News about research
Personalised space conditioning in offices: Experiment, modelling and simulation
This research aims to utilise a personalised comfort system (PCS) aiming to efficiently function in heating and/or cooling office spaces to raise comfort levels and provide energy efficient standards for using PCSs in office spaces.
Basically, offices were chosen for this research for they have relatively controlled and predictable environments in terms of users’ activities and occupancy hours. Ambient conditions are considered as the main variable in this research. In the heating case, the setpoint temperature will be set higher than the ordinary office temperature, and in the cooling case it will be set lower. This shifting in setpoint temperatures will certainly reduce a large amount of annual energy on space conditioning. PCSs normally spend little energy compared to the conventional space conditioning systems.
In the chair building physics- Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, we aim to study personalised heating and cooling through experiments on human subjects and on thermal manikin in our controlled-environment climate chamber. These experiments will be validated by computer simulation to increase the efficiency of the PCSs in means of energy consumption and comfort for users.
Based on studies on thermal sensation and thermal comfort which prove that overall sensation and comfort is related to local sensation and comfort and consequently on skin temperature. Body parts vary in their influence on the body sensation and comfort, accordingly, personalised heating and cooling will be targeted. The use of personalised heating and cooling will be designed and tested in aim to achieve higher levels of comfort in cases of heating and cooling. Personalised heating chair is used at certain sequence to guarantee uninterrupted thermal comfort in heating case. Also, personalised cooling/ventilated chair, and cooling wall are used to achieve thermal comfort.
PCS tests and measurements of thermal comfort of subjects in the climate chamber compared to thermal comfort results calculated based on the UC Berkeley comfort model represent pivotal results of the research. Results are expected to present an integrated personalised space conditioning system for office spaces that is energy efficient and provides higher levels of personal thermal comfort for users.
Funding institution:
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research - Sudan
Project duration:
12/2017 - 10/2020
Contact person:
Ammar H. Osman M.Sc.
Tel. +49(0)36 43/58 48 43