scholarly journals Influence of Indoor Climate on Employees in Office Buildings—A Case Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (14) ◽  
pp. 5569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Kapalo ◽  
Silvia Vilčeková ◽  
Ľudmila Mečiarová ◽  
Florin Domnita ◽  
Mariusz Adamski
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Air Conditioning ◽  
Subjective Evaluation ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Co2 Concentration ◽  
Office Buildings ◽  
Indoor Climate ◽  
Office Rooms ◽  
Air Conditioning Systems

The presented research work is aimed at investigation of the influence of indoor environmental conditions on employees in office buildings. Monitoring of carbon dioxide, temperature, relative humidity and pulse, as well as subjective evaluation, was carried out in three office rooms where air conditioning systems ensured the required amount of fresh air. Investigation showed that in two offices (A and B), the amount of fresh air did not comply with EN 15251:2017. The concentration of CO2 in office A was above 1000 ppm for 72% of the total length of stay. Respondents confirmed fatigue and headaches. In offices A and B, where CO2 concentration was around 1000 ppm, people with a weight of up to 70 kg experienced a significant increase in air temperature as well as odor. Persons with weight higher than 75 kg experienced a slight decrease in air quality. In office C, where CO2 concentration was around 800 ppm, respondents reported a slight decrease in air quality. According to pulse monitoring, it can be stated that in an office where there is an insufficient supply of fresh air, the pulse of a person falls or only slightly rises. A decrease in pulses may indicate the attenuation or stunning of people caused by poor air quality.

scholarly journals Thermal comfort analysis in office buildings with different air-conditioning systems

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Szabo ◽  
L. Kajtar
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Air Conditioning ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Concentration ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Office Buildings ◽  
Ducted Fan ◽  
Air Conditioning Systems

It is a prime aim to ensure a suitable comfort level in case of office buildings. The productivity of office employees is directly influenced by the comfort. Thermal discomfort and poor indoor air quality deteriorate the intensity and quality of human work. We investigated the comfort in office buildings with on-site measurements during the summer season. The office buildings were operating with different HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning) systems: ducted fan-coil with suspended ceiling, installation, non-ducted fan-coil with floor-mounted installation, active chilled beam with fresh air supply. We evaluated the thermal comfort under PMV (Predicted Mean Vote), PPD (Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied), the local discomfort based on DR (Draught Rate) and the IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) based on carbon dioxide concentration. The comfort measurements were evaluated. The measurements were evaluated with scientific research methods, comfort categories based on the requirements of CR 1752. The results of this comparison were presented in this article.

scholarly journals Mitigation Strategies for Overheating and High Carbon Dioxide Concentration within Institutional Buildings: A Case Study in Toronto, Canada

Buildings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Tam ◽  
Yuqing Zhao ◽  
Zaiyi Liao ◽  
Lian Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Indoor Environment ◽  
Thermal Conditions ◽  
Co2 Concentration ◽  
Hvac System

Indoor air quality and thermal conditions are important considerations when designing indoor spaces to ensure occupant health, satisfaction, and productivity. Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration and indoor air temperature are two measurable parameters to assess air quality and thermal conditions within a space. Occupants are progressively affected by the indoor environment as the time spent indoors prolongs. Specifically, there is an interest in carrying out investigations on the indoor environment through surveying existing Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning (HVAC) system operations in classrooms. Indoor air temperature and CO2 concentration in multiple lecture halls in Toronto, Canada were monitored; observations consistently show high indoor air temperature (overheating) and high CO2 concentration. One classroom is chosen as a representative case study for this paper. The results verify a strong correlation between the number of occupants and the increase in air temperature and CO2 concentration. Building Energy Simulation (BES) is used to investigate the causes of discomfort in the classroom, and to identify methods for regulating the temperature and CO2 concentration. This paper proposes retro-commissioning strategies that could be implemented in institutional buildings; specifically, the increase of outdoor airflow rate and the addition of occupancy-based pre-active HVAC system control. The proposed retrofit cases reduce the measured overheating in the classrooms by 2-3 °C (indoor temperature should be below 23 °C) and maintain CO2 concentration under 900 ppm (the CO2 threshold is 1000 ppm), showing promising improvements to a classroom’s thermal condition and indoor air quality.

A dynamic model for human thermal comfort for smart building applications

2019 ◽  
Vol 234 (4) ◽  
pp. 472-483
Author(s):  
Ghezlane Halhoul Merabet ◽  
Mohamed Essaaidi ◽  
Driss Benhaddou
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Air Conditioning ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Air Conditioning System ◽  
Human Thermal Comfort ◽  
Local Quality ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Air Conditioning Systems

Thermal comfort is closely related to the evaluation of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. It can be seen as the result of the perception of the occupants of a given environment, and it is the product of the interaction of a number of personal and environmental factors. Otherwise, comfort issues still do not play an important role in the daily operation of commercial buildings. However, in the workplace, local quality effects, in addition to the health, the productivity that has a significant impact on the performance of the activities. In this regard, researchers have conducted, for decades, investigations related to thermal comfort and indoor environments, which includes developing models and indices through experimentations to establish standards to evaluate comfort and factors and set-up parameters for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. However, to our best knowledge, most of the research work reported in the literature deals only with parameters that are not dynamically tracked. This work aims to propose a prototype for comfort measuring through a wireless sensor network and then presenting a model for thermal comfort prediction. The developed model can be used to set up a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system to meet the expected comfort level. In particular, the obtained results show that there is a strong correlation between users’ comfort and variables such as age, gender, and body mass index as a function of height and weight.

scholarly journals CASE-STUDY ANALYSIS OF CONCRETE LARGE-PANEL APARTMENT BUILDING AT PRE- AND POST LOW-BUDGET ENERGY-RENOVATION

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kalle KUUSK ◽  
Targo KALAMEES ◽  
Siim LINK ◽  
Simo ILOMETS ◽  
Alo MIKOLA
Keyword(s):  
Co2 Concentration ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Study Analysis ◽  
Indoor Climate ◽  
Apartment Building ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
Thermal Transmittance ◽  
Large Panel ◽  
Thermal Bridges

The paper presents a case study analysis of low-budget renovation of a typical concrete large-panel apartment building. Focus is on the measurements and analyses of energy consumption, indoor climate, CO2 concentration, air leakage rate, thermal transmittance of thermal bridges, and thermal transmittance of the building envelope before and after the renovation. Results indicate that the renovation project was generally successful, with delivered energy need de­creasing by 40% and heating energy need decreasing by 50%. However, some key problems need to be solved to achieve full energy efficiency potential of the renovation works. Those critical problems are the performance (thermal comfort, heat recovery) of ventilation systems, thermal bridges of external wall/window jamb and economic viability. Currently, a major renovation is not economically viable, therefore financial assistance to the apartment owners’ associations is required to encourage them to undertake major renovations.

scholarly journals Indoor Air Quality Enhancement Performance of Liquid Desiccant and Evaporative Cooling-Assisted Air Conditioning Systems

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1036 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beom-Jun Kim ◽  
Junseok Park ◽  
Jae-Weon Jeong
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Reference System ◽  
Air Conditioning ◽  
Evaporative Cooling ◽  
Quality Enhancement ◽  
Liquid Desiccant ◽  
Air Conditioning Systems ◽  
Indoor Pm2.5

The main objective of this study is to investigate the indoor air quality enhancement performance of two different liquid desiccant and evaporative cooling-assisted air conditioning systems, such as the variable air volume (VAV) system with the desiccant-enhanced evaporative (DEVap) cooler, and the liquid desiccant system with an indirect and direct evaporative cooling-assisted 100% outdoor air system (LD-IDECOAS), compared with the conventional VAV system. The transient simulations of concentration variations of carbon dioxide (CO2), coarse particles, and fine particles (PM10 and PM2.5) in a model office space served by each system were performed using validated system models that were found in the literature. Based on the hourly thermal loads of the model space predicted by the TRNSYS 18 program, each air conditioning system was operated virtually using a commercial equation solver program (EES). The results indicated that the LD-IDECOAS provided the lowest annual indoor CO2 concentration among all the systems considered in this research, while the VAV system with DEVap cooler exceeded the threshold concentration (i.e., 1000 ppm) during the cooling season (i.e., July, August, and September). For the indoor particulate contaminant concentrations, both liquid desiccant and evaporative cooling-assisted air conditioning systems indicated lower indoor PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations compared with the reference system. The LD-IDECOAS and the VAV with a DEVap cooler demonstrated 33.3% and 23.5% lower annual accumulated indoor PM10 concentrations than the reference system, respectively. Similarly, the annual accumulated indoor PM2.5 concentration was reduced by 16% using the LD-IDECOAS and 17.1% using the VAV with DEVap cooler.

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