This paper presents the main results of a research on an individually controlled office environment. The research was carried out in a laboratory that counts on an air conditioning system with underfloor air supply and individual airflow control devices for personalized thermal comfort. The evaluation was based on quantitative and qualitative data acquired respectively by means of comfort variables local measurements and people participation. The main results refer to the thermal comfort parameters proper to the referred environment and parameters for the system operation.

A detailed study using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was conducted on the influenceof the difference in the effective diameters of air supply outlets (wind velocity, assuming the airflow rate to be constant) when using personal air conditioning with isothermal air currents. A method to analyze the new age of air (SVE3*) and the residual lifetime of air (SVE6*) was proposed and studied focusing on the individual supply openings and exhasut openings in a room with multiple supply openings and exhasut openings when using personal air conditioning.

Thirty human subjects participated in experiments with five different air terminal devices forpersonalized ventilation operating at two levels of room air temperature within the range prescribed instandards for thermal comfort, namely 23C and 26C. The subjects actively used the possibility to change the airflow rate and to adjust the positioning of the air terminal devices in regard to the airflow direction. The individual control provided allowed subjects to maintain thermal neutrality with the systems studied, except one, named Headset at the higher room temperature of 26C.

Task conditioning system is expected to reduce energy consumption in buildings and also toimprove thermal comfort of occupants. In this paper, an isothermal task unit was developed and its impact on subjective feeling was invesigated. Laboratory and field surveys were carried out. The airflow characteristic of the unit and usage of the unit in an actual office are described. Preferred airflow and seating condition of the workers using the unit were observed. Most of the workers preferred the airflow from the unit. Task unit was most effective immediately after a worker took their seat.

A personalized ventilation system combined with a seat is introduced in this paper. This kind ofventilation seat is able to provide occupants with improved air quality, individual control and energysavings. A thermal manikin with an artificial lung was used to investigate several fundamental issues on this novel ventilation system. We tested the performances of the eight different air supply nozzles within the flow rate range from 0.1 l/s to 3.0 l/s. The highest pollutant reduction of inhaled air about 80% is achieved by one nozzle named SCN at the flow rate of 3.0 l/s.

The performance of two personalized ventilation systems combined with mixing or displacement ventilation was studied under different conditions in regard to thermal comfort of seated occupants. The cooling performance of personalized ventilation was found to be independent of room air distribution. Differences between the personalized air terminal devices were identified in terms of
the cooling distribution over the manikins body. The personalized ventilation supplying air from the

In this study the concept of ‘adaptive behaviour’ is extended to look at the effects of personal adjustments and regulator control changes provided in offices. It is evident from experience as described in the adaptive approach, that clothing can play an

In this paper, characteristics of the indoor environment utilizing hybrid ventilation system andtask-ambient air-conditioning system are investigated every hour in a year in various types of office spaces by means of dynamic cooling and heating load analysis and CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulation.Authors had investigated the characteristics of the indoor environment of a hybrid ventilation system, utilizing natural and mechanical ventilation, with CFD simulation under various conditions of incoming outdoor air [1].

A distribution of contaminants from floor covering, exhaled air and human bioeffluents was examined in a mock-up of a typical two-person office by means of tracer-gases. The distribution was studied with two types of air terminal device for personalized ventilation combined with displacement ventilation. The results show that the type of personalized ventilation and its use affects the distribution of contaminants to a great extent, as does the type and location of contaminant sources.

Air exhaled by occupants may carry infectious agents and be one way of transmitting respiratory diseases in rooms. The exposure of occupants to exhaled air was examined at two different throw heights of underfloor ventilation combined with two types of personalized ventilation by means of full-scale experiments. The concentration of exhaled air from one occupant was measured in air inhaled by another occupant who used or did not use personalized ventilation.