This paper is concerned with the optimisation of some design criteria for water based active solar space heating systems intended for residential applications in Cyprus.

The paper deals with the CFD (computational fluid dynamics) application to the comfort optimization of some complex architectural projects in which the physical interaction effects between the building and its environment affect strongly the building’s comfort conditions and the HVAC system behaviour. The author reports on his practical experience of modelling aerodynamic and thermodynamic interaction effects between internal and external air flows.

The paper presents the results from a numerical and experimental investigation of the velocity distribution in a ventilated industrial hall in the nuclear power plant in Bulgaria. The room with a complex geometry and irregular boundary conditions was calculated using the finite volume discretisation of the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations closed by the standard k-e turbulence model. The numerical results are compared with the experimental data in representative cross-sections which shows a satisfactory agreement.

The paper presents an interactive on-line package for calculation of energy and cost demands for residential infiltration and ventilation, with input and output data entry through a web browser. This is a unique tool. It represents a new kind of approach to developing software employing user (client) and server (package provider) computers. The main program, servicing “intelligent” CGI (Common Gateway Interface) calls, resides on the server and dynamically handles the whole package performance and the procedure of calculations.

The well-known versions of the sunpath diagrams that appear in the AIA’s Architectural Graphics Standards are based on the equidistant sky dome projections and use a shading mask protractor developed by Olgyay and Olgyay at Princeton University in the 1950s.

A numerical and experimental study is performed to analyze the influence of natural convection on heat transfer in a composite system comprising a porous material heated from below and an air space situated above this. The numerical model is verified by conducting a number of experiments, on a model material consisting of polystyrene pellets of cylindrical shape, made in the Wind Box. This apparatus is a prototype and has been designed and developed at the Department of Building Physics.

This paper discusses a multi-year (MY) approach to building energy simulation and presents a pilot study in Hong Kong that investigates long-term building energy performance using MY weather data. Building energy simulations in the pilot study were carried out using the DOE-2.1E program. A set of 17 years hourly weather data (1979-95) was taken as the weather input to drive the simulation. It is found that the MY approach can provide more information for the analysis of long-term building energy performance and climatic properties.

The design of   monitoring system for   distnbuted energy and heat supply is presented in the paper. The analysis of monitoring system and the phase of pre-design was done by means of Object Modelling CASE Tool, the designed system was implemented in LONWORKS HW and SW environment The function of communication modules providing data transmission from distanced   energy and   heat supply system have been verified and a typical result of qualitative  simulation of  the  distanced complex behaviour  is presented.

The physics of moisture transfer is complex and as a result modelling is normally carried out on a macroscopic basis, with empirical coefficients used to simulate the transport process. These coefficients are not single values but depend on the moisture content of the material. The application of this data within the simulation environment requires the determination of a systematic methodology for its presentation. This paper investigates the transport coefficient referred to as the vapour (or moisture) permeability.

This paper presents the theoretical modelling work of an elementary urban units (street), thermal behaviour. The calculation code Codyflow was set up as a way to model the thermal response (structure surface temperature and ambient air temperature) of an urban system to the solicitations of the outside climate.