English

The distribution of the humidity in a dwelling unit is the key factor determining the condensationrisk and the mold growth, as well as the dryness problem. As the first stage of the research project aiming at the understanding and the solutions of the above problems, the experiment on humidity distribution in multiple rooms with the simulated occupancy was carried out in a full-scale research house. The effects on the humidity distribution of the ventilation, etc. are described and compared with the numerical predictions.

The performance of a passive cooling system was evaluated as part of design works for theproject of an auditorium. The passive cooling system incorporates an array of buried pipes together with a solar chimney. The natural ventilation is enhanced with the help of the solar chimney and fresh air is cooled by circulation within the buried pipes. The application of this system to the acclimatization of an auditorium was evaluated. A model was developed on this purpose, which allows foreseeing the temperature and relative humidity of the air in the auditorium.

The effects of exterior thermal transmission modeling for walls and a roof on the airconditioning heat load prediction for a large space building were analyzed using a coupled simulation of convection based on CFD, radiation and conduction. Three cases were simulated: first, a simplified model using sol-air temperature (SAT) as outdoor boundary conditions; second, a rigorous model where both outdoor and indoor spaces were calculated simultaneously; and, third, using sol-air temperature modified by the results of the second case.

This paper presents the results of the application of building thermal simulation in the design of anew concert hall and refurbishment of interior spaces in the So Francisco Convent in Coimbra, Portugal. The proposed design uses displacement ventilation in all spaces, mechanically driven in the auditorium and hybrid in the convent rooms. A displacement ventilation model, recently implemented in EnergyPlus, is used to predict energy consumption and thermal comfort.

There is a worldwide trend to reuse an old building to renovate the historical district forsustainable development. Because of the different construction type and materials, the historical building should be proposed the reuse process via the different strategies. On the other hand, the historical buildings should also provide the healthy indoor environment. A preliminary study already described the methodology of the indoor environment assessment on existing buildings and intends to draft indoorenvironment indicators [1].

A ventilated cavity wall is often proposed in the building envelope design as an alternative to thetraditional wall, mostly due to its ability in reducing the thermal load during the hot season. In order to be recommended as a solution for improving the thermal comfort, a thorough analysis of its performance under all possible scenarios is required. For assessing the thermal performance of the cavity wall, an experimental model has been built and tested at the DECivil of IST.

Subjective experiments were conducted during the summer season and the winter season in order toclarify the multiplied effects of humidity and indoor chemical pollutants on subjective comfort and productivity. Lower concentration of formaldehyde was observed at low humidity than at high humidity. Subjects rated the acceptability of air lower at the beginning of the exposure in the environments polluted with formaldehyde. On the other hand, lower humidity caused subjects to rate air quality higher in clean air.

In order to clarify the effects of humidity on subjective comfort and productivity under transient conditions in summer, subjective experiments were conducted. Subjects were exposed to 30C/70%RH for 15 minutes in Chamber 1. Then they moved to Chamber 2, in which 4 different conditions were set, and stayed for 180 minutes. For all 4 conditions, SET* was kept constant at 25.2C. Skin wettedness on left chest and skin moisture on left forearm decreased more at low relative humidity. No significant difference in subjective task performances was found among all conditions.

This paper deals with the study of natural ventilation in a building under tropical climates. Roomair distribution is analyzed with a statistical approach. The building is a cube with two opposing outdoor large openings. The cube is modeled using the RNG k-e model. A dimensionless velocity coefficient for different wind directions is evaluated for each indoor cell of the grid. Cumulative distribution function of this coefficient is calculated at different height to point out the influence of the wind direction.

Subjective experiments were carried out to evaluate thermal comfort of inhomogeneous thermalenvironment created in task area using floor air outlet. Subjects are allowed to control freely the air volume supplied from the floor air outlet and the angle of elevation of the central axis of the air jet discharged from the floor air outlet to get their thermal comfort.