Analysis of Thermal Comfort and Microclimatic Conditions in Special Workplaces

Author(s):  
Zuzana Kolková ◽  
Peter Hrabovský ◽  
Jozef Matušov

Microclimatic conditions and thermal comfort are important factors in the design of high quality buildings and the quality of working conditions for people in different operations. The importance of thermal comfort in the indoor environment can not be underestimated. A vast majority of complaints about indoor climate relate to poor thermal comfort. This paper presents an analysis of subjective thermal comfort measurement. The experiments were conducted to collect the data in the real conditions. ComfortSense system was used in these experiments. A Humidity and an Operative probe are available together with application software with graphical presentation of results including the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Predicted Percentage Dissatisfied (PPD). The operating conditions are regulated by law in our country. The aim of the legislation is to protect people in the working environment and create appropriate health conditions for them. The goal of a thermal comfort analysis is finding an appropriate function of the physical parameters (background radiant temperature, air temperature, air humidity, wind speed, clothing, metabolic rate, and core temperature), which would yield the corresponding comfort/discomfort level.

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (15) ◽  
pp. 4530
Author(s):  
Youcef Bouzidi ◽  
Zoubayre El Akili ◽  
Antoine Gademer ◽  
Nacef Tazi ◽  
Adil Chahboun

This paper investigates adaptive thermal comfort during summer in medical residences that are located in the French city of Troyes and managed by the Association of Parents of Disabled Children (APEI). Thermal comfort in these buildings is evaluated using subjective measurements and objective physical parameters. The thermal sensations of respondents were determined by questionnaires, while thermal comfort was estimated using the predicted mean vote (PMV) model. Indoor environmental parameters (relative humidity, mean radiant temperature, air temperature, and air velocity) were measured using a thermal environment sensor during the summer period in July and August 2018. A good correlation was found between operative temperature, mean radiant temperature, and PMV. The neutral temperature was determined by linear regression analysis of the operative temperature and Fanger’s PMV model. The obtained neutral temperature is 23.7 °C. Based on the datasets and questionnaires, the adaptive coefficient α representing patients’ capacity to adapt to heat was found to be 1.261. A strong correlation was also observed between the sequential thermal index n(t) and the adaptive temperature. Finally, a new empirical model of adaptive temperature was developed using the data collected from a longitudinal survey in four residential buildings of APEI in summer, and the obtained adaptive temperature is 25.0 °C with upper and lower limits of 24.7 °C and 25.4 °C.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (19) ◽  
pp. 5417
Author(s):  
Jinmog Han ◽  
Jongkyun Bae ◽  
Jihoon Jang ◽  
Jumi Baek ◽  
Seung-Bok Leigh

Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems usually have a set-point temperature control feature that uses the indoor dry-bulb temperature to control the indoor environment. However, an incorrect set-point temperature can reduce thermal comfort and result in unnecessary energy consumption. This study focuses on a derivation method for the optimal cooling set-point temperature of an HVAC system used in office buildings, considering the thermal characteristics and daily changes in the weather conditions, to establish a comfortable indoor environment and minimize unnecessary energy consumption. The operative temperature is used in the HVAC system control, and the mean radiant temperature is predicted with 94% accuracy through a multiple regression analysis by applying the indoor thermal environment data and weather information. The regression equation was utilized to create an additional equation to calculate the optimal set-point temperature. The simulation results indicate that the HVAC system control with the new set-point temperatures calculated from the derived equation improves thermal comfort by 38.5% (26%p). This study confirmed that a cooling set-point temperature that considers both the thermal characteristics of a building and weather conditions is effective in enhancing the indoor thermal comfort during summer.


2019 ◽  
Vol 282 ◽  
pp. 02031
Author(s):  
Ricardo M.S.F. Almeida ◽  
Eva Barreira ◽  
Sandra Soares ◽  
Ramos Nuno M.M. ◽  
Sérgio Lopes ◽  
...  

The importance of a good indoor environment for peoples’ health and wellbeing is nowadays clearly established. Besides enhancing the wellbeing of building occupants and helping decrease the occurrence of building related illness, a good indoor environment can also lead to a decrease in worker complaints and absenteeism. This paper presents the results of a three-month monitoring campaign where the thermal comfort of a toll station was evaluated, including the main room and the cabins. The physical parameters required for the assessment of both global and local thermal comfort were measured and the results were compared with the thermal perception of the occupants, which was collected through questionnaires. The indoor environmental quality in the main room was better than in the cabins and a mismatch between the PMV index and the occupants thermal sensation was identified.


2016 ◽  
Vol 824 ◽  
pp. 218-225
Author(s):  
Mária Budiaková

The paper is oriented on the indoor environment influenced by radiant effect of floor heating. Questionnaire survey has showed problems with providing quality of indoor climate in new office building in Bratislava. The cause of problems was formation of local thermal discomfort, in particular mainly radiant asymmetry. To clarify the radiant asymmetry, there were carried out experimental measurements with thermal manikin in a special microclimatic laboratory for the radiant floor heating. The scientific analysis and the outputs from measurements are presented in this paper. In the conclusion of this paper are introduced principals for designing the offices’ interiors without local thermal discomfort.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pushpesh Singh ◽  
Gajendra Vasantrao Patil

Fans are playing a major role around the globe for effective and pocket friendly cooling, especially in the region of Asia where humidity is high. Thermal comfort being one of the most important factors for improvement in working environment for better quality of work. Moving of air around the body helps sweat evaporation and makes body feel comfortable. Mixing of air from top to bottom of the area so as to neutralize the change in temperature is done by fans effectively than any other means. Destratification of air is the biggest problem faced in any enclosed area which can be rectified by using fans. CFD Analysis is performed on the designed ceiling fan to analyze the airflow around the area of interest


Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 551
Author(s):  
Zoubayre El Akili ◽  
Youcef Bouzidi ◽  
Abdelatif Merabtine ◽  
Guillaume Polidori ◽  
Amal Chkeir

The thermal comfort requirements of disabled people in healthcare buildings are an important research topic that concerns a specific population with medical conditions impacted by the indoor environment. This paper experimentally investigated adaptive thermal comfort in buildings belonging to the Association of Parents of Disabled Children, located in the city of Troyes, France, during the winter season. Thermal comfort was evaluated using subjective measurements and objective physical parameters. The thermal sensations of respondents were determined by questionnaires adapted to their disability. Indoor environmental parameters such as relative humidity, mean radiant temperature, air temperature, and air velocity were measured using a thermal microclimate station during winter in February and March 2020. The main results indicated a strong correlation between operative temperature, predicted mean vote, and adaptive predicted mean vote, with the adaptive temperature estimated at around 21.65 °C. These findings highlighted the need to propose an adaptive thermal comfort strategy. Thus, a new adaptive model of the predicted mean vote was proposed and discussed, with a focus on the relationship between patient sensations and the thermal environment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
pp. 02013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Kiil ◽  
Alo Mikola ◽  
Martin Thalfeldt ◽  
Jarek Kurnitski

Modern office building users have high expectations about the working environment and thermal comfort, which requires the installation of complex technical systems such as combined cooling and ventilation. Room conditioning units of these systems must ensure temperature and ventilation control in a way that air velocity is low and the air temperature in acceptable range. Achieving air distribution avoiding draught is one of the key elements of a thermal comfort in modern office landscape. Higher air velocity in occupied zone is easily perceived as draught, which causes occupant dissatisfaction and complaints, as well as decrease in the productivity or effective floor space area. To reduce complaints, room air temperature setpoints or ventilation airflow rates are often modified, which may result in higher heating energy demand. In addition, excessive heating setpoint rise will not only consume more energy, but may cause health problems. Compared to cellular offices it is more difficult to ensure thermal comfort conditions in open office spaces where there are no walls for air flows. In addition, due to the higher number of employees it is more difficult to meet satisfactory conditions for everyone. The aim of this study was to evaluate thermal comfort parameters such as room air temperature, air speed and supply air temperature and how the users sense it in a modern office building in Tallinn, Estonia. Design room air temperature setpoints and air exchange rate were evaluated on open office spaces. Measured data with web-based indoor climate questionnaire was analysed. Results show which design and measured parameters make it possible to match the user comfort at all times.


2014 ◽  
Vol 584-586 ◽  
pp. 761-764 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrey Volkov ◽  
Artem Sedov ◽  
Pavel Chelyshkov ◽  
Ekaterina Kulikova

<p class="p0">Creating a comfortable indoor environment has been one of the mainconcerns when it comes to the design and operation of buildings. Buildings are a crucial part of our daily life, on average people spends 85 % of their time performing activities inside of buildings and therefore the quality of the indoor environment is a critical factor affecting the happiness and productivity of building users.The indoor environmental quality has a strong relationship on the thermal conditions of a space which is directly affected by the amount of heat lost or gained due to the properties of the materials used, the external environmental conditions and the inner sources of heat; In consequence, efforts have to be made to maintain proper thermal conditions by means of using natural and mechanical strategies to provide heating, cooling and ventilation. While the thermal comfort is an important aspect for the average user of a building, it becomes a critical aspect when it comes to population highly sensitive to thermal conditions.</p>


2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Soares ◽  
Sílvia Fraga ◽  
João M.P.Q. Delgado ◽  
Nuno M.M. Ramos

<em>Background</em>: Modern societies spend most of their time indoors, namely at home, and the indoor environment quality turns out to be a crucial factor to health, quality of life and well-being of the residents. The present study aims to understand how indoor environment relates with quality of life and how improving housing conditions impacts on individuals’ health. <br /><em>Design and Methods:</em> This study case will rely on the following assessments in both rehabilitated and non-rehabilitated social housing: i) field measurements, in social dwellings (namely temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, air velocity, air change rate, level of mould spores and energy consumption); ii) residents’ questionnaires on social, demogaphic, behavioural, health characteristics and quality of life. Also, iii) qualitative interviews performed with social housing residents from the rehabilitated houses, addressing the self-perception of living conditions and their influence in health status and quality of life. All the collected information will be combined and analysed in order to achieve the main objective. <br /><em>Expected impact:</em> It is expected to define a Predicted Human Life Quality (PHLQ) index, that combines physical parameters describing the indoor environment measured through engineering techniques with residents’ and neighbourhood quality of life characteristics assessed by health questionnaires. Improvement in social housing should be related with better health indicators and the new index might be an important tool contributing to enhance quality of life of the residents.


2014 ◽  
Vol 584-586 ◽  
pp. 757-760 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrey Volkov ◽  
Artem Sedov ◽  
Pavel Chelyshkov ◽  
Ekaterina Kulikova

<p class="p0">Creating a comfortable indoor environment has been one of the mainconcerns when it comes to the design and operation of buildings. Buildings are a crucial part of our daily life, on average people spends 85 % of their time performing activities inside of buildings and therefore the quality of the indoor environment is a critical factor affecting the happiness and productivity of building users.The indoor environmental quality has a strong relationship on the thermal conditions of a space which is directly affected by the amount of heat lost or gained due to the properties of the materials used, the external environmental conditions and the inner sources of heat; In consequence, efforts have to be made to maintain proper thermal conditions by means of using natural and mechanical strategies to provide heating, cooling and ventilation. While the thermal comfort is an important aspect for the average user of a building, it becomes a critical aspect when it comes to population highly sensitive to thermal conditions.</p>


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