Applicability of elevated air movement for maintaining thermal comfort in warm environments

Providing cooling effect with low energy consumption makes the exploration of air flow utilization significative. In ASHRAE Standard 55-2010, the cooling effects of elevated air movement are evaluated using the SET index as computed by the Gagge 2-Node model of whole-body heat balance. Air movement in reality has many forms, which might create heat flows and thermal sensations that cannot be accurately predicted by a simple whole-body model, and the affected body surface might be variably nude (e.g. face) or clothed. The present study set up experiments in a climate chamber to identify the suitable range of indoor temperature to use desk fans and their corresponding range of air speeds. The proper method to evaluate the cooling effect of air movement is also addressed. The results show that SET index derived from the 2-Node model is effective at predicting thermal sensation even under different non-uniform air movement.