English

We report on a series of measurements of the temperature at Houghton Hall, Luton,over the Spring and Summer of 2003. The data show that the building tracks the externaltemperature, but that the amplitude of diurnal temperature fluctuations typically lies within 2-6 C,while the external fluctuations may be as large as 15-25 C. This buffering of the internaltemperature is largely due to the thermal mass of the space which introduces a time-lag ofbetween 0.5-3.0 hours in the response time of the interior to the exterior space, over the periodof our survey.

This paper describes a study on the performance evaluation of a hybrid ventilation systemwith a heat exchanger. This system has two passive stacks and a heat exchange unit, which includes a heat exchange element, a supply fan, an exhaust fan and a bypass route with a damper. In order to evaluate the system performance, the experiments and numerical simulations using a full-scale test house have been performed in winter or mild seasons. In the result, the ventilation rate and the heat recovery rate under the various conditions of the fan and the damper operation were clear.

As ventilation is a significant consumer of energy the rates of ventilation have often been minimized, particularly after the energy crisis in the early 70s, in order to reduce equipment and energy costs. This has caused in many countries indoor air quality problems. It has been shown that ventilation rates have adverse effects on communicable respiratory illnesses; on sick building syndrome symptoms; on productivity and perceived air quality. Often the prevalence of SBS symptoms is higher in air-conditioned buildings than in naturally ventilated buildings.

The 40 story high-rise headquarter of the Deutsche Post AG in Bonn features an integratedcomfort and low energy concept. Contrary to common high-rise design, the building does not require a central mechanical ventilation system. Instead it is decentrally ventilated by a double faade, which decreases wind loads and allows for natural ventilation through window openings.The typical floor plan is designed to provide a cross ventilation from the double faade through officerooms to a central atrium serving as exhaust duct.

In case of cross ventilation through the large opening, it is well known that the inflow directionat the opening is not normal to the opening. Authors proposed the simplified prediction method of theinflow direction at the inlet opening and the airflow rate simultaneously. It is also well known that the use of general discharged coefficient (CD) values is not suitable for the calculation of cross ventilation rate. First reason is that the simple connection of the pressure loss coefficient of an opening ( ?? as the reciprocal of square CD) in series under-estimates the airflow rate.

Using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques to model buoyancy-driven airflows hasalways proved challenging. This work investigates CFD modelling of buoyancy-driven natural ventilation flows in a single-storey space connected to an atrium. The atrium is taller than the ventilated space and when warmed by internal heat gains producing a column of warm air in the atrium and connect space drives a ventilation flow. Results of CFD simulations are compared with predictions of an analytical model and small-scale experiments [1].

Airflow through openings in a cross ventilated building scale model was investigated in a windtunnel and by numerical predictions. Predictions for a wind direction perpendicular to the building showed an airflow pattern consisting of streamlines entering the room, that originated from approximately the same upstream area in the undisturbed boundary layer and a direction of the flow into the room dependent on opening location with velocity vectors pointing away from the stagnation point.

The main goal of this work is the modeling of the flow field and temperature distribution in thekitchen of a house where natural ventilation techniques were implemented. The Fluent 6.1 commercial CFD software was used. The k- e turbulence model and the Boussinesq approximation for buoyancy were employed. The heat released from a water heater in continuous operation dictates the temperature distribution in the kitchen. Several simulations were performed by varying the boundary conditions and seeking agreement with the available experimental data.

In order to clarify whether a combination of designs is optimal, design elements are divided intodesign variables and random variables in the inquiry process for the optimal design. Design variablesrelated to the model are selected by a genetic algorithm, and random variables related to outdoor condition are selected by the moment method. The whole process of optimization consisted of a two-step procedure to reduce the calculation loads for finding the optimal solution. This study carried out a simple analysis using a coarse mesh considering the calculation loads in the first step.

Evaluating naturally ventilated buildings for performance is a difficult task, often relying oncomputer simulations and modeling to assess thermal comfort and airflow issues. This paper presents the long and short term monitoring procedures and data devised to determine the overall building performance of a naturally ventilated office building in the United Kingdom.