Thermal Comfort

Thermal comfort is that condition of mind that which expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment. Thermal environment is those characteristics of the environment which affects a person's heat loss. In terms of bodily sensations, thermal comfort is a sensation of hot, warm, slightly warmer, neutral, slightly cooler, cool and cold. From the physiological point of view, thermal comfort occurs when there is a thermal equilibrium in the absence of regulatory sweating between the heat exchange between the human body and the environment. Human thermal comfort is defined by ASHRAE as the state of mind that expresses satisfaction with the surrounding environment (ASHRAE Standard 55). Maintaining thermal comfort for occupants of buildings or other enclosures is one of the important goals of HVAC design engineers. Thermal comfort is affected by heat conduction, convection, radiation, and evaporative heat loss. Thermal comfort is maintained when the heat generated by human metabolism is allowed to dissipate, thus maintaining thermal equilibrium with the surroundings. Any heat gain or loss beyond this generates a sensation of discomfort.[1] It has been long recognised that the sensation of feeling hot or cold is not just dependent on air temperature alone.

Thermal stress
The concept of thermal comfort is closely related to thermal stress. This attempts to predict the impact of solar radiation, air movement, and humidity for military personnel undergoing training exercises or athletes during competitive events. Values are expressed as the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature or Discomfort Index

Operative temperature The ideal standard for thermal comfort can be defined by the operative temperature. This is the average of the air dry-bulb temperature and of the mean radiant temperature at the given place in a room. In addition, there should be low air velocities and no 'drafts', little variation in the radiant temperatures from different directions in the room, humidity within a comfortable range, and air temperatures in a height of 0.1 m above the floor should not be more than 2 C lower than than the temperature at the place of the occupant's head. The temperatures should also not change too rapidly across either space or time. In addition to environmental conditions, thermal comfort depends on the clothing and activity level of a person. The amount of clothing is measured against a standard amount that is roughly equivalent to a typical business suit, shirt, and undergarments. Activity level is compared to being seated quietly, such as in a classroom. This standard amount of insulation required to keep a resting person warm in a windless room at 70 F (21.1 C) is equal to one Clo. Clo units can be converted to R-value in SI units (K/(W/m) or RSI) by multiplying Clo by 0.155 (1 Clo = 0.155 RSI). (In imperial units 1 Clo corresponds to an R-value of 0.88 F fthr/Btu.)

Factors Influencing Thermal Comfort

Air Temperature (Dry-Bulb) Relative Humidity

Air Velocity Radiation (Mean Radiant Temperature) Metabolic Rate Clothing Insulation
Dry Bulb Temperature - Tdb
The Dry Bulb temperature, usually referred to as air temperature, is the air property that is most common used. When people refer to the temperature of the air, they are normally referring to its dry bulb temperature. The Dry Bulb Temperature refers basically to the ambient air temperature. It is called "Dry Bulb" because the air temperature is indicated by a thermometer not affected by the moisture of the air. Dry-bulb temperature - Tdb, can be measured using a normal thermometer freely exposed to the air but shielded from radiation and moisture. The temperature is usually given in degrees Celsius (oC) or degrees Fahrenheit (oF). The SI unit is Kelvin (K). Zero Kelvin equals to -273oC. The dry-bulb temperature is an indicator of heat content and is shown along the bottom axis of the psychrometric chart. Constant dry bulb temperatures appear as vertical lines in the psychrometric chart.

Definition for relative humidity

The relative humidity of an air-water mixture is defined as the ratio of the partial pressure of water vapor in the mixture to the saturated vapor pressure of water at a prescribed temperature. Relative humidity is normally expressed as a percentage and is defined in the following manner

where:

is the relative humidity of the mixture being considered;

is the

partial pressure of water vapor in the mixture; and pressure of water at the temperatur of the mixture

is the saturated vapor

Definitions of Air velocity The Earth's atmosphere is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by the Earth's gravity. ... The speed at which the air moves over the finned surface of the coil, usually measured in FPM (feet per minute). Definitions of metabolic rate Rate of metabolism; the amount of energy expended in a give period Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the amount of energy expended while at rest in a neutrally temperate environment, in the post-absorptive state (meaning that the digestive system is inactive, which requires about twelve hours of fasting in humans). ... Definitions of radiation Energy that is radiated or transmitted in the form of rays or waves or particles The act of spreading outward from a

central source .Radiation sickness: syndrome resulting from exposure to ionizing radiation (e.g., exposure to radioactive chemicals or to nuclear explosions); low doses cause diarrhea and nausea and vomiting and sometimes loss of hair; greater exposure can cause sterility and cataracts and some forms of cancer... the spontaneous emission of a stream of particles or electromagnetic rays in nuclear decay .the spread of a group of organisms into new habitats

Environmental Indices
Operative Temperature

(3)

Where

to = operative temperature

ta = ambient air temperature tr = mean radiant temperature hc = convective heat transfer coefficient hr = mean radiative heat transfer coefficient
Mean Radiant Temperature

Where

tr = mean radiant temperature

ti = temperature of the surrounding surface i, i=1,2,....,n Fo i = shape factor which indicates the fraction of total radiant energy leaving the clothing surface 0 and arriving directly on surface i, i=1,2,...n Effective Temperature

Effective temperature (ET*) is the uniform temperature of a radiantly black enclosure at 50% relative humidity, in which an occupant would experience the same comfort, physiological strain and heat exchange as in the actual environment with the same air motion.

Standard Effective Temperature and ASHRAE Comfort Zones

Comfort Zones
22.8 oC < ET* < 26.1 oC for summer 20.0 oC < ET* < 23.9 oC for winter The comfort zones are intended to provide acceptable thermal environment for occupants wearing typical indoor clothing and at a near sedentary activity. Acceptable thermal environment is an environment which at least 80% of the occupants would find thermally acceptable.

Local Thermal Comfort

1. Asymmetrical Thermal Radiation

2.

Draft

3.

Vertical Air Temperature Difference

ASSIGNMENT

SUBJECT TOPIC Date

Environment science for built environment : Thermal comfort : 20-01-2009

Submitted to : Mrs.N.L.SIREESHA

Submitted by: Chaitan ya (080506) Ravi teja (080512)

Rajitha (080523) Sravan (080527) Javeed (080 )