scholarly journals Towards Sustainable Development: Building’s Retrofitting with PCMs to Enhance the Indoor Thermal Comfort in Tropical Climate, Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3614
Author(s):  
Zeyad Amin Al-Absi ◽  
Mohd Isa Mohd Hafizal ◽  
Mazran Ismail ◽  
Azhar Ghazali
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Transition Temperatures ◽  
Indoor Thermal Environment ◽  
Adaptive Thermal Comfort ◽  
The Difference

Building sector is associated with high energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change. Sustainable development emphasizes any actions to reduce climate change and its effect. In Malaysia, half of the energy utilized in buildings goes towards building cooling. Thermal comfort studies and adaptive thermal comfort models reflect the high comfort temperatures for Malaysians in naturally conditioned buildings, which make it possible to tackle the difference between buildings’ indoor temperature and the required comfort temperature by using proper passive measures. This study investigates the effectiveness of building’s retrofitting with phase change materials (PCMs) as a passive cooling technology to improve the indoor thermal environment for more comfortable conditions. PCM sheets were numerically investigated below the internal finishing of the walls. The investigation involved an optimization study for the PCMs transition temperatures and quantities. The results showed significant improvement in the indoor thermal environment, especially when using lower transition temperatures and higher quantities of PCMs. Therefore, the monthly thermal discomfort time has decreased completely, while the thermal comfort time has increased to as high as 98%. The PCM was effective year-round and the optimum performance for the investigated conditions was achieved when using 18mm layer of PCM27-26.

scholarly journals The effects of building layouts and envelope on indoor thermal environment of Hui style traditional buildings in Wuyuan

2020 ◽  
Vol 194 ◽  
pp. 05013
Author(s):  
Xiaowei Hong ◽  
Guangjin Zhang ◽  
Yufeng Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Field Investigation ◽  
Indoor Thermal Environment ◽  
Adaptive Thermal Comfort ◽  
Thermal Comfort Model

Indoor thermal environment of Hui style traditional houses is depended on surrounding environments, building layouts and envelope. Quantitative analysis of the effects of building layouts and envelope on indoor thermal environment is of great significance for preventions of traditional houses and design of new archaized houses. A field investigation was conducted on thirty-six traditional houses from nine villages in Wuyuan, and the typical buildings’ layout and envelope were determined. Four traditional buildings in different location in Wuyuan were selected for continual recording. The four buildings with four types of building layouts and envelope were analyzed by using local adaptive thermal comfort model, and the effects of building layouts and envelope of traditional buildings were clearly revealed. The most crucial way to improve indoor thermal environment in Hui style traditional buildings was raising the indoor air temperature.

scholarly journals Behavioural Adaptation for the Thermal Comfort and Energy Saving in Japanese Offices

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 14-25
Author(s):  
Hom B. Rijal ◽  
Michael A. Humphreys ◽  
J. Fergus Nicol
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Office Buildings ◽  
Behavioural Adaptation ◽  
Indoor Thermal Environment ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
Adaptive Thermal Comfort ◽  
Window Opening ◽  
Behavioural Adaptations

Office workers use a variety of adaptive opportunities to regulate their indoor thermal environment. The behavioural adaptations such as window opening, clothing adjustments, and use of heating/cooling are important factors for adaptive thermal comfort. It is well-known that they are the most important contributors in the adaptive thermal comfort model. Thus, if we understand the behavioural adaptation properly, we can explain the mechanism of the adaptive model. The indoor thermal environment is often adjusted using the air conditioning in Japanese office buildings to improve thermal comfort and productivity. Thus, it is necessary to conduct research on the behavioural adaptation in the offices because the occupant behavior is different from behaviour in dwellings. In order to record the seasonal differences in behavioural adaptation and to develop an adaptive algorithm for Japanese offices, we measured temperatures in 11 office buildings and conducted the thermal comfort and occupant behaviour survey for over a year. We collected 4,660 samples from about 1,350 people. The proportion of ‘open window’ in the free running mode (neither heating nor cooling being used) is significantly higher than that of the air conditioned mode. The behavioural adaptation is related to the outdoor air temperature. The behavioural adaptations such as window-opening, heating and cooling use predicted by regression analysis are in good agreement with the measured data. These findings can be applied to building thermal simulation to predict the behavioural adaptation and energy use in office buildings.

scholarly journals Survey on the Indoor Thermal Environment and Passive Design of Rural Residential Houses in the HSCW Zone of China

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 6471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui ◽  
Zhang ◽  
Shi ◽  
Pan ◽  
Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Room Temperature ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Indoor Thermal Environment ◽  
Passive Design

Despite their high energy consumption, rural residential houses in the hot summer and cold winter (HSCW) zone still have a generally poor indoor thermal environment. The objective of this study was to understand the current status of the indoor thermal environment for rural residential houses in the HSCW zone and analyze its cause in order to develop some strategies for improvement through passive design of the building envelope. Face-to-face questionnaires and interviews, air-tightness testing, and temperature and humidity monitoring were conducted to understand the building envelope, energy consumption, and indoor thermal environment. Then, some passive design strategies were simulated, including the application of functional interior materials such as hygroscopic and phase change materials. An overall passive design for the building envelope can increase the room temperature by 3.6 °C, reduce the indoor relative humidity by 12% in the winter, and reduce the room temperature by 4.4 °C in the summer. In addition, the annual energy-saving rate can reach ~35%.

scholarly journals Study on Behavioural Adaptation for the Thermal Comfort and Energy Saving in Japanese Offices

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 292-299
Author(s):  
Hom B Rijal ◽  
Michael A Humphreys ◽  
J Fergus Nicol
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Office Buildings ◽  
Behavioural Adaptation ◽  
Indoor Thermal Environment ◽  
Adaptive Thermal Comfort ◽  
Window Opening ◽  
Open Window ◽  
Thermal Comfort Model

Office workers use a variety of adaptive opportunities to regulate their indoor thermal environment. The behavioural adaptations such as window opening, clothing adjustments, heating/cooling use are one of the important factors for the adaptive thermal comfort. It is well-known that they are the most important contributors in the adaptive thermal comfort model. Thus, if we understand the behavioural adaptation properly, we can explain the mechanism of the adaptive model. In addition, the indoor thermal environment is often adjusted using the air conditioning in Japanese office building to improve the thermal comfort and productivity. Thus, it is necessary to conduct research on the behavioural adaptation in the offices because the occupant behavior is different to the dwellings. In order to record the seasonal differences in behavioural adaptation and to develop an adaptive algorithm for Japanese offices, we measured temperatures in 11 office buildings and conducted the thermal comfort and occupant behaviour survey for over a year in Japanese offices. We collected 4,660 samples from about 1350 people. The proportion of ‘open window’ in the free running mode (neither heating or cooling being used) is significantly higher than that of the air-conditioned mode. The behavioural adaptation is related to the outdoor air temperature. The behavioural adaptation predicted by the regression analysis is in good agreement with the measured data. These findings can be applied to the building thermal simulation to predict the behavioural adaptation and energy use in office buildings.

scholarly journals Field Study on Adaptive Thermal Comfort in Naturally Ventilated Secondary School Buildings in Nepal

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 317-325
Author(s):  
Mishan Shrestha ◽  
Hom B Rijal ◽  
Masanori Shukuya
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Temperate Climate ◽  
School Buildings ◽  
Preferred Temperature ◽  
Indoor Thermal Environment ◽  
Adaptive Thermal Comfort

Most of the classroom in Nepalese school buildings are thermally less acceptable due to the poor thermal insulation. They are extreme cold in winter and extreme hot in summer season leading for the discomfort in classroom. Thermally uncomfortable classroom causes the negative impact in the academic performance of students. Therefore, there should be serious attention to improve the indoor thermal environment of classroom. There are limited indoor thermal environment studies conducted in Nepalese residential buildings but not at all in school buildings yet. This study investigated the students’ perceptions on thermal comfort inside the classroom of secondary school buildings during the autumn season of 2017 in a temperate climate (Dhading, Kathmandu and Nuwakot districts) of Nepal. 22 classrooms (33 students in average in each class) of 8 school buildings with a total of 818 students aged 12-18 years, 329 (40%) males and 489 (60%) females were participated in the survey. The two simultaneous surveys: questionnaire survey and thermal measurement survey were conducted during the regular lesson periods in each classroom. Students voted at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the class in minutes’ lecture. About 76% responses were found to be in either of slightly cold, neutral or slightly hot. The results show that the comfort temperature of students was around 28 °C, 26°C and 24°C in Dhading, Kathmandu and Nuwakot districts, respectively. However, the mean comfort temperature and preferred temperature was found to be around 27 °C and 26 °C respectively. The findings of this study may hopefully invoke the awareness of the school building designers, teachers and students to maintain the thermally comfortable school buildings without using mechanical system.

scholarly journals Thermal Dynamic Behavior in Bi-Zone Habitable Cell with and without Phase Change Materials

Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Hanae El Fakiri ◽  
Lahoucine Ouhsaine ◽  
Abdelmajid El Bouardi
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Behavior ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Phase Change ◽  
Dynamic Behavior ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Water Heater ◽  
Simplified Modeling

The thermal dynamic behavior of buildings represents an important aspect of the energy efficiency and thermal comfort of the indoor environment. For this, phase change material (PCM) wallboards integrated into building envelopes play an important role in stabilizing the temperature of the human comfort condition. This article provides an assessment of the thermal behavior of a “bi-zone” building cell, which was built based on high-energy performance (HEP) standards and heated by a solar water heater system through a hydronic circuit. The current study is based on studying the dynamic thermal behavior, with and without implantation of PCMs on envelope structure, using a simplified modeling approach. The evolution of the average air temperature was first evaluated as a major indicator of thermal comfort. Then, an evaluation of the thermal behavior’s dynamic profile was carried out in this study, which allowed for the determination of the PCM rate anticipation in the thermal comfort of the building cell.

scholarly journals Energy-saving potential of intermittent heating system: Influence of composite phase change wall and optimization strategy

2020 ◽  
pp. 014459872096921
Author(s):  
Yanru Li ◽  
Enshen Long ◽  
Lili Zhang ◽  
Xiangyu Dong ◽  
Suo Wang
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Phase Change ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Optimization Strategy ◽  
Indoor Thermal Environment ◽  
Indoor Thermal Comfort ◽  
Intermittent Heating

In the Yangtze River zone of China, the heating operation in buildings is mainly part-time and part-space, which could affect the indoor thermal comfort while making the thermal process of building envelope different. This paper proposed to integrate phase change material (PCM) to building walls to increase the indoor thermal comfort and attenuate the temperature fluctuations during intermittent heating. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of this kind of composite phase change wall (composite-PCW) on the indoor thermal environment and energy consumption of intermittent heating, and further develop an optimization strategy of intermittent heating operation by using EnergyPlus simulation. Results show that the indoor air temperature of the building with the composite-PCW was 2–3°C higher than the building with the reference wall (normal foamed concrete wall) during the heating-off process. Moreover, the indoor air temperature was higher than 18°C and the mean radiation temperature was above 20°C in the first 1 h after stopping heating. Under the optimized operation condition of turning off the heating device 1 h in advance, the heat release process of the composite-PCW to the indoor environment could maintain the indoor thermal environment within the comfortable range effectively. The composite-PCW could decrease 4.74% of the yearly heating energy consumption compared with the reference wall. The optimization described can provide useful information and guidance for the energy saving of intermittently heated buildings.

scholarly journals ADAPTIVE HOUSE DESIGN AND PEOPLE’S HABITS IN ACHIEVING THERMAL COMFORT IN GAYO HIGHLAND ACEH, INDONESIA

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Erna Meutia ◽  
Laina Hilma Sari
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
The Body ◽  
Mental Condition ◽  
Human Adaptation ◽  
Cold Environment ◽  
Adaptive Thermal Comfort ◽  
Aceh Province ◽  
Lower Temperature ◽  
House Design

The Gayo Highland is one of the districts in Aceh Province, Sumatra. Due to the topography, this area has a lower  temperature compared than the flat and coastal areas in Aceh. The thermal comfort that is felt is based on a person's mental condition and how he expresses his satisfaction with his thermal environment. In other words, it shows how humans adapt to their thermal environment. Thermal comfort based on human adaptation is known as adaptive thermal comfort. The form of dwelling for the Gayo Highland community has shifted and changed from traditional dwelling to Transitional and Modern forms that influence the Gayo Highland community's adaptation to achieve thermal comfort. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the house design in Gayo highland in providing warmth to the occupants naturally in the cold environment. Another aim of this study is to investigate the people's habits in warming up the body to deal with the low air temperature in the area.  This study shows how the local people adapt themselves through the house element and daily habit to gain the internal thermal comfort.

Some evidence of a time-varying thermal perception

2021 ◽  
pp. 1420326X2110345
Author(s):  
Marika Vellei ◽  
William O’Brien ◽  
Simon Martinez ◽  
Jérôme Le Dréau
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Thermal Conditions ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Time Varying ◽  
Thermal Perception ◽  
Indoor Thermal Environment ◽  
Human Circadian Rhythm ◽  
Comfort Criteria

Recent research suggests that a time-varying indoor thermal environment can lead to energy savings and contribute to boost buildings' energy flexibility. However, thermal comfort standardization has so far considered thermal comfort criteria as constant throughout the day. In general, very little attention has been given to the ‘ time of day' variable in the context of thermal comfort research. In this paper, we show some evidence of a time-varying thermal perception by using: (1) data from about 10,000 connected Canadian thermostats made available as part of the ‘ Donate Your Data' dataset and (2) about 22,000 samples of complete (objective + ‘ right-here-right-now' subjective) thermal comfort field data from the ASHRAE I and SCATs datasets. We observe that occupants prefer colder thermal conditions at 14:00 and progressively warmer ones in the rest of the day, indistinctively in the morning and evening. Neutral temperature differences between 08:00 and 14:00 and 14:00 and 20:00 are estimated to be of the order of 2°C. We hypothesize that the human circadian rhythm is the cause of this difference. Nevertheless, the results of this study are only based on observational data. Thermal comfort experiments in controlled environmental chambers are required to confirm these findings and to better elucidate the effects of light and circadian timing and their interaction on thermal perception.

scholarly journals Effect of phase change material using in building thermal comfort applications through several climate conditions.

2020 ◽  
Vol 170 ◽  
pp. 01007
Author(s):  
Marwa El Yassi ◽  
Ikram El Abbassi ◽  
Alexandre Pierre ◽  
Yannick Melinge
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Material ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Chemical Change ◽  
Thermal Inertia ◽  
Temperature Fluctuations ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Change Material

Nowadays, buildings sector contributes to climate change by consuming a considerable amount of energy to afford thermal comfort for occupants. Passive cooling techniques are a promising solution to increase the thermal inertia of building envelopes, and reduce temperature fluctuations. The phase change materials, known as PCM, can be efficiently employed to this purpose, because of their high energy storage density. Among the various existing solutions, the present study is dedicated to solid-liquid phase change materials. Temperature evolution (according to their defined temperature range) induces the chemical change of the material and its state. For building applications, the chemical transition can be accomplished from liquid to solid (solidification) and from solid to liquid (melting). In fact, this paper presents a comparative thermal analysis of several test rooms with and without phase change materials embedded in a composite wallboard in different climates. The used PCM consist in a flexible sheet of 5 mm thickness (Energain, manufactured by the company DuPont de Nemours). The main properties of such a commercial solution have been delivered by the manufacturer and from analyses. The room model was validated using laboratory instrumentations and measurements of a test room in four cities: Lyon; Reading and Casablanca. Results indicate that this phase change material board can absorb heat gains and also reduce the indoor air temperature fluctuations during daytime. The aim of the study is to show the benefits of this layer with phase change material and compare it in different climatic zones.

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