Analysis on the impact of mean radiant temperature for the thermal comfort of underfloor air distribution systems

Despite the potentially significant advantages of underfloor air distribution (UFAD) systems, the shortcomings in fundamental understanding have impeded the use of UFAD systems. A study has been carried out on the thermal stratification which is crucial to system design, energy efficient operation and comfort performance of UFAD systems with an aim of examining impact of mean radiant temperature (MRT) on thermal comfort. Clear elucidation of the benefit of UFAD systems has been shown by comparing it to the traditional overhead air distribution systems. Keeping the same level of comfortable environment in the occupied zone, UFAD systems require much higher temperature of supply air, which represents significant energy savings. The benefit of UFAD systems is more pronounced at the condition of high ceiling height building. Considerable discrepancies in thermal comfort are found on the assumption that air temperature rather than MRT is used for the evaluation of PMV. However, more rigorous analysis including the full radiation simulation does not show any significant difference in PMV distribution. The result of the full radiation simulations requires much longer simulation time but gives similar air temperature distribution and only slightly higher averaged temperature than present approaches.     

冬季空调间歇运行室内温度特性及节能潜力的理论与实验研究

本文通过对冬季空调房间空调开关机过程试验得到的室内环境温度数据进行分析,建立了温度变化的理论模型,分析结果表明,房间内气温随时间呈指数规律变化,且时间越长,室内温度越趋于稳定。通过对开关机过程中室内PMV值进行计算,在对人体热舒适影响不大的条件下,得到了试验房间空调间歇运行较佳的启停时间组合方式,与常规连续运行方式相比节能潜力最高可达40%。     

计算机模拟在建筑节能设计中的应用

依据DBJ13—62—2004《福建省居住建筑节能设计标准实施细则》,从节能率、成本、建筑热舒适性、节能方案适宜性等方面对比分析了规定性指标节能设计法与动态权衡计算设计法的优劣。得出计算机仿真模拟技术在建筑节能设计中应用的重要性。     

Occupant performance and building energy consumption with different philosophies of determining acceptable thermal conditions

Based on building energy and indoor environment simulations, this study uses a recently developed method relying on Bayesian Network theory to estimate and compare the consequences for occupant performance and energy consumption of applying temperature criteria set according to the adaptive model of thermal comfort and the more conventional PMV model. Simulations were carried out for an example building with two configurations (with and without mechanical cooling) located in tropical, subtropical, and temperate climate regions. Even though indoor temperatures differed significantly between building configurations, especially in the tropical climate, the estimated performance differed only modestly between configurations. However, energy consumption was always lower in buildings without mechanical cooling, particularly so in the tropical climate.     

Predictive controllers for thermal comfort optimization and energy savings

The present work is focused on the study of indoor thermal comfort control problem in buildings equipped with HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems. The occupants’ thermal comfort sensation is addressed here by the well-known comfort index known as PMV (predicted mean vote) and by a comfort zone defined in a psychrometric chart. In this context, different strategies for the control algorithms are proposed by using an only-one-actuator system that can be associated to a cooling and/or heating system. The first set of strategies is related to the thermal comfort optimization and the second one includes energy consumption minimization, while maintaining the indoor thermal comfort criterion at an adequate level. The methods are based on the model predictive control scheme and simulation results are presented for two case studies. The results validate the proposed methodology in terms of both thermal comfort and energy savings.     

既有办公建筑节能改造示范及能耗监测系统研究

本文对某办公大楼示范的节能改造措施进行探讨,通过建筑节能改造前后的能耗情况进行对比分析,明确了适宜的节能改造方向,并提出利用建筑能耗监测系统对改造后的建筑能耗进行分析,有利于用能管理。     

A new thermal performance index for dwelling roofs in the warm humid tropics

This research aims to find a scientific rating scheme for roof system for the warm humid tropics. The overall air-to-air thermal transmittance (U-value) or thermal resistance (R-value) of roof are most widely used properties, but these are based on steady-state heat conduction and do not respond to changing conditions of climate, design and comfort needs. The paper presents a new thermal performance index, which is based on thermal comfort and actual thermal performance of a roof design option. It provides a basis for identifying the optimum roof design for unconditioned and acclimatised regimes. A review of the acceptable limits of ceiling surface temperature is presented. The mathematical modelling for predicting performance of roof based on admittance procedure and derivation of thermal performance index is described. In the proposed scheme the galvanized iron roof is given 0% rating and the roof satisfying the comfort needs for the given climate is rated as 100%. Illustrative examples of built roofs or design options are taken from India and Australia. It clearly shows that the roofs with the highest thermal resistance are not necessarily optimum solutions.     

Energy use and thermal comfort in a rammed earth office building

A two-storey rammed earth building was built on the Thurgoona Campus of Charles Sturt University in Albury-Wodonga, Australia, in 1999. The building is novel both in the use of materials and equipment for heating and cooling. The climate at Wodonga can be characterised as hot and dry, so the challenge of providing comfortable working conditions with minimal energy consumption is considerable. This paper describes an evaluation of the building in terms of measured thermal comfort and energy use. Measurements, confirmed by a staff questionnaire, found the building was too hot in summer and too cold in winter. Comparison with another office building in the same location found that the rammed earth building used more energy for heating. The thermal performance of three offices in the rammed earth building was investigated further using simulation to predict office temperatures. Comparisons were made with measurements made over typical weeks in summer and winter. The validated model has been used to investigate key building parameters and strategies to improve the thermal comfort and reduce energy consumption in the building. Simulations showed that improvements could be made by design and control strategy changes.     

Thermal comfort in office buildings: Two case studies commented

Air conditioning in offices has become a current practice in North Western Europe. The main reasons for that are high internal loads, solar gains and increased comfort expectations. Hence, the move away from the naturally ventilated cellular office increased thermal comfort complaints.     

The role of measurement accuracy on the thermal environment assessment by means of PMV index

ISO 7730 Standard classifies thermal environments in three categories as a function of the PMV range value, gradually decreasing according to the need of a lower dissatisfied percentage. It is noteworthy that the PMV value is greatly affected by the changes of its independent variables (air temperature, mean radiant temperature, air velocity, relative humidity, metabolic rate and clothing insulation); therefore the accuracy requirements of sensors for the measurement of environmental quantities as well the assessment of other parameters related to the activity and clothing appear a crucial matter. This work deals with a sensitivity analysis of PMV index to the accuracy of its six independent variables. Obtained results clearly show that the widths of PMV ranges fixed for each class in 7730 are near to the PMV uncertainty related to measuring devices accuracy, making often the environment classification a random operation.     

The impact of temperature on mean local air age and thermal comfort in a stratum ventilated office

The influence of the supply air temperature on the mean local air age and thermal comfort of a typical individual office under stratum ventilation is investigated by a numerical method, which is validated by an experiment carried out by the authors. The results show that for an office, when the supply air temperature is increased from 19 °C to 21 °C, the corresponding mean occupied zone temperature rises from 24.5 °C to 26.5 °C. The inhaled air quality for the occupant is improved when supply air temperature rises from 19 °C to 21 °C. Also, the thermal comfort indices (predicted mean vote or PMV, predicted percentage of dissatisfied or PPD and predicted dissatisfied or PD) fulfill the requirements of ISO 7730 and CR 175 1998. For summer cooling operation, stratum ventilation may offer a feasible solution to elevated indoor temperatures, which are recommended by several governments in East Asia.     

Simulation of energy use, human thermal comfort and office work performance in buildings with moderately drifting operative temperatures

Annual primary energy use in a central module of an office building consisting of two offices separated with a corridor was estimated by means of dynamic computer simulations. The simulations were conducted for conventional all-air VAV ventilation system and thermo active building system (TABS) supplemented with CAV ventilation. Simulations comprised moderate, hot–dry and hot–humid climate. Heavy and light wall construction and two orientations of the building (east–west and north–south) were considered. Besides the energy use, also capability of examined systems to keep a certain level of thermal comfort was examined. The results showed that with the moderate climate, the TABS decreased the primary energy use by about 16% as compared with the VAV. With hot–humid climate, the portion of the primary energy saved by TABS was ca. 50% even with the supply air dehumidification taken into account. The TABS working in a moderate climate kept the predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PPD) <10% during 60–80% of the working hours per year. Optimization of the TABS's control strategy (circulation pump dead-band, water supply temperature) resulted in significant reduction of the annual working hours with PPD > 10%; 1.4% in comparison to 17.5% h/yr. The highest estimated loss of occupants’ productivity related to their thermal sensation hasn’t exceeded 1% in whole year average.     

Numerical Method for a Full Assessment of Indoor Thermal Comfort

Heat, mass and momentum transfer takes place simultaneously in ventilated rooms. For accurate predictions of the indoor environment, all the environmental parameters that influence these transport phenomena should be taken into consideration. This paper introduces a method for a full assessment of indoor thermal comfort using computational fluid dynamics in conjunction with comfort models. A computer program has been developed which can be used for predicting thermal comfort indices such as thermal sensation and draught risk. The sensitivity of predicted comfort indices to environmental parameters is analysed for a mechanically ventilated office. It was found that when the mean radiant temperature was considered uniform in the office, the error in the predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PPD) could be as high as 7.5%. The prediction became worse when the mean radiant temperature was taken to be the same as air temperature point by point in the space. Moreover, disregarding the variation of vapour pressure in the space resulted in an error in PPD of abour 4% near the source of moisture generation. The importance of evaluating both thermal sensation and draught risk is also examined. It is concluded that in spaces with little air movement only the thermal sensation is needed for evaluation of indoor thermal comfort whereas in spaces with air movement induced by mechanical vantilation or air-conditioning systems both thermal sensation and draught risk should be evaluated.     

Thermal sensation of Hong Kong people with increased air speed,temperature and humidity in air-conditioned environment

In the warm and humid climate zone, air-conditioning (AC) is usually provided at working places to enhance human thermal comfort and work productivity. From the building sustainability point of view, to achieve acceptable thermal sensation with the minimum use of energy can be desirable. A new AC design tactic is then to increase the air movement so that the summer temperature setting can be raised. A laboratory-based thermal comfort survey was conducted in Hong Kong with around 300 educated Chinese subjects. Their thermal sensation votes were gathered for a range of controlled thermal environment. The result analysis shows that, like in many other Asian cities, the thermal sensation of the Hong Kong people is sensitive to air temperature and speed, but not much to humidity. With bodily air speed at 0.1–0.2 m/s, clothing level 0.55 clo and metabolic rate 1 met, the neutral temperature was found around 25.4 °C for sedentary working environment. Then recommendations are given to the appropriate controlled AC environment in Hong Kong with higher airflow speeds.     

低温地板辐射采暖的分析

低温地板辐射采暖,用交联聚乙烯管(XLPE)、聚丁烯管(PB)等新型建材布置在楼(地)面结构层形成闭路盘管.它利用辐射原理与流体因加热上升的原理,保证人体活动空间的温度要求.地板辐射采暖节能,舒适,不占房间有效面积.此技术在发达国家已得到比较广泛的应用.随着人们对生活环境舒适程度要求的提高,近些年来低温地板辐射采暖在我国有较快的发展.     

Improvement of thermal environment and reduction of energy consumption for cooling and heating by retrofitting windows

Various techniques for creating a comfortable thermal environment and saving energy have been proposed and employed in residential buildings in many countries, including Japan. For these techniques to be introduced, existing houses should be renovated. Among the techniques available, installation of additional inner windows is effective in creating a comfortable and energy-efficient living environment. In the present research, the effect of additional inner windows on the thermal environment and energy saving was investigated by measuring indoor windows on the thermal environment and energy saving was investigated by measuring indoor concrete building. Air temperatures, the humidity, the global solar radiation on horizontal and vertical surfaces, radiant temperatures, and the electricity consumption of air-conditioners were measured. A comparison of these values before and after the installation of inner windows showed that the thermal environment and energy saving had improved. Results obtained from a thermal model agreed well with measured results by changing the value of solar transmittance and heat transmission coefficient of the glazing following renovation. Furthermore, in a questionnaire survey conducted in summer, more than half of the occupants answered ‘‘comfortable’’ to a question on the overall thermal comfort.     

辐射供暖房间耗热量分析

比较了辐射供暖与散热器供暖方式下房间外围护结构内表面温度的差异,指出辐射供暖房间在某些条件下由于耗热量较大,将会影响供暖的节能性。通过对辐射供暖方式节能率的分析,认为外围护结构内表面辐射吸收因数是影响节能效果的关键因素,给出了其取值范围。     

济南地区某办公楼能耗模拟与节能研究

如今,办公建筑已成为社会的主要建筑类型。办公建筑也随之成为了能耗大户,如何对办公建筑降低能耗成为如今的必要思考。本文选取济南地区某一办公建筑,利用DeST软件对其能耗进行模拟,并与参照建筑进行对比,得到济南地区办公建筑降低能耗的实用规律,为今后办公建筑降低能耗,节能减排提供参考。     

Effect of door opening on the performance of displacement ventilation in a typical office building

The purpose of this paper is to investigate, using a validated computational fluid dynamics simulation, the effect of the position of doors on performance of the displacement ventilation system. The results are reported in terms of thermal comfort and indoor air quality. The study focuses on a typical Hong Kong office under local thermal and boundary conditions. It was found that the presence of large heat sources such as from a window can cause the lateral movement of airflow, disrupting the convection effect which the displacement ventilation system relies on. Doors can create this situation when they are opened by changing the thermal boundary conditions of indoor spaces. The designer should be made aware of this possibility and make appropriate design decisions to accommodate for this fact.