English

Generally, geometrical data of the building do not constitute an usual detailed input for the thermal simulations, but nevertheless they become necessary as soon as accuracy is needed to take into account incoming solar energy, to measure the radiant exchange or to assess comfort. Our objective, in the elaboration of a new version of the thermal simulation SIMULA_3D code is to give the right place to the 3D geometric data to achieve such performances.

This   work   regards   the   development   and   the validation a simplified model for building cooling energy requirement. It aims to be as similar as possible to the procedure adopted for calculating the winter heating energy demand of the UNI-CEN standards. The latter, a procedure based on a steady- state model, including one or more corrective numerical-experimental correlations, that take into account in a simplified way – and thus approximately – the effects of thermal capacities on the phenomena under examination.

This  paper  describes  a  simplified  computational model to predict indoor air temperature distribution. This model is based on the energy conservation equation combined with a scaling analysis of the momentum equation. Three-dimensional domains can be discretized in a number of finite volumes and the energy balance is considered for each volume. The resulting set of non-linear equations is iteratively solved using the line-by-line Thomas Algorithm.

This   article   presents   the   first   application   of   the Sim_Zonal software, a tool for evaluating indoor temperature and air flow distributions for residential and office buildings. The aim of this EDF (Electricity of France) software developed with the LEPTAB (University of La Rochelle) is to evaluate comfort problems and specially risks of discomfort (risk of draught, indoor gradient temperature, etc..) for rapid technical appraisals. The tool development - under Windows 95 - is in progress.

This  paper  describes  the  "Self-aware  Buildings" (SAB) project. This is an effort to advance the state of knowledge and technology in the area of environmentally conscious and user-sensitive integrated building control systems. An evolving test bed (SAB cell), its systems, and its information infrastructure are described. Spicifically, simulation- based approaches toward the integrated control of complex building and indoor environmental systems are explored. 

The aim of this work was to develop a simple model to predict the electric energy consumption of office buildings artificially air-conditioned, for  14 (fourteen) Brazilian cities (Belém, Brasília, Curitiba, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Maceió, Natal, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, São Luís, São Paulo and Vitória). The building annual energy consumption was correlated  with  several architectural and constructive variables for each city analysed. Many variables were tested to seek those more important to be used to predict the electricity consumption.

In this study, the Typical Weather Year data for the simulations of buildings were developed following the previous study. Using these data, the annual heating and cooling loads of model houses in 69 Chinese cities were calculated. Regression equations were made to estimate the annual heating and cooling loads using the simulation results. The regional characteristics of the annual heating and cooling loads were clarified.

Heat stress associated with extreme temperatures and relative humidity has been shown to reduce the productivity  from  swine  facilities,  especially breeding facilities. Traditional cooling methods used in these settings include evaporative pad cooling or misting with water. These methods are unable  to lower relative humidity. Direct-expansion air- conditioning (DX-AC) has been shown to be effective, but generally not economically feasible at current energy costs.

The application of a passive cooling system to animal housing was evaluated. For this purpose a model was developed that allows to foresee the temperature and relative humidity of the air inside a livestock building where the natural ventilation is assisted through a solar chimney and the air is cooled through its circulation in buried pipes.