Therma
l
Control
?What is Thermal Comfort
Man has always orient to create a
thermally comfortable environment.
This is reflected in building traditions
around the world - from ancient history
to present day.
Today, creating a thermally
comfortable environment is still one of
the most important parameters to be
considered when designing buildings.
The indoor environment should be
designed and controlled so that
occupants' comfort and health are
assured.
Thermal Comfort is a state of mind
that expresses satisfaction with the
thermal environment.
Comfort is a subjective issue and can
vary widely from person to person
However, there are no conditions that
will provide comfort for all people.
Thermal
•Comfort
Thermal Balance and
Comfort
• Thermal Comfort Factors
• Heat transfer
• The Comfort Chart
Thermal Balance and
Comfort
very narrow range of body
temperature must be
maintained for a person to
remain healthy and comfort
Thermal Balance and Comfort
Thermal Balance of Buildings
Thermal Comfort Factors
Thermal equilibrium which resulting
thermal comfort are achieved by heat
gained or lost to the environment.
Number of climatic and personal
factors important to achieving this
equilibrium:
Climatic Factors Personal Factors
Level of physical
Air temperature
activity
Humidity Type of clothing worn
Air movement Level of Adaptation
Degree of fitness &
Radiant heat
health
As any one of these variables
changes, the others need to be
adjusted to maintain the thermal
equilibrium between heat gain
and heat loss in order for a
person to continue to feel
comfortable.
Climatic Factors
Four factors can be used to describe the indoor
environment relative to thermal comfort:
‾Air temperature,
‾ Mean radiant temperature
‾Air movement
‾Relative humidity.
Air
temperature
Its influence on the
surface temperature of
objects in a room.
Air temperature is the
most important
environmental factor.
Mean Radiant
Temperature :
all objects emit radiant energy at a
level proportional to their
temperature
We may feel comfortable with a
very low air temperature if the
radiation temperature is high; for
example, a moderately cold winter
day, may be nice at noon if we are
receiving the sun radiation
Relative
Humidity
high humidity reduces
the rate of evaporative
cooling from the skin
and lungs.
Air
movement
Higher air movement increases
the rate of convective cooling
when air blows across the body
An air movement of between 0.10 and 0.15
meters per second (m/s) provides a satisfactory
air flow rate. At above about 2.0 m/s provides
uncomfortable
Personal Factors
Clothing
Advises that in winter
wearing heavy clothes, a
comfortable effective
temperature (ET) is 20° to
24°C.
In the summer, wearing light
clothes, the ET of 23° to
26°C is more comfortable
Clothing insulation
Clothes keep an air gap between
our body surface and themselves
that isolates us (because air is a
good isolator).
During cold weather, layers of insulating
clothing can help keep a person warm.
At the same time, if the person is doing
a large amount of physical activity, lots
of clothing layers can prevent heat loss
and possibly lead to overheating
Level of Adaptation
Different countries may have
different comfort standards as
a result of particular climate
extremes and of the relative
economics of providing and
running heating and cooling
systems
Body Metabolic Activity
These are metabolic processes
which have an efficiency of only
about 20%, the remaining 80% is
converted into heat.
The rate of metabolic heat
production is primarily controlled
by the rate of body activity.
Typical metabolic heat
generation for various activities
Heat transfer
Heat is primarily transferred away
from the body by one of four
methods: conduction, convection,
radiation or evaporative cooling.
Heat exchange
processes between a
human body and the
indoor environment
Conduction
Conduction moves heat energy
through a substance by transfer
between molecules or atoms
Convection
Convection moves energy by the movement
of molecules or atoms in a fluid
Radiation
Radiation moves energy by
electromagnetic waves
Evaporative Heat Loss
When liquid water evaporates
from a surface, heat is required
to change the water from the
liquid to a gaseous state.
The Comfort Chart
The comfort chart, shown
correlates the perception of
comfort with the various
environmental factors
Wet bulb temperature BWT Relative humidity (RH) Dry bulb temperature (DBT)
Psychrometric Chart
Psychrometric chart with overlaid climatic zones
The Comfort Chart
