Research scientists at the BRE and De Montford University have carried out tests examining the performance and operation of stack ventilation systems in auditoria.
Thermal comfort in a naturally ventilated test room is investigated. The test room is a lightweight portable cabin located in a sheltered area at Loughborough University, UK. Thermal comfort simulations were carried out for various sizes of openings and glazing. Medium and high thermal mass were added to the test room and their effects on thermal comfort were investigated. The results suggested that thermal mass has significant effect on thermal comfort parameters. Adding a 200 mm thick layer of medium-density concrete to the walls improved the thermal comfort over the summer by 40%.
Advanced Fabric Energy Storage allows buildings to maintain a comfortable internal environment whilst incurring a significantly reduced energy consumption and financial cost This paper provides a concise reference of the key design features of advanced Fabric Energy Storage, sharing experience gained from several years of involvement with the first UK projects.
In France, air conditioning of offices is often required especially in areas with high noise levels and in the Mediterranean climates. Evaporative cooling systems appear able to give a cost effective solution to the growing demand for summer comfort: hence, the CSTB and Gaz de France are currently conducting a joint research on the efficiency of such systems. On the basis of a comfort criteria, this have been done by computer simulations taking into account different kinds of systems, buildings, and climatic areas.
When talking about air-conditioning systems in buildings people argue with high energy consumption of those systems. They do not take into account that it is not possible in many climates to realise several indoor thermal conditions by merely opening windows.Within the framework of the research project SANIREV, sponsored by BMBF and ROM, the Hermann-Rietschel-lnstitute make tests about the use of window ventilation. For different roomloads and out-door-conditions the room conditions are determined. Now we got the first results.
The design of natural ventilation devices in industrial buildings is complicated by the nonlinear interaction between the air flow rate and the indoor air temperature. Designs are therefore usually based on relatively simple calculations of the areas of ventilation openings to provide a specified flow rate at a given indoor/outdoor air temperature difference. However, the practical performance testing required for acceptance of the ventilator design still remains a difficult and dubious task.
During recent years, energy consumption of buildings for cooling purposes has significantly increased. In order to reduce the energy consumption while maintaining high levels of thermal comfort, building research has been oriented towards the appropriate use of the natural heat sinks. The present paper provides comparative information regarding the performance of the more important passive and hybrid cooling techniques involving the use of a natural heat sink.
Indoor air flow induced by a fan-coil unit in an air-conditioned environmental chamber is studied experimentally. The supply Archimedes number which is a macroscopic number describing indoor air flow is measured and related to the
centreline velocity and temperature decay of the cold air jet issued from the fan-coil unit. The space air diffusion and the thermal comfort using respectively the Air Diffusion Performance Index (ADP]) and the Predicted Percentage of dissatisfied (PPD) are evaluated. Evolution of these indices with the supply Archimedes number is discussed.
A short state of the art in heat attenuation studies and technology is presented, with reference to the climate conditions of Mediterranean countries. The main areas of mass, insulation, building shape, glazing and control are considered. The main problems pertaining to each area are discussed and the most promising perspectives illustrated. A possible scenario for a future European concerted action is proposed, considering both applied research, pre-normative studies, and industrial developments.
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