02.human Comfort 2

Managing Human Comfort
Sejuti Zaman, Lecturer, IEE, DUET

Thermal Comfort Factors
Influenced by
– Metabolism
– Migration
– Heat flow
– Clothing
Metabolism
Metabolism affects
perception of thermal
comfort
– Muscular activity
– Digestive process
– Daily cycle
– Health
– Age
– Gender
Migration
Body attempts to
maintain core
temperature (98.6ºF)
by shifting blood flow
– Vasodilation
– Vasoconstriction
Heat Flow
Multiple mechanisms
– Convection
– Conduction
– Radiation
– Evaporation
Heat Flow – Convection
Air movement
caused by pressure
and density changes
– Wind is formed by air
moving from high to
low pressure areas
– Warming air rises
– Cooling air falls
Heat Flow – Conduction
Caused by direct
contact between two
objects of different
temperature
– Heat always flows from
warm to cool
Heat Flow – Radiation
Radiant heat is
exchanged by two
objects of different
temperatures
– Heat always flows
toward cooler object
– Surface temperature
controls interaction
– Seasonally variable
Radiant Heat Flow
Season variations
can change direction
of radiant heat flow
Mean Radiant Temperature (MRT)
MRT approach
is used in Europe
as a means to
lower operating
temperatures
Heat Flow – Evaporation
Water changes from

liquid to gas and this
phase change extracts
heat
– Respiration
– Perspiration
Clothing
Compounds and/or
mitigates the effects of
other mechanisms
Defining Human Comfort

 Reciprocative Factors
• Diet, activity, clothing, exposure, etc.

 Physical Factors
• Air temperature, relative humidity, etc.

 Organismic Factors
Age, sex, genetics, body type, etc.

STANDARDS
• Think of some building standards where the
facility serves different activities
Metabolism and Heat Loss from People

 Food metabolically converted to heat energy
 The body cools itself
• Evaporation (latent heat loss)

• Radiation (radiant heat loss)
• Convection (sensible heat loss)
Evaporative Heat Loss

 Evaporating perspiration from the body
Radiant Heat Loss
 MRT – Mean radiant temperature
 Average temperature of surrounding surfaces
Convective Heat Loss

 Loss of heat to surrounding air
Factors Affecting Metabolic Heat Loss

 Evaporative losses depend on:
• Skin surface temperature of the person
• Relative humidity
• Dry bulb temperature of the air
• Velocity of the air
 Radiation losses depend on:

• The mean radiant temperature (MRT)
• Average temperature of exposed skin
• Surface emissivities
 Convection losses depend on:
• Dry bulb temperature of the air
• Velocity of the air
• Average temperature of
exposed skin
Physiological Reactions to Thermal Extremes

 The body reacts to protect its vital organs
 Extreme cold
• Leads to frostbite and hypothermia

• Reduced evaporation heat loss from skin
 Extreme Heat
• Leads to heat stroke or brain injury
• Increased evaporation
heat loss
Designing for Metabolism and Sedentary Activity

 Metabolic rates change with activities
 HVAC designers usually select “average” activities
 Sedentary activities are chosen for office
environments
 Sedentary activity generates about 400 Btu/hr
Defining Thermal Comfort

 Create an energy-balanced environment
 When a person loses metabolic heat at the same
rate at which it is gained

The ASHRAE thermal Comfort Standard
 Standard 55-1992
 Generally acceptable
comfort ranges
Estimating Metabolic Heat Transfer Rates

 At 75ºF MRT, 40% Humidity, Air velocity of 40
fpm
• Evaporative transfer rate is 100 Btu/hr
• Radiation transfer rate is 150 Btu/hr
• Convective transfer rate is 150 Btu/hr
• MRT is below air temperature in the winter
• MRT is above air temperature
in the summer
Designing for Thermal Comfort

 Weather conditions/Geographical location
 Building use and occupancy
 Architectural details
 Heating/cooling sources
 Heating/cooling distribution systems
 HVAC system controls

 List the factors that affect people’s comfort

 Explain the role of metabolism in thermal comfort
 List three means of losing metabolic heat
 Compare the effects of air conditions on metabolic
heat transfer
 Describe how the body reacts to thermal extremes

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Managing Human Comfort

Sejuti Zaman, Lecturer, IEE, DUET

Water changes from

Defining Human Comfort

• Diet, activity, clothing, exposure, etc.

• Air temperature, relative humidity, etc.

Age, sex, genetics, body type, etc.

Metabolism and Heat Loss from People

 The body cools itself

• Evaporation (latent heat loss)

Evaporative Heat Loss

Convective Heat Loss

Factors Affecting Metabolic Heat Loss

 Radiation losses depend on:

Physiological Reactions to Thermal Extremes

• Leads to frostbite and hypothermia

Designing for Metabolism and Sedentary Activity

 HVAC designers usually select “average” activities

 Sedentary activities are chosen for office

Defining Thermal Comfort

rate at which it is gained

Estimating Metabolic Heat Transfer Rates

Designing for Thermal Comfort

 Heating/cooling distribution systems

 HVAC system controls

 List the factors that affect people’s comfort

 List three means of losing metabolic heat

 Compare the effects of air conditions on metabolic

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