Abstract
In this study a quantitative analysis was performed on the effect on thermal comfort of the stand fan, a personal cooling device that creates local air currents. A total of 20 environmental conditions (indoor temperatures: 22, 24, 26, 28, and 30 °C; fan modes: off, low (L) mode, medium (M) mode, and high (H) mode) were analyzed using questionnaires on male and female subjects in their 20s and a thermal manikin test. The contents of the questionnaire consisted of items on thermal sensation, thermal comfort, thermal acceptability, and demands on changes to the air velocity. This step was accompanied by the thermal manikin test to analyze the convective heat transfer coefficient and cooling effect quantitatively by replicating the stand fan. Given that this study provides data on the cooling effect of the stand fan in quantitative values, it allows for a comparison of energy use with other cooling systems such as the air conditioner, and may be used as a primary data set for analysis of energy conservation rates.
Highlights
Indoor air velocity is one of the key physical variables affecting occupant comfort, along with dry air temperature, radiation temperature, and relative humidity [1]
Step 2 : To derive the impact of stand fan operation according to indoor temperature on thermal comfort, a questionnaire was administered to 16 university and graduate students in their 20s
The first item on the questionnaire asked about the general thermal sensation
Summary
Indoor air velocity is one of the key physical variables affecting occupant comfort, along with dry air temperature, radiation temperature, and relative humidity [1]. Hseieh [4] studied the thermal comfort according to varying temperatures and air velocities with male and female college students of medium activity level and showed that a 0.23 m/s increase of air velocity offset a 1 ◦C increase. Such a result indicates that at the same activity levels, the existence of a fan may raise the optimal indoor temperature for thermal comfort compared to situations without a fan. Seventy percent of the respondents answered that when the thermal sensation of the body was slightly warm or hot, they preferred a wind velocity higher than 0.2 m/s. When the subjects were allowed to manipulate the air velocity, 90% of them changed the air velocity within an hour
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