Residential dehumidification and ventilation systems research for hot-humid climates

Twenty homes were tested and monitored in Houston, Texas, U.S.A. to evaluate humidity controlperformance and operating cost of six different integrated dehumidification and ventilation systems that could be applied by production homebuilders. Fourteen houses had one of the six integrated dehumidification and ventilation systems and also met a high standard of energy efficiency criteria.

Energy savings potential of chilled-ceiling combined with desiccant cooling in hot and humid climates.

Proposes an HVAC system which combines chilled ceiling with desiccant cooling, to be used in hot and humid climates where air dehumidification is necessary in order to maintain the indoor air humidity within a comfort zone and to lessen the risk of condensation on chilled panels. The system decouples temperature and humidity control by using desiccant wheel for moisture removal and ceiling panels to control the temperature. Another three systems were viewed to evaluate the system performance and energy savings potential.

Indoor air quality and thermal comfort studies of an under-floor air-conditioning system in the tropics.

Gives a report on thermal comfort and IAQ studies of an under-floor air-conditioning (UFAC) system in a hot and humid climate. In order to predict the airflow pattern of the supply air jet and to determine the occurrence of thermal stratification in the office room, thermal comfort parameters were measured at predetermined grid points within an imaginary plane. The authors also used Fanger's thermal comfort index to detect the occupants' thermal sensation, and measurements were made of the concentration levels of dust and carbon dioxide.

Study on cross ventilation with radiational panel cooling for hot and humid regions.

A hybrid cooling system using radiational panel cooling with wind-induced cross ventilation in an office setting is investigated. The characteristics of the indoor environment are examined using CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulation, which is coupled with radiation heat transfer simulation and with HVAC control in which the PMV value for the human model in the centre of the room is controlled to be at the set-point (target) value. The system is devised on an energy saving strategy that utilises stratified room air with a vertical temperature gradient.

Towards a dual-mode operation for houses in the warm-humid tropics.

Despite a great accumulation of empirical information on the passive performance of houses for either free-running or conditioned modes, very little work has been done on the thermal performance of buildings that can operate with a mixed-running strategy in warm-humid climates. Buildings with such design features would be able to balance the needs for comfort, privacy, energy efficiency during different periods of the year.

Characteristic of airflow as the effect of balcony, opening design and internal division on indoor velocity. A case study of traditional dwelling in urban living quarter in tropical humid region.

Gives the results of an investigation on the combined effect of balcony, opening design and internal division on the indoor airflows pattern of a living zone located on the second floor of a two storey building. It was done using N3S software. The local average velocity coefficient as a function of the position in horizontal sections of 1.00 and 1.50 m in height was used, for activity with sitting and standing positions. The number of measurement points in the living zone were used to calculate the average velocity coefficient.

Cost effective efficiency in Houston.

Describes a new starter home designed to be climate-specifically energy efficient for the suburbs of Houston, Texas, USA. The home is intended to demonstrate energy efficient building strategies for a hot-humid climate, but at a minimum cost increase over the builder's current product. The many energy efficient technologies incorporated into the design proved that they allow builders to offer better homes at almost no added cost.

Enhancement of natural ventilation in office buildings in Bangkok.

The office workers in Bangkok are accustomed to their environments of a hot-humid climate, resulting in a wider range of acceptable temperatures and higher comfort zone than the recommendation in moderate climate countries. This gives the possibility to use natural ventilation as a tool to provide occupants preference and comfort zone in office buildings, considering a short time experience.

Natural ventilation design for houses in Thailand.

Analyses present and historical Thai houses in terms of climate, culture and technology, as background to an investigation of the potential for use of natural ventilation as a passive cooling system for new house designs. It suggests that natural ventilation can provide a thermally comfortable indoor environment for 20% of the year. Also develops comprehensive design guidelines for natural ventilation using CFD (computational fluid dynamics).

Modeling of thermal environment and human response in a crowded space for tropical climate.

In a crowded building space with no air conditioning, heat and moisture emissions from occupants can result in heat stress in the indoor environment, which in turn, causes thermal strain on the human body. In the present paper, a 61-node thermoregulation model is coupled with a thermal environment model of ventilated space to simulate both the thermal conditions and occupant's responses. The coupling model is validated with experimental data at high occupant density in a thermal environmental chamber.

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