Thermal modelling of an industrial building with solar reflective coatings on external surfaces: case studies in China and Australia

Most industrial buildings rely almost entirely on air-conditioning systems to provide thermal comfort to staff and customers who use the premises. As an alternative to this active approach, passive strategy is recommended to either fulfil this task or to help reduce energy consumption of air-conditioning systems already installed. Applying solar reflective coatings on external surfaces of the building, a key passive strategy, appears to offer an effective solution to reduce solar heat, especially during the summer, penetrating through the building fabric. This article discusses a study that uses computer thermal modelling to investigate the effectiveness of this strategy and to explore its contribution to operational energy savings. Detailed mathematical modelling in accordance with thermodynamic and heat transfer theories through the building fabric is illustrated and solutions to the mathematical problems are presented. The study consists of a comparison between two scenarios (normal coating and reflective coating) in three locations in China and one in Australia. The application of solar reflective coatings on external surfaces of the building produces energy savings for all the four locations and is found to be more beneficial in hot climates where there is a considerable need to reduce summer solar gains.     

The impact of zoning regulations on thermal comfort in non-conditioned housing in hot,humid climates: findings from Dhaka,Bangladesh

In parts of the developing world where densities are high but the availability of air conditioning is limited, building massing and height regulations can influence interior comfort levels. Dhaka, Bangladesh, is characterized by high population densities, a lack of open spaces, and high poverty levels, combining to produce living conditions which are not only uncomfortable, but may lead to the spread of disease. A recent change in zoning regulations provides an opportunity to assess the success of building heights and setbacks in improving indoor thermal comfort conditions. We assess the impact on thermal comfort within Dhaka’s non-conditioned apartment buildings of four zoning schemes which differ in their specifications for setbacks, maximum buildable area, and building heights; but that maintains the current density. Computer simulation techniques model the buildings to test solar, daylight, and ventilation inside the central building to calculate resultant indoor temperature, mean radiant temperature, relative humidity and air velocity. Comparison between these values helps to determine which zoning schemes produce the most favorable thermal conditions. Findings suggest that zoning schemes that provide better solar protection and better natural ventilation are able to reduce indoor temperature and increase indoor air velocity over that provided by current zoning regulations. Recommendations for revising current zoning regulations are given along with general recommendations for how buildings in hot, humid climates can maximize passive cooling, encouraging energy savings and environmental sustainability.     

A holistic approach to energy efficient building forms

Minimizing energy consumption in buildings has become an important goal in architecture and urban planning in recent years. Guidelines were developed for each climatic zone aiming at increasing solar exposure for buildings in cold climates and at reducing solar exposure for buildings in hot climates. This approach usually plans for the season with the harshest weather; often forgetting that temperatures in cities at latitude 25° can drop below thermal comfort limits in winter and that temperatures in cities at latitude 48° often rise above thermal comfort limits in summer. This paper argues that a holistic approach to energy efficient building forms is needed. It demonstrates a generic energy efficient building form derived by cutting solar profiles in a conventional block. Results show that the proposed building form, the Residential Solar Block (RSB), can maximize solar energy falling on facades and minimize solar energy falling on roofs and on the ground surrounding buildings in an urban area in winter; thus maximizing the potential of passive utilization of solar energy. The RSB also supports strategies for mitigating the urban heat island through increased airflow between buildings, the promotion of marketable green roofs and the reduction of transportation energy.     

Design strategy for low-energy ventilation and cooling within an urban heat island

Natural ventilation is a proven strategy for maintaining thermal comfort in non-domestic buildings in the UK. The energy consumption and thus the carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming are lower than in conventional air-conditioned buildings. However, the ambient temperatures in the UK have risen over the last decade and new climatic data for use in the design of naturally ventilated buildings has been published. Using these data and dynamic thermal modelling, it is shown that passive stack ventilation alone was unlikely to maintain summertime comfort in a proposed University College London building within an urban heat island. The stack ventilation strategy was evolved by the introduction of passive downdraught cooling. This low-energy technique enables cooled air to be distributed throughout the building without mechanical assistance. The underlying principles of the technique were explored using physical models and the anticipated performance predicted using thermal modelling. The architectural integration is illustrated and the control strategy described. The resulting building is believed to be the first large-scale application of the passive downdraught cooling technique; construction began in late 2003.     

Impact of adaptive comfort criteria and heat waves on optimal building thermal mass control

This article investigates building thermal mass control of commercial buildings to reduce utility costs with a particular emphasis on the individual impacts of both adaptive comfort criteria and of heat waves. Recent changes in international standards on thermal comfort for indoor environments allow for adaptation to the weather development as manifested in comfort criteria prEN 15251.2005 and NPR-CR 1752.2005 relative to the non-adaptive comfort criterion ISO 7730.2003. Furthermore, since extreme weather patterns tend to occur more frequently, even in moderate climate zones, it is of interest how a building's passive thermal storage inventory responds to prolonged heat waves. The individual and compounded effects of adaptive comfort criteria and heat waves on the conventional and optimal operation of a prototypical office building are investigated for the particularly hot month of August 2003 in Freiburg, Germany. It is found that operating commercial buildings using adaptive comfort criteria strongly reduces total cooling loads and associated building systems energy consumption under conventional and building thermal mass control. In the case of conventional control, total operating cost reductions follow the cooling loads reductions closely. Conversely, the use of adaptive comfort criteria under optimal building thermal mass control leads to both lower and slightly higher absolute operating costs compared to the optimal costs for the non-adaptive ISO 7730. While heat waves strongly affect the peak cooling loads under both conventional and optimal building thermal mass control, total cooling loads, building energy consumption and costs are only weakly affected for both control modes. Passive cooling under cost-optimal control, while achieving significant total cost reductions of up to 13%, is associated with total energy penalties on the order of 1–3% relative to conventional nighttime setup control. Thus, building thermal mass control defends its cost saving potential under optimal control in the presence of adaptive comfort criteria and heat waves.     

Free-running temperature and potential for free cooling by ventilation: A case study

Free-cooling by ventilation is one of the most energy efficient techniques for cooling. When ventilation is used for cooling, variable airflow rates should to be used in order to achieve comfortable room temperatures and to minimize the energy demand for mechanical ventilation. Thus, free-cooling, requires, obviously, the existence of a potential for cooling and needs control mechanisms for the airflow. In this study, the free cooling potential by ventilation for office buildings is evaluated by the free-running temperature. The free-running temperature approach is based on the energy balance of heat gains and losses. It is adapted to evaluate the potential for free cooling by ventilation of office buildings for which the gains through the walls are negligible as compared to the internal and solar gains. The free-running temperature of each office room considers solar and internal heat gains, outdoor temperature, indoor temperatures and ventilation air flow rates. The approach is applied to 14 office rooms in a passively cooled office building in Germany and is used to estimate the potential and to evaluate the total energy saving by free cooling by ventilation. The good fit between monitoring data and calculation procedure proves that the free cooling potential can be accurately estimated by using the difference between the comfort limits, i.e. the target value of the indoor temperature, and the free-running temperature.     

Comparison of low-energy office buildings in summer using different thermal comfort criteria

Sustainable low-energy office buildings attempt to harness the buildings architecture and physics to provide a high quality working environment with the least possible primary energy consumption. A promising approach to condition those buildings in summer employs the utilization of the building's thermal storage activated by natural heat sinks (e.g., ambient air, ground water or soil) through night ventilation or thermally activated building systems (TABS). However, a certain room temperature cannot be guaranteed as occupants may influence the room energy balance by window opening, internal heat gains or sun shading control. Between 2001 and 2005, monitoring campaigns were carried out over 2 or 3 years in 12 low-energy office buildings which are located in three different summer climate zones in Germany. These climate zones are defined as summer-cool, moderate and summer-hot. The weather at the building site and the room temperatures in several office rooms were monitored by different scientific teams. The raw data are processed for data evaluation using a sophisticated method to remove errors and outliers from the database and to identify the time of occupancy. The comfort in all office rooms in each building is evaluated separately. For data presentation, these separate comfort votes per office room are averaged using the median instead of the arithmetic mean in order not to overestimate extremely cold or hot room temperatures. A comfort evaluation in these 12 low-energy office buildings indicates clearly, that buildings which use only natural heat sinks for cooling provide good thermal comfort during typical and warm summer periods in Germany. However, long heat waves such as during the extreme European summer of 2003 overstrain passively cooled buildings with air-driven cooling concepts in terms of thermal comfort.     

Design strategy for low-energy ventilation and cooling within an urban heat island

Natural ventilation is a proven strategy for maintaining thermal comfort in non-domestic buildings in the UK. The energy consumption and thus the carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming are lower than in conventional air-conditioned buildings. However, the ambient temperatures in the UK have risen over the last decade and new climatic data for use in the design of naturally ventilated buildings has been published. Using these data and dynamic thermal modelling, it is shown that passive stack ventilation alone was unlikely to maintain summertime comfort in a proposed University College London building within an urban heat island. The stack ventilation strategy was evolved by the introduction of passive downdraught cooling. This low-energy technique enables cooled air to be distributed throughout the building without mechanical assistance. The underlying principles of the technique were explored using physical models and the anticipated performance predicted using thermal modelling. The architectural integration is illustrated and the control strategy described. The resulting building is believed to be the first large-scale application of the passive downdraught cooling technique; construction began in late 2003.     

寒冷地区被动式太阳能系统集热部件玻璃热性能研究——以陕西西安农村为例

目前节能玻璃种类繁多,不同气候区建筑外围护结构透光部分选用的玻璃也有所不同.对于采用被动式太阳能系统的建筑,不可盲目使用节能玻璃作为集热部件.被动式太阳能系统集热部件的关键部件(玻璃及框材)应根据气候条件因地制宜的选用.分析了西安农村地区常用的各种节能玻璃的传热系数、太阳能得热系数等性能指标,得出适宜应用在寒冷地区被动式太阳能建筑集热部件的节能玻璃类型.此种材料可有效地提高太阳能得热和室内热环境的舒适度,减少采暖能耗.     

营造可持续建筑蓄能围护结构的新思路及新方法

随着能源供求失衡日益加剧,建筑蓄能节能的重要性不断凸显。营造具有高效蓄能及可调节能力的可持续蓄能围护结构,对于建筑节能具有重要意义。本文从居住者的热舒适需求出发,通过反问题思路,提出了被动式及主动式建筑中可持续室内环境营造的一些新思路和新方法。研究发现,被动式建筑围护结构理想热质体热性能具有相变材料的特征,即热容随温度的分布接近δ函数形式。并进一步开展了建筑用相变材料的研发及应用研究,研制了建筑用定形相变材料和微胶囊化相变材料,克服了传统相变材料易泄露和导热系数偏低等缺点。最后,提出了主被动式建筑围护结构和相变材料一体化的系统应用方案,并通过实验及模拟验证了其节能舒适效果,为相变材料和建筑蓄能围护结构一体化的设计及应用提供指导。     

南方建筑非透明围护结构热工与节能设计

如何兼顾冬夏两季建筑供暖空调负荷和能耗,保证室内热环境质量,确定最适宜的热工特性,是长期困扰中国南方建筑围护结构热工与节能设计的难点。通过对夏热冬冷和夏热冬暖地区建筑在采暖、空调与自然通风条件下动态热过程的分析,研究了这一地区围护结构热特性与能耗的制约关系,以及对室内热环境与建筑热稳定性的作用机理。在兼顾冬季保温与夏季隔热的情况下,将建筑全年能耗作为控制目标,从室内热环境质量、节能效果、围护结构的安全性、可靠性、经济性和实用性等角度评价目前所采用的围护结构节能技术存在的问题,提出一种适宜南方气候的建筑围护结构热特性指标及构造形式。     

Development and visualization of time-based building energy performance metrics

ABSTRACT

In the face of climate change, and as building codes and standards evolve to promote increased building energy efficiency and reduced carbon footprints, it is also important to ensure that buildings, especially housing, can withstand prolonged power outages during extended periods of both extreme cold and hot weather to provide habitable shelter passively. This paper examines an approach for visualizing the impact of robust passive measures in multi-unit residential buildings by examining the ‘weakest links in the chain’ – the suites most susceptible to underperforming – in three climatic zones: Toronto and Vancouver, Canada; and Adana, Turkey. Two time-based and thermal comfort-related metrics are explored: thermal autonomy, a measure of what fraction of the time a building can deliver comfort without supplemental active systems; and passive survivability (also termed thermal resilience), a measure of the length of time a building remains habitable following the onset of a prolonged power outage during a period of extended extreme weather. A visualization of the results of parametric building energy simulations helps guide the selection of passive architectural parameters at the early stages of design to promote enhanced environmental performance and resilience.     

Quantifying the relevance of adaptive thermal comfort models in moderate thermal climate zones

Standards governing thermal comfort evaluation are on a constant cycle of revision and public review. One of the main topics being discussed in the latest round was the introduction of an adaptive thermal comfort model, which now forms an optional part of ASHRAE Standard 55. Also on a national level, adaptive thermal comfort guidelines come into being, such as in the Netherlands. This paper discusses two implementations of the adaptive comfort model in terms of usability and energy use for moderate maritime climate zones by means of literature study, a case study comprising temperature measurements, and building performance simulation. It is concluded that for moderate climate zones the adaptive model is only applicable during summer months, and can reduce energy for naturally conditioned buildings. However, the adaptive thermal comfort model has very limited application potential for such climates. Additionally we suggest a temperature parameter with a gradual course to replace the mean monthly outdoor air temperature to avoid step changes in optimum comfort temperatures.     

Active thermal insulators: Finite elements modeling and parametric study of thermoelectric modules integrated into a double pane glazing system

Active thermal insulators (ATI) represent a new thermal control technology that uses solar energy to compensate for the passive heat losses or gains in building envelopes. This effect is accomplished by integrating photovoltaic (PV) and thermoelectric (TE) systems into a wall assembly. A parametric study is presented considering the implementation of TE-modules into the air cavity of a double pane glazing system. The main objectives of this study are to explore design configurations that maximize the coefficient of performance (COP) of the TE-heat pump units, and maximize the ability of the system to perform as a heating and cooling system for use in buildings. A finite elements model (FEM) was developed and experimentally validated to calculate the steady-state heat transfer for the ATI-system. A parametric study was undertaken to determine: (i) suitable TE-modules for this application, (ii) the optimal spreading of the TE-heat pumps, and (iii) the composition of the double glazing unit. The results of our study indicate that the system can be properly designed for heating purposes, however, a more optimal design will need to be realized in order to make the approach effective for cooling applications.     

Parametric study on the performance of green residential buildings in China

The parametric study of the indoor environment of green buildings focuses on the quantitative and qualitative improvement of residential building construction in China and the achievement of indoor thermal comfort at a low level of energy use. This study examines the effect of the adaptive thermal comfort of indoor environment control in hot summer and cold winter (HSCW) zones. This work is based on a field study of the regional thermal assessment of two typical cases, the results of which are compared with simulated results of various scenarios of “energy efficiency” strategy and “healthy housing” environmental control. First, the simulated results show that the adaptive thermal comfort of indoor environment control is actually balanced in terms of occupancy, comfort, and energy efficiency. Second, adaptive thermal comfort control can save more energy for heating or cooling than other current healthy housing environmental controls in China's HSCW zone. Moreover, a large proportion of energy use is based on the subjective thermal comfort demand of occupants in any building type. Third, the building shape coefficient cannot dominate energy savings. The ratio of the superficial area of a building to the actual indoor floor area has a significant positive correlation with and affects the efficiency of building thermal performance.     

Appraisal of thermal performance of a glazed office with a solar control coating: Cases in Mexico and Canada

The use of solar passive strategies such as new solar control coatings on windows for buildings with large glazed areas, have recently become important and helpful tools, mainly because these developments help to reduce heat gains and/or losses through transparent materials, diminishing energy loads, and improving the environment inside buildings. This paper shows an assessment of the thermal performance for an office on top of a building with four different configurations of window glass, and their influence on the indoor conditions. The window glass configurations are: clear glass, glass-film (SnS–Cu_xS solar control coating), double-glass-film, and double clear glass. The simulations were carried out using weather data from Mexico City and Ottawa, which are a good representation of two extreme weather conditions, in order to assess the thermal behaviour inside offices, such as energy loads, costs for air conditioning, and the influence of interior heat transfer coefficient correlations. The results indicate that the glass-film proves to be the less appropriate configuration due to the high temperatures reached on the film surface, which has an impact on the air temperatures inside the office and contributes to increase the energy consumption. In general, the double glass-film configuration results to be adequate for both climates, nevertheless it shows a better performance for Ottawa than Mexico City, where a simple double clear glass would work the same way.     

Energy performance of a dual airflow window under different climates

Ventilated windows have shown great potential in conserving energy in buildings and provide fresh air to improve indoor air quality. This paper reports our effort to use EnergyPlus to simulate the energy performance of a dual airflow window under different climates. Our investigation first developed a network model to account for the two-dimensional heat transfer in the window system and implemented it in EnergyPlus. The two-dimensional assumption and the modified EnergyPlus program were validated by the measured temperatures of the window and the energy demand of a test cell with the window under actual weather conditions. Then EnergyPlus was applied to analyze energy performance of a small apartment installed with the dual airflow windows in five different climate zones in China. The energy used by the apartment with blinds windows and low-e windows was also calculated for comparison. The dual airflow window can reduce heating energy of the apartment, especially in cold climate. The cooling energy reduction by the window was less important than that by shading solar radiation. The dual airflow window is recommended for colder climate. If improving air quality is a major consideration for a building, the window can be used in any climate.     

相变蓄能材料在建筑节能领域的应用研究

介绍了应用于建筑节能领域的相变蓄能材料,探讨了相变蓄能材料在建筑围护结构、相变蓄热供暖系统与相变蓄冷空调系统中的应用。研究表明,相变蓄能材料在建筑领域的应用可以有效地利用太阳能等清洁型能源,缓解建筑物热量供需双方不平衡矛盾,提高室内舒适度,减小建筑能源消耗。总结并展望了未来相变蓄能材料在节能建筑领域应用的研究方向和发展前景。     

Evolving opportunities for providing thermal comfort

The building industry needs a fundamental paradigm shift in its notion of comfort, to find low-energy ways of creating more thermally dynamic and non-uniform environments that bring inhabitants pleasure. Strategies for providing enriched thermal environments must be conjoined with reducing energy; these are inseparable for any building striving for high performance. The objective of current comfort standards is to have no more than 20% of occupants dissatisfied, yet buildings are not reaching even that scant goal. A significant energy cost is incurred by the current practice of controlling buildings within a narrow range of temperatures (often over-cooling in the summer). If building designers and operators can find efficient ways to allow building temperatures to float over a wider range, while affording occupants individual control of comfort, the potential for energy savings is enormous. Five new ways of thinking, or paradigm shifts, are presented for designing or operating buildings to provide enhanced thermal experiences. They are supported by examples of research conducted by the Center for the Built Environment, and include shifts from centralized to personal control, from still to breezy air movement, from thermal neutrality to delight, from active to passive design, and from system disengagement to improved feedback loops.     

冬季北方地区住宅建筑通风方式对比研究

随着住宅节能技术的广泛推行,对窗户的气密性要求越来越高,冬季冷风渗透远远不能满足室内人员对新风的最低需求。为了寻找节能、舒适的通风方式,本研究利用FLUENT对工程中较为常见的通风方式：自然通风方式、自然进机械排通风方式、带热交换的墙式通风器方式、带热交换的通风换气机组方式在气流组织、舒适性能、能耗特性及初投资方面进行了应用效果评价。最终得出：对于层高和装修标准较高的高级住宅中使用带热交换的通风换气机组,可以使通风系统在满足热舒适性和空气品质的基础上,更加节能,而对于一般住宅建筑,自然进机械排通风方式是相对最优选择。