Microclimatic Performance of Courtyards in Residential Buildings in Kafanchan-Nigeria

Recent studies have emphasized the importance of the courtyard microclimate to the building and the need for a comparative study on their typology in other to ascertain the best alternative. Also emphasizing that the architect choice of the courtyard typology to be adopted in his architectural design schemes should be based on performance rather than his mere intuitive choice. Therefore, an investigational study of two different courtyard forms with the same perimeter, and material finished -the fully enclosed internal central courtyard and the semi-enclosed courtyard has been carried out in two existing residential buildings, in the city of Kafanchan-Nigeria. The main purpose of the study is to compare their climatic performances in other to ascertain the best option. The study employed the experimental methodology. Three Hobo Weather Data Loggers (HWDL) were used to collect data in the courtyards, and the third one was positioned in the outdoor area as a benchmark. Only two climatic variables, namely air temperature, and relative humidity were examined as these variables have not been investigated in a single research on the courtyard in Nigeria. The results showed a definite difference in the microclimatic conditions of the two courtyards. The fully enclosed internal courtyard is seen to have a better air temperature difference of 1oc to 3oc at the time intervals, and the relative humidity difference of 1% to 6%. In conclusion, the fully enclosed internal courtyard has demonstrated a more favorable microclimatic performance than the semi-enclosed, and future simulation studies towards its optimization are recommended.

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Thermal Performance of Single-Story Air-Welled Terraced House in Malaysia: A Field Measurement Approach

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13010201 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 201

Author(s):

Pau Chung Leng ◽

Gabriel Hoh Teck Ling ◽

Mohd Hamdan Ahmad ◽

Dilshan Remaz Ossen ◽

Eeydzah Aminudin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Relative Humidity ◽

Air Temperature ◽

Thermal Performance ◽

Field Measurement ◽

Natural Ventilation ◽

Residential Buildings ◽

Wet Bulb Globe Temperature ◽

Natural Lighting ◽

Ventilation Performance ◽

Globe Temperature

The provision requirement of 10% openings of the total floor area stated in the Uniform Building By-Law 1984 Malaysia is essential for natural lighting and ventilation purposes. However, focusing on natural ventilation, the effectiveness of thermal performance in landed residential buildings has never been empirically measured and proven, as most of the research emphasized simulation modeling lacking sufficient empirical validation. Therefore, this paper drawing on field measurement investigates natural ventilation performance in terraced housing with an air-well system. The key concern as to what extent the current air-well system serving as a ventilator is effective to provide better thermal performance is to be addressed. By adopting an existing single-story air-welled terrace house, indoor environmental conditions and thermal performance were monitored and measured using HOBO U12 air temperature and humidity, the HOBO U12 anemometer, and the Delta Ohm HD32.3 Wet Bulb Globe Temperature meter for a six-month duration. The results show that the air temperature of the air well ranged from 27.48 °C to 30.92 °C, with a mean relative humidity of 72.67% to 79.25%. The mean air temperature for a test room (single-sided ventilation room) ranged from 28.04 °C to 30.92 °C, with a relative humidity of 70.16% to 76.00%. These empirical findings are of importance, offering novel policy insights and suggestions. Since the minimum provision of 10% openings has been revealed to be less effective to provide desirable thermal performance and comfort, mandatory compliance with and the necessity of the bylaw requirement should be revisited.

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The Importance of the Microclimatic Conditions Inside and Outside of Plant Buildings in Odorants Emission at Municipal Waste Biogas Installations

Energies ◽

10.3390/en13236463 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (23) ◽

pp. 6463

Author(s):

Marta Wiśniewska ◽

Andrzej Kulig ◽

Krystyna Lelicińska-Serafin

Keyword(s):

Relative Humidity ◽

Air Temperature ◽

Waste Treatment ◽

Municipal Waste ◽

Technological Line ◽

Waste Storage ◽

Significant Relationships ◽

Pumping Stations ◽

Biogas Plants ◽

Microclimatic Conditions

Municipal waste biogas plants are an important element of waste treatment and energy policy. In this study, odorant concentrations and emissions were measured together with the air temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH) to confirm the hypothesis that the microclimatic conditions have an important impact on the level of odorant emission at municipal waste biogas plants. A simple correlation analysis was made to evaluate the strength and the direction of the relationship between the odorant concentration and emission and air temperature and relative humidity. The mean volatile organic compound (VOC) and NH3 concentrations vary depending on the stage of the technological line of the analysed municipal waste biogas plants and are in the following ranges, respectively: 0–38.64 ppm and 0–100 ppm. The odorant concentrations and emissions correlated statistically significantly with T primarily influences VOC concentrations and emissions while RH mainly affects NH3 concentrations and emissions. The strongest correlations were noted for the fermentation preparation section and for emissions from roof ventilators depending on the analysed plant. The smallest influence of microclimatic factors was observed at the beginning of the technological line—in the waste storage section and mechanical treatment hall. This is due to the greater impact of the type and quality of waste delivered the plants. The analysis of correlation between individual odorants showed significant relationships between VOCs and NH3 for most stages of the technological line of both biogas plants. In the case of technological sewage pumping stations, a significant relationship was also observed between VOCs and H2S. The obtained results may be helpful in preparing strategies to reduce the odours from waste treatment plants.

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Probabilistic modeling of the indoor climates of residential buildings using EnergyPlus

Journal of Building Physics ◽

10.1177/1744259117701893 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 41 (3) ◽

pp. 225-246 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Elizabeth Buechler ◽

Simon Pallin ◽

Philip Boudreaux ◽

Michaela Stockdale

Keyword(s):

Relative Humidity ◽

Air Temperature ◽

Indoor Air ◽

Air Conditioning ◽

Residential Buildings ◽

The United States ◽

Climate Data ◽

Indoor Climate ◽

Oak Ridge ◽

Simulation Engine

The indoor air temperature and relative humidity in residential buildings significantly affect material moisture durability, heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system performance, and occupant comfort. Therefore, indoor climate data are generally required to define boundary conditions in numerical models that evaluate envelope durability and equipment performance. However, indoor climate data obtained from field studies are influenced by weather, occupant behavior, and internal loads and are generally unrepresentative of the residential building stock. Likewise, whole-building simulation models typically neglect stochastic variables and yield deterministic results that are applicable to only a single home in a specific climate. The purpose of this study was to probabilistically model homes with the simulation engine EnergyPlus to generate indoor climate data that are widely applicable to residential buildings. Monte Carlo methods were used to perform 840,000 simulations on the Oak Ridge National Laboratory supercomputer (Titan) that accounted for stochastic variation in internal loads, air tightness, home size, and thermostat set points. The Effective Moisture Penetration Depth model was used to consider the effects of moisture buffering. The effects of location and building type on indoor climate were analyzed by evaluating six building types and 14 locations across the United States. The average monthly net indoor moisture supply values were calculated for each climate zone, and the distributions of indoor air temperature and relative humidity conditions were compared with ASHRAE 160 and EN 15026 design conditions. The indoor climate data will be incorporated into an online database tool to aid the building community in designing effective heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems and moisture durable building envelopes.

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A Site-Specific, Weather-Based Disease Regression Model for Sclerotinia Blight of Peanut

Plant Disease ◽

10.1094/pdis-91-11-1436 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 91 (11) ◽

pp. 1436-1444 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

D. L. Smith ◽

J. E. Hollowell ◽

T. G. Isleib ◽

B. B. Shew

Keyword(s):

Relative Humidity ◽

Soil Temperature ◽

Air Temperature ◽

Partial Resistance ◽

Production Costs ◽

Weather Data ◽

Weather Variables ◽

Site Specific ◽

Sclerotinia Blight ◽

Blight Disease

In North Carolina, losses due to Sclerotinia blight of peanut, caused by the fungus Sclerotinia minor, are an estimated 1 to 4 million dollars annually. In general, peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is very susceptible to Sclerotinia blight, but some partially resistant virginia-type cultivars are available. Up to three fungicide applications per season are necessary to maintain a healthy crop in years highly favorable for disease development. Improved prediction of epidemic initiation and identification of periods when fungicides are not required would increase fungicide efficiency and reduce production costs on resistant and susceptible cultivars. A Sclerotinia blight disease model was developed using regression strategies in an effort to describe the relationships between modeled environmental variables and disease increase. Changes in incremental disease incidence (% of newly infected plants of the total plant population per plot) for the 2002–2005 growing seasons were statistically transformed and described using 5-day moving averages of modeled site-specific weather variables (localized, mathematical estimations of weather data derived at a remote location) obtained from SkyBit (ZedX, Inc.). Variables in the regression to describe the Sclerotinia blight disease index included: mean relative humidity (linear and quadratic), mean soil temperature (quadratic), maximum air temperature (linear and quadratic), maximum relative humidity (linear and quadratic), minimum air temperature (linear and quadratic), minimum relative humidity (linear and quadratic), and minimum soil temperature (linear and quadratic). The model explained approximately 50% of the variability in Sclerotinia blight index over 4 years of field research in eight environments. The relationships between weather variables and Sclerotinia blight index were independent of host partial resistance. Linear regression models were used to describe progress of Sclerotinia blight on cultivars and breeding lines with varying levels of partial resistance. Resistance affected the rate of disease progress, but not disease onset. The results of this study will be used to develop site- and cultivar-specific spray advisories for Sclerotinia blight.

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UMA INTRODUÇÃO AO CONFORTO TERMO-AMBIENTAL DO COLÉGIO ESTADUAL SANTA GEMMA GALGANI, CURITIBA, PARANÁ, BRASIL

FLORESTA ◽

10.5380/rf.v45i2.16796 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 45 (2) ◽

pp. 409 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Daniela Biondi ◽

Angeline Martini ◽

Everaldo Marques de Lima Neto

Keyword(s):

Relative Humidity ◽

Thermal Comfort ◽

Air Temperature ◽

Comfort Index ◽

State College ◽

Outdoor Area ◽

Different Seasons ◽

Pet Index ◽

Outer Area ◽

Made In

O objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar as condições de conforto térmico do Colégio Estadual Santa Gemma Galgani, Curitiba, PR comparando ambientes internos e externos em diferentes estações do ano. A análise do conforto térmico foi realizada através do índice PET. As coletas foram feitas no outono, inverno e primavera de 2011, em dois dias e em dois ambientes distintos. Em cada dia de coleta, foi instalado um equipamento dentro da sala de aula e outro na área externa (pátio), caracterizada como: ambiente 1 - área externa com mais de 90% de impermeabilização e menos árvores; e ambiente 2 - área externa com menos de 30% de impermeabilização e mais árvores. A área do colégio possui 7.634,91 m2, sendo 36,56% de áreas permeáveis e 60,44% de impermeáveis. Nas três estações do ano, a temperatura do ar foi mais alta no pátio, com exceção do outono para o ambiente 1 e da primavera para o ambiente 2. Houve diferenças significativas nas condições de conforto entre os ambientes 1 e 2, indicando que as áreas são distintas pela permeabilidade e quantidade de vegetação. Conclui-se que, no geral, as salas de aula do colégio nas estações do outono, inverno e primavera apresentaram conforto térmico na maioria do período observado.Palavras-chave: Índice PET; Termômetro de Globo; temperatura do ar; umidade relativa do ar. AbstractAn introduction to thermal-environmental comfort state college St. Gemma Galgani, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil. The aim of this study was to evaluate the thermal comfort of the State College Santa Gemma Galgani, Curitiba, PR comparing internal and external environments in different seasons. The analysis of thermal comfort index was performed using PET. Collections were made in the fall, winter and spring of 2011 in two days and in two different environments. Every day a collect was installed equipment within the classroom and another in the outer area (outdoor), characterized as an environment 1 - outdoor area with more than 90% of waterproofing and fewer trees; and the environment 2 - external area under 30% waterproofing and more trees. The area of the college has 7634.91 m2 and 36.56% to 60.44% permeable areas and waterproof. In three seasons, the air temperature was higher in the courtyard, with the exception of autumn to the environment and a spring for the environment 2. There were significant differences in terms of comfort between locations 1 and 2, indicating that the areas are distinct permeability and the amount of vegetation. It is concluded that, overall, the classrooms of the college stations in the fall, winter and spring had thermal comfort for most of the observed period.Keywords: PET index; Globe Thermometer; air temperature; relative humidity.

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The effect of the design of housing systems for calves on the microclimatic conditions of the rearing environment

Archives Animal Breeding ◽

10.7482/0003-9438-56-049 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 56 (1) ◽

pp. 509-517 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

D. Němečková ◽

I. Knížková ◽

P. Kunc ◽

L. Stádník

Keyword(s):

Relative Humidity ◽

Thermal Comfort ◽

Air Temperature ◽

Rectal Temperature ◽

Housing System ◽

Air Humidity ◽

Housing Systems ◽

Relative Air Humidity ◽

Microclimatic Conditions ◽

Calf Rearing

Abstract. The objective of this study was to compare microclimatic conditions in three different housing systems designed for calf rearing – individual wooden hutches, individual tarpaulin hutches and individual pens under shelter – and to evaluate the thermal comfort of calves reared in these systems. Air temperature, relative air humidity and the rectal temperature of calves (n=324) were measured in the hutches and pens during three consecutive years. The hypothesis that the climatic conditions of different housing system designs used in calf rearing affect the thermal comfort of calves was confirmed, as the design of the individual housing systems affected microclimatic conditions and subsequently the rectal temperature of the housed calves as well. Statistically significant differences (P<0.05) were found between the shelter and individual outdoor calf hutches in relation to the measured parameters. In the summer, the shelter showed a significantly (P<0.05) lower air temperature and significantly higher level of both relative air humidity and calf rectal temperature. These significantly higher rectal temperatures in both summer and in transitional periods (from March to June and from September to December) can be explained by microclimatic conditions and specifically by the combination of air temperature and the highest relative humidity that caused less comfortable microclimatic conditions for calves. The high relative humidity is probably caused by inadequate ventilation under the shelter. Therefore, new technology of calf housing under shelter could be recommended as suitable housing only if adequate ventilation is provided.

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259 Comparison of On-site and Electronic Meteorological Service Weather Data for Use with a Disease Forecast System

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.34.3.486f ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 34 (3) ◽

pp. 486F-487

Author(s):

M.H. Maletta ◽

W.P. Cowgill ◽

T. Manning ◽

W. Tietjen ◽

S.A. Johnston ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Relative Humidity ◽

Crop Production ◽

Weather Data ◽

Leaf Wetness ◽

Time Data ◽

Weather Information ◽

Hourly Temperature ◽

Data Loggers ◽

Actual Use ◽

On Farm

Weather information has many applications in crop production practices, including disease forecasting. A variety of weather instruments are available for on-farm use, but associated costs and need for regular calibration and maintenance can limit actual use, especially by smaller growers. Subscription to an electronic meteorological service may be a viable alternative to on-site weather stations. In 1997 and 1998, hourly temperature, relative humidity and leaf wetness were monitored at six sites in a 400-m2 area of New Jersey with Field Monitor™ data loggers (Sensor Instruments, Inc.) and by subscription to SkyBit, Inc., an electronic meteorological service. There was close correspondence in temperature data from the two sources at all sites, the average seasonal difference ranging from 0 to 2 °F. Relative humidity data was variable between the two sources, the greatest variation occurring at low and high humidity, the ranges at which relative humidity sensors had been shown to be least accurate. Leaf wetness estimates from the two sources agreed at least two-thirds of the time. Data differences related to source were attributed to both systematic and random error. The usefulness of electronic weather data in crop production depends on how sensitive the particular weather-dependent applications (e.g., predictive disease and insect models) are to variation in the input data. The TOM-CAST early blight forecaster for tomatoes was not particularly sensitive to differences between SkyBit and Field Monitor leaf wetness estimates.

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Thermal Performance of Single-Storey Air-welled Terraced House in Malaysia: A Field Measurement Approach

10.20944/preprints202009.0221.v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Pau Chung Leng ◽

Mohd Hamdan Ahmad ◽

Dilshan Remaz Ossen ◽

Gabriel Hoh Teck Ling ◽

Eeydzah Aminudin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Relative Humidity ◽

Air Temperature ◽

Thermal Performance ◽

Field Measurement ◽

Natural Ventilation ◽

Heat Dissipation ◽

Residential Buildings ◽

High Energy ◽

Existing Building ◽

The Mean

The provision requirement of 10% openings of the total floor area stated in the Uniform Building by Law 1984 Malaysia has been practiced by designers for building plan submission approval. However, the effectiveness of thermal performance in landed residential buildings, despite the imposition by the by-law, has never been empirically measured and proven. Although terraced houses in Malaysia have dominated 40.9% of the total property transaction in 2019, such mass production with typical designs hardly provides its occupants with thermal comfort due to the static outdoor air condition and lack of external windows, where the conventional ventilation technique does not work well, even for houses with an air well system. Consequently, the occupants need to rely on mechanical cooling, which is a high energy-consuming component contributing to outdoor heat dissipation and therefore urban heat island effect. Thus, encouraging more effective natural ventilation to eliminate excessive heat from the indoor environment is critical. Since most of the research focuses on simulation modelling lacking sufficient empirical validation, this paper drawing on field measurement investigates natural ventilation performance in terraced housing with an air well system. More importantly, the key concern as to what extent the current air well system serving as a ventilator is effective to provide better thermal performance in the single storey terraced house is to be addressed. By adopting an existing single storey air welled terrace house, the existing indoor environmental conditions and thermal performance were monitored and measured using scientific equipment, namely HOBO U12 air temperature and air humidity, the HOBO U12 anemometer and the Delta Ohm HD32.3 Wet Bulb Globe Temperature meter for a six-month duration. The findings show that the air temperature of the air well ranged from 27.48°C to 30.92°C, while the mean relative humidity were from 72.67% to 79.25%. The mean air temperature for a test room (single sided ventilation room) ranged from 28.04°C to 30.92°C with a relative humidity of 70.16% to 76%. These empirical findings are of importance, offering novel policy insights and suggestions to potentially revising the existing building code standard and by laws; since the minimum provision of 10% openings has been revealed to be less effective to provide a desired thermal performance and comfort, mandatory compliance with, and the necessity for, the bylaw requirement should be revisited and further studied.

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EFFECT OF BUILDING ORIENTATION ON INDOOR MICROCLIMATE OF CLASSROOM BUILDINGS AT THE KADUNA STATE UNIVERSITY

Built Environment Journal ◽

10.24191/bej.v15i2.9705 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 14

Author(s):

Markus Bulus

Keyword(s):

Weather Data ◽

State University ◽

Time Intervals ◽

North West ◽

North East ◽

Building Orientation ◽

Data Loggers ◽

Microclimatic Conditions ◽

The Impact

Current studies have discussed the significance of building orientation to the building indoor micro-climate and highlighted the need for more empirical research in other to establish the best orientation for buildings. Other scholars have argued that the impact of building orientation is insignificant and varies from one climatic region to another. This study, therefore, examines two prototype classroom buildings at the Kafanchan campus of Kaduna State University –Nigeria. The main purpose of the study is to determine the effect of building orientation on the indoor micro-climatic performance of two classroom buildings. Three Hobo Weather Data Loggers (HWDL) were used to collect data in the selected case-studies, and the third one was used as a benchmark. The study showed a remarkable difference in the indoor microclimatic conditions of the two buildings. The air temperature in case-study (B) is 1oC to 2oC lower than that of case-study (A) in all the respective time intervals. Also, 2% to 4% relative humidity difference was observed in favour of case-study (B). In conclusion, case-study (B) has demonstrated a more favourable indoor micro-climatic performance than case-study (A), and future simulation studies towards understanding the indoor micro-climatic performances of all possible building orientation options such as North-East/South-West, North-West/South-East, North/South and East/West in other to ascertain the optimum option are recommended. Keywords: Buildings; Indoor Micro-climatic; Orientation; Performance

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Detrended Multiple Cross-Correlation Coefficient applied to solar radiation, air temperature and relative humidity

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-019-56114-6 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Andrea de Almeida Brito ◽

Heráclio Alves de Araújo ◽

Gilney Figueira Zebende

Keyword(s):

Relative Humidity ◽

Solar Radiation ◽

Solar Energy ◽

Correlation Coefficient ◽

Air Temperature ◽

Cross Correlation ◽

Global Solar Radiation ◽

Meteorological Variables ◽

Hourly Data ◽

Cross Correlations

AbstractDue to the importance of generating energy sustainably, with the Sun being a large solar power plant for the Earth, we study the cross-correlations between the main meteorological variables (global solar radiation, air temperature, and relative air humidity) from a global cross-correlation perspective to efficiently capture solar energy. This is done initially between pairs of these variables, with the Detrended Cross-Correlation Coefficient, ρDCCA, and subsequently with the recently developed Multiple Detrended Cross-Correlation Coefficient, $${\boldsymbol{DM}}{{\boldsymbol{C}}}_{{\bf{x}}}^{{\bf{2}}}$$DMCx2. We use the hourly data from three meteorological stations of the Brazilian Institute of Meteorology located in the state of Bahia (Brazil). Initially, with the original data, we set up a color map for each variable to show the time dynamics. After, ρDCCA was calculated, thus obtaining a positive value between the global solar radiation and air temperature, and a negative value between the global solar radiation and air relative humidity, for all time scales. Finally, for the first time, was applied $${\boldsymbol{DM}}{{\boldsymbol{C}}}_{{\bf{x}}}^{{\bf{2}}}$$DMCx2 to analyze cross-correlations between three meteorological variables at the same time. On taking the global radiation as the dependent variable, and assuming that $${\boldsymbol{DM}}{{\boldsymbol{C}}}_{{\bf{x}}}^{{\bf{2}}}={\bf{1}}$$DMCx2=1 (which varies from 0 to 1) is the ideal value for the capture of solar energy, our analysis finds some patterns (differences) involving these meteorological stations with a high intensity of annual solar radiation.

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