活动状态人体的热舒适影响,使用MATLAB软件进行非线性回归,得到非空调工况下热舒适预测方程.该预测方程与实测得到的人体热舒适投票两者结果有较高相关度,同时较大程度上反映了冬季非空调环境下人体热感觉的变异.     

室内空气温湿度对人体热舒适性影响的实验研究

随着人们生活水平的不断提高,人们对室内环境舒适度的要求也提出了更高要求,良好的室内热湿环境不仅影响人体健康,同时也能给工作生活带来愉快的心情。此次实验研究,选取三峡大学综合教学楼B区作为实验地点,通过随机对教室内的学生发放调查问卷,综合分析实验结果,研究了空气温湿度对人体热舒适性的影响,分别根据热感觉和热舒适投票值确定了人体热舒适区,研究发现80%满意率的室内温度范围在22~26℃,相对湿度范围在45%~55%,得到的夏季舒适区范围与ASHRAEStanard55-1992相比也略有偏差。     

住宅空调安装位置对舒适度的影响

本文应用CFD技术对住宅空调的舒适度进行了数值模拟。得到不同安装位置房间舒适度的分布规律,最后给出了结论:空调器的出风口应与人体尽量保持一定距离,人体最好处于回风区。     

数值人体模型的建立方法及其研究发展综述

本文介绍了使用CFD模拟、数值人体模型和热舒适心理模型等手段预测非均匀非稳态工况下人体热舒适程度的数值方法,指出了数值人体模型在热舒适性研究领域中的重要意义。根据生理特点把人体划分为控制系统和受控系统两个部分,分别介绍了生物组织系统、血液循环系统、生理热调节系统等子模型的建立方法。通过综述数值人体模型的研究和发展,指出血液循环系统模型和生理热调节系统是影响数值人体模型精度的主要因素及其亟需完善的地方,得到了多节点模型和多元模型是未来数值人体模型发展的趋势的结论,并对未来数值人体模型的发展做出了展望。针对目前国内数值人体模型研究处于起步阶段的实际情况,对我国开展数值人体模型研究提出了一些建议。     

空调房间气流组织与人体热舒适

介绍了人体热舒适的定义和环境影响因素:空气温度、空气速度、相对湿度和平均辐射温度。分析了气流组织与人体热舒适的关系。以下送风空调为例,阐述了此种空调方式的气流组织形式及其对人体热舒适的影响。     

Comfort and airflow evaluation in spaces equipped with mixing ventilation and cold radiant floor

In this work the comfort and airflow were evaluated for spaces equipped with mixing ventilation and cold radiant floor. In this study the coupling of an integral multi-nodal human thermal comfort model with a computational fluid dynamics model is developed. The coupling incorporates the predicted mean vote (PMV) index, for the heat exchange between the body and the environment, with the ventilation effectiveness to obtain the air distribution index (ADI) for the occupied spaces with non-uniform environments. The integral multi-nodal human thermal comfort model predicts the external skin and clothing surfaces temperatures and the thermal comfort level, while the computational fluid dynamics model evaluates the airflow around the occupants. The air distribution index, that was developed in the last years for uniform environments, has been extended and implemented for non-uniform thermal environments. The airflow inside a virtual chamber equipped with two occupants seated in a classroom desk, is promoted by a mixing ventilation system with supply air of 28 °C and by a cold radiant floor with a surface temperature of 19 °C. The mechanical mixing ventilation system uses a supply and an exhaust diffusers located above the head level on adjacent walls.