Research Characteristics of Thermal Comfort of Urban Block Landscape Based on Knowledge Graph Analysis

The landscape environment of urban blocks plays a significant role in improving the comfort of urban thermal environment and promoting green and high-quality development.The 342 papers related to the research on the impact of urban block landscape environment on thermal comfort in China,collected by CNKI(China National Knowledge Infrastructure)from 2002 to 2022,are used as the research object.Through bibliometric statistical analysis,LLR algorithm,and cluster analysis,the current research status of the impact of urban block landscape environment on thermal comfort in China is analyzed and processed,and its external characteristics are identified.Using the information visualization software CiteSpace,the research topics in the field of the impact of urban block landscape environment on thermal comfort are presented in the form of knowledge graphs.Through co-occurrence analysis of keywords and trend of word frequency changes,the development trends of research hotspots and cutting-edge fields of the impact of urban block landscape environment on thermal comfort are determined,hoping to provide reference for future research in this field.

Optimisation of Thermal Comfort of Building in a Hot and Dry Tropical Climate: A Comparative Approach between Compressed Earth/Concrete Block Envelopes

Compressed earth blocks (CEB) are an alternative to cement blocks in the construction of wall masonry. However, the optimal architectural construction methods for adequate thermal comfort for occupants in hot and arid environments are not mastered. This article evaluates the influence of architectural and constructive modes of buildings made of CEB walls and concrete block walls, to optimize and compare their thermal comfort in the hot and dry tropical climate of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Two identical pilot buildings whose envelopes are made of CEB and concrete blocks were monitored for this study. The thermal models of the pilot buildings were implemented in the SketchUp software using an extension of EnergyPlus. The models were empirically validated after calibration against measured thermal data from the buildings. The models were used to do a parametric analysis for optimization of the thermal performances by simulating plaster coatings on the exterior of walls, airtight openings and natural ventilation depending on external weather conditions. The results show that the CEB building displays 7016 hours of discomfort, equivalent to 80.1% of the time, and the concrete building displays 6948 hours of discomfort, equivalent to 79.3% of the time. The optimization by modifications reduced the discomfort to 2918 and 3125 hours respectively;i.e. equivalent to only 33.3% for the CEB building and 35.7% for the concrete building. More study should evaluate thermal optimizations in buildings in real time of usage such as residential buildings commonly used by the local middle class. The use of CEB as a construction material and passive means of improving thermal comfort is a suitable ecological and economical option to replace cementitious material.

Impact of Street Built Environment on Human Thermal Comfort in Summer

With the continuous intensification of the global greenhouse effect,thermal comfort has become a highly concerned issue in the living environment.The study explores the influencing factors and improvement strategies of urban street thermal comfort.The urban heat island effect,environmental parameters,building layout,and green planting all have a significant impact on the thermal comfort of streets.Improvement strategies include optimizing cultivating pattern of plants,adjusting street layout,and improving paving materials of road.The multi-layer vegetation structure provides green shade,reduces local temperature,and humidifies the surrounding environment.It should adjust the street orientation and aspect ratio to provide sunlight and ventilation,and reduce ambient temperature.Paving materials with low reflectivity and light color and permeable underlying surface should be chosen to reduce heat absorption,increase shading and greenery,and improve thermal comfort.

Thermal Performance Analysis of Plaster Reinforced with Raffia Vinifera Particles for Use as Insulating Materials in Building

The present study focuses on the formulation of new composite consisting of plaster and raffia vinifera particle (RVP) with the purpose to reducing energy consumption. The aim of this study is to test this new compound as an insulating eco-material in building in a tropical climate. The composites samples were developed by mixing plaster with raffia vinifera particles (RVP) using three different sizes (1.6 mm, 2.5 mm and 4 mm). The effects of four different RVP incorporations rates (i.e., 0wt%, 5wt%;10wt%;15wt%) on physical, thermal, mechanicals properties of the composites were investigated. In addition, the use of the raffia vinifera particles and plaster based composite material as building envelopes thermal insulation material is studied by the habitable cell thermal behavior instrumentation. The results indicate that the incorporation of raffia vinifera particle leads to improve the new composite physical, mechanical and thermal properties. And the parametric analysis reveals that the sampling rate and the size of raffia vinifera particles are the most decisive factor to impact these properties, and to decreases in the thermal conductivity which leads to an improvement to the thermal resistance and energy savings. The best improvement of plaster composite was obtained at the raffia vinifera particles size between 2.5 and 4.0 mm loading of 5wt% (C95P5R) with a good ratio of thermo-physical-mechanical properties. Additionally, the habitable cell experimental thermal behavior, with the new raffia vinifera particles and plaster-based composite as thermal insulating material for building walls, gives an average damping of 4°C and 5.8°C in the insulated house interior environment respectively for cold and hot cases compared to the outside environment and the uninsulated house interior environment. The current study highlights that this mixture gives the new composite thermal insulation properties applicable in the eco-construction of habitats in tropical environments.

Future changes in thermal comfort conditions over China based on multi-RegCM4 simulations

使用4个不同全球模式模拟结果,驱动RegCM4区域气候模式,进行了RCP4.5中等温室气体排放情景下东亚地区21世纪气候变化的高分辨率(25 km)模拟。本文基于此套模拟集合,使用综合考虑了气温、相对湿度和风速因素的人体热感受指数有效温度(ET),给出了未来中国区域热舒适条件的变化。分析中同时考虑了未来人口数量和分布情景所引起的暴露度变化。研究发现,未来中国区域的ET的普遍升高引起炎热天气的人口暴露度大幅度增加(到21世纪末相对于当代全国平均将增加6倍‘人-天’(person–days),凉、冷和寒冷天气的暴露度则减少。同时尽管舒适日数有所增加,但相应的人-天数目则有22%的减少。不同因素(气候、人口和两者的相互作用)对于上述变化的贡献分析表明,在舒适度的热端,气候因素的作用更重要,而人口因素则在冷端起着主导作用。总体而言,即使是在中等水平温室气体排放情景下,中国区域未来的热强度也将增加,尽管结果表现出很强的地理依赖特征。相对使用单纯气候因素的结果,人口暴露度的引入对变化信号有着强烈的调制作用,从而更加强调了在与气候变化相关的风险评估分析中,考虑社会-经济因素的重要性。

Impact of summer office set air-conditioning temperature on energy consumption and thermal comfort

To explore the relationship between summer office set air-conditioning temperature and energy consumption related to air conditioning use to provide human thermal comfort,a comparison experiment was conducted in three similar offices at temperatures of 24,26 and 28 ℃ respectively. A thermal comfort questionnaire survey was conducted. It is demonstrated that air-conditioner energy consumption at the set temperature of 28 ℃ is 113% and 271% lower than at 26 ℃ and 24 ℃,respectively. A linear relationship exists between air-conditioner energy consumption and the indoor and outdoor temperature difference. When comfortably dressed,over 80% of research participants accept the set temperature of 28 ℃. The regression analysis leads to a neutral temperature of 26.2 ℃ and an acceptable temperature of 28.2 ℃ for over 80% of the research participants subjects,indicating that the current 26 ℃ set temperature for offices in summer,required by Chinese General Office of the State Council,can be increased to 28 ℃. Moreover,analysis of predicted mean vote(PMV) index shows that a set temperature of 27 ℃,not 26 ℃,is sufficiently comfortable for office staff wearing long-sleeve shirts,long pants and leather shoes.

Field experiments on thermal comfort in university dormitories in Chongqing,China

A field study on thermal comfort was conducted in university dormitories in Chongqing,China,which was transverse with monthly from August 2008 to April 2009. A total of 1 572 returned questionnaires were collected. Thermal comfort variables were measured,at the same time students answered a survey on their indoor climate sensation. The thermal environment parameters,i.e.,indoor air temperature,air relative humidity,air velocity and outdoor air temperature were measured. The subjective survey investigated thermal sensation and preference using subjective scales. Objective data analysis shows that the indoor environments in university dormitories in Chongqing cannot meet 80% acceptability criteria prescribed by ASHRAE Standard 55. The ranges of accepted temperature are 21.5?28.5 ℃ in summer and 14.1?23.4 ℃ in winter. The preferred temperature is 22.8 ℃. It is observed that during summer season people prefer somewhat cooler condition than neutral,but in the winter season people prefer somewhat warmer condition than neutral. The relationship between air movement preference and thermal sensation indicates that even without a cooling requirement related to thermal comfort,people appear to welcome air movement.

Effects of urban street trees on human thermal comfort and physiological indices: a case study in Changchun city, China

Planting trees along urban streets is one of the most important strategies to improve the urban thermal environment.However,the net impacts of urban street trees on human thermal comfort and physiological parameters are still less clear.On three similar east-west orientated streets with different degrees of tree cover-low(13%),medium(35%),and high(75%),urban microclimatic parameters and human physiological indices for six male students were simultaneously measured on three cloudless days in summer 2018.The results show that the differences in tree cover were predominant in influencing urban thermal environment and comfort.The street with the highest tree cover had significantly lower physiological equivalent temperature(PET) and more comfortable than the other two streets.The frequency of strong heat stress(PET> 35℃) was 64%,11 %,and 0%,respectively,for streets with low,medium,and high tree cover.For the six male university students,human physiological indices varied greatly across the three streets with different tree cover.Systolic blood pressure,diastolic blood pressure,and pulse rate increased with decreasing tree cover.The results also suggest that urban thermal environment and comfort had considerable impact on human physiological parameters.Our study provides reasons for urban planners to plant trees along streets to improve the thermal environment and promote urban sustainability.

Thermal Comfort in Waiting Room at Railway Station in Cold Region in China

A field study and analysis about the thermal comfort was carried out in the waiting room at Beijing West Rail Station in Chinese cold region.Passengers' TSV(thermal sense vote)was obtained using statistical method on the basis of more than 1 200 questionnaires.The linear regression between TSV and indoor temperature indicates that thermal neutral temperature is 25.2 ℃.According to the percentage of satisfaction among all passengers under different indoor temperatures,the acceptable temperature range in the waiting room is 24.2～30.2℃.It is also found that passengers' temporary stay should be taken into consideration for the thermal comfort analysis.Passengers' TSV is not a constant value after they enter the waiting room.In fact,ΔTSV increases as passengers are waiting for the train,and the growing rate is dependent on indoor-outdoor temperature difference.The greater the temperature difference,the faster ΔTSV increases.At last,a linear regression between indoor comfortable temperature and outdoor temperature was generated as the adaptive comfort model.

Quantitative Analysis of the Outdoor Thermal Comfort in the Hot and Humid Summertime of Shenzhen, China

Outdoor thermal comfort has always been a major issue due to its irreplaceable role in maintaining good health and energy use. Thus,quantitative analysis of outdoor thermal comfort and discussions on influential factors seem very necessary to achieve the climate-conscious urban design. Therefore,an outdoor thermal comfort questionnaire survey and the simultaneous field measurement were conducted in six different places during the hot and humid summertime in Shenzhen. The results show that the overall weather conditions during the investigation can be expressed with high temperature and high humidity with strong solar radiation. The micro-meteorological parameters of six test sites vary greatly due to their different regional spatial layouts.Moderate range of air temperature( Ta) is between 28 to 30 ℃ while that of relative humidity( RH) mainly concentrates in 60%-70% with the thermal sensation votes. The main influential factors impacting outdoor thermal comfort are obtained and Tahas the greatest effect. The overall thermal comfortable ranges in Shenzhen are expressed by the range of 28. 14-32. 83 ℃ of PET and 24. 74-30. 45 ℃ of SET*. With the correlation analysis between the characteristic parameters of regional spatial layout and thermal climate and thermal comfort,it reveals that increasing the coverage ratio of water and green space( S) helps lower Taand increase RH. The global solar radiation( G) has a significant negative correlation with the height of buildings( H) and a positive correlation with sky view factor( SVF). Overall,reasonable configuration of the regional spatial layout contributes to providing a thermal comfortable environment.

Thermal comfort evaluation of people in subway station

We analyzed the characteristics of subway station environment and the change of thermal comfort for passengers when they are in and out of the station. The dynamic thermal comfort evaluation model RWI(relative warmth index) and HDR(heat deficit rate) were built on the distinguishing features of public area in subway station. Taking one representative subway station in Nanjing as the research object, the thermal comfort conditions in different seasons and different parts were studied by field tests, questionnaires and model-evaluating. The calculated RWI shows that although the thermal comfort in Nanjing metro is relatively acceptable, ideal thermal comfort has not been achieved. And it is found that associated with predicted mean vote(PMV), using RWI can evaluate the thermal comfort more precisely.

Research on the Winter Thermal Comfort of Library's Atrium Reading Space in Harbin Universities

As a transition space,atrium not only organizes traffic,makes the flow line flexible,but also modulates the indoor micro-climate. Because of its good sense of space and lighting performance,designers generally set reading space around the atrium. But nowadays,people are more concerned with the external form of the architecture,rather than the thermal comfort conditions of the atrium reading space. This article chooses the universities' library atrium space of Harbin in typical city in cold regions as the carrier of research,testes the thermal environment of atrium reading space, analyzes the user 's subjective feelings of the thermal environment and establishes climate adaptation model applied to library buildings. This paper aims to study on Winter thermal comfort of universities' library atrium reading space in cold area. Bases on thermal comfort adaptive model,it establishes a reasonable heating methods and design temperature index of indoor thermal environment. Optimum comfort is obtained while achieving building energy efficiency and providing viewers a comfortable reading space.

Design of Rural Residence Based on Thermal Comfort: A Case Study of Chengdu Area

With the improvement of living standards, peasants have attached increasing attention to quality of living environment, indoor thermal comfort of rural residence has become a functional need of new countryside residence. Chengdu is a foggy area with shorter sunshine hours, humid air, more foggy but fewer windy days, so local residence is likely to be muggy, which influences comfort of residents seriously. According to relevant researches, most rural residences in Chengdu use only natural ventilation, and the indoor thermal comfort is poor. In view of this, this paper tried to improve indoor thermal comfort and quality of living environment from the perspective of residence functional design.

An Assessment of Thermal Comfort in Multi Storey Office Buildings in Ghana

Amidst the recent development in the usage of curtain walls for office buildings, high utilization of energy and poor thermal comfort issues have become paramount. This paper assesses thermal comfort in multi storey (naturally and mechanically ventilated) office buildings in Accra, the Capital city of Ghana using Fanger’s Predicted Mean Votes (PMV) and Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied persons (PPD) model. The model relates to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 55 (which gives an acceptable temperature range of 23℃ - 26℃) and the International Standards Organization (ISO) 7730. Indoor environmental parameters (temperature and relative humidity) of 4 multi storey office buildings were recorded over a 10 month period. The environmental parameters were analyzed using PMVcalc_v2 software which resulted in the generation of PMV-PPD values. The findings reveal high PMV-PPD values in the Naturally Ventilated Building (NVB) whiles the Mechanically Ventilated Buildings (MVB) fall within the comfort zone. Meanwhile, the Actual Mean Votes (AMV) by the occupants suggest all four buildings are relatively comfortable with the mechanically ventilated offices being more comfortable. Additionally, it is recommended that buildings are orientated with their longer sides facing north-south, with enough shading in order to improve the thermal comfort conditions of work spaces.

Effect of Humidity on Thermal Comfort in the Humid Tropics

This paper presents the main findings of the effect of indoor humidity on occupants’ thermal comfort in the humid tropics of Malaysia. An extensive field investigation was carried out in Kota Kinabalu city and the surrounding areas, located in East Malaysia. A total of 890 individuals were asked to complete a questionnaire. Measured indoor climates were also recorded. The survey was designed as cross sectional data collection. The present investigation found that the occupants were thermally comfortable at wide relative humidity range. The mean relative humidity corresponding to the optimum comfort temperature was close to 73%. Regression models failed to predict accurately the effect of relative humidity on occupants’ thermal perceptions. In addition, a quadratic regression model was developed for the prediction of the mean indoor relative humidity based on indoor temperature. The suggested regression model can be used for an approximate prediction of indoor relative humidity when required.

Layout Optimization of Riverside Residential Area Based on Thermal Comfort: A Case Study of Nanhua Village, Shenzhen

Based on the previous researches on building layout with thermal comfort, this paper Stud Shenzhen Nanhua Village to explore the way of using building layout to change thermal environment of riverfront residential areas. The results showed that a more comfortable outdoor thermal environment could be obtained by applying proper building layouts favorable for the thermal comfort of the Nanhua Village. It proves again that efficient and feasible building layout, which is suitable for a river microclimate, is important in improving thermal comfort of a riverside residential area. The study also provides a good example for the future architectural designs of a riverside residential area for obtaining thermal comfort.

Comparative Study of Thermal Comfort Induced from Masonry Made of Stabilized Compressed Earth Block vs Conventional Cementitious Material

This paper investigates the stabilization effect on compressed earth blocks (CEB) produced from quartz-kaolinite rich earthen material stabilized with 0% - 25% calcium carbide residue (CCR). The paper evaluated various physico-thermal properties of the stabilized CEB and thermal comfort in the model building made of CEB masonry. The optical properties of CEB were evaluated from the mineral composition of the earthen material and CCR and apparent density of the CEB. A simulation was carried out on naturally ventilated model building whose masonry is made of CCR stabilized CEB comparing to the so-called conventional cementitious materials such as cement blocks and concrete. The results showed a decrease of the apparent density of the CEB from 2100 kg·m–3 for unstabilized CEB (0% CCR) to 1600 kg·m–3 for 25% CCR stabilized CEB. The thermal conductivity and depth of penetration of the heat flux on a 24 hours period of CEB respectively decreased from 1 W·m–1·K–1 and 12.7 cm for 0% CCR-CEB to 0.5 W·m–1·K–1 and 10.2 cm for 25% CCR-CEB. The emissivity, solar absorptivity and visible absorptivity of the CEB respectively decreased from 0.82, 0.82 and 0.82 for 0% CCR-CEB to 0.80, 0.64 and 0.64 for 25% CCR-CEB. The number of hours of warm and humid thermal discomfort was impacted for stabilized CEB based masonry in comparison with cement based masonry. The warm discomfort in building made of 20% CCR-CEB masonry was 400 hours lesser than that in building made of hollow cement blocks masonry. If air conditioning system is used to keep the indoor temperature below 28°C, the economy of 310,000 CFA francs (535 USD) is made every year on energy consumption for cooling in the model building made of 20% CCR-CEB masonry, corresponding to 9.6% less, with respect to that made of hollow cement blocks masonry.

A Modified Approach to Analyze Thermal Comfort Classification

A thermal stress index of a geographic location over a period of time can provide knowledge of overall climate perceptible to the general public. Out of the three approaches to assessing thermal comfort namely, rational, empirical and direct, the direct approach is being used in the present study because of easy availability of all inputs and reasonable comprehension of the assessments. Assessment and ranking of cities using this approach based on the percentage of comfortable hours alone may however be erroneous and misleading as this approach does not consider the percentages of uncomfortable classes which could often be substantially high. The modified approach for thermal comfort classification demonstrates cumulative representation of all classes of thermal comfort including uncomfortablity and provides relative ranking of cities. Analysis of the results is presented here for five megacities (Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad) representing varying geographical and climatic locations of India. These cities are ranked based on the routine and modified approaches and results are discussed in detail on monthly, seasonal and annual average basis. When the cities are compared only on the basis of comfortable hours, the decreasing order of comfortability is Hyderabad, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai. However, considering the second methodology, it is revealed that the contribution of uncomfortable hours is greater in Kolkata and Chennai in comparison to Mumbai. The proposed methodology could be an improvement over the current practices and provides a more rational method for relative ranking of cities that could be used for tourism and energy demands.

Indoor thermal comfort studies based on physiological parameter measurement and questionnaire investigation

Physiological parameters of people and enact assessment standard of indoor thermal environment that are appropriate to our national conditions were explored from the perspective of physiology. From December 2005 to January 2006, nerve conduction velocities and skin temperatures of 20 healthy students were tested with questionnaire investigation. The results show that the nerve conduction velocities as well as skin temperatures present an obvious decline trend in a continuous draught, and that the nerve conduction velocities and skin temperatures have a definite linear relationship. Draught velocity is an important factor in winter that affects body comfort, and the subjects are sensitive to air velocity.

Application of thermal comfort theory in probabilistic safety assessment of a nuclear power plant

Human factor errors in probabilistic safety assessment(PSA) of a nuclear power plant(NPP) can be prevented using thermal comfort analysis.In this paper,the THERP+HCR model is modified by using PMV (Predicted Mean Vote) and PPD(Predicted Percentage Dissatisfied) index system,so as to obtain the operator cognitive reliability,and to reflect and analyze human perception,thermal comfort status,and cognitive ability in a specific NPP environment.The mechanism of human factors in the PSA is analyzed by operators of skill,rule and knowledge types.The THERP+HCR model modified by thermal comfort theory can reflect the conditions in actual environment,and optimize reliability analysis of human factors.Improving human thermal comfort for different types of operators reduces adverse factors due to human errors,and provides a safe and optimum decision-making for NPPs.