Air heating system design for a sub-Arctic climate using a CFD technique

Abstract

The thermal comfort in a residential building equipped with an air heating system and located in a sub-Arctic region was investigated with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software. The predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PPD) was used to identify flaws with the heating system during winter conditions. New scenarios were simulated and compared to each other to see potential improvements of the thermal indoor climate. Comparison was done by combining the discomfort spaces inside rooms, the level of the discomfort and the time spent in these spaces. The discomfort covered 8–38% of the interior volume depending on the test case.The results provide the necessary means to create a satisfactory thermal indoor climate if an air heating system is to be utilized in sub-Arctic regions during the winter. The correct heat demand for each floor and appropriate placement of the supply devices are required. Adding air transfer units or grilles in rooms from which exhaust air is removed further improves the comfort. The results also show the strength of using CFD technique when investigating the indoor discomfort with PPD, and how a fair assessment can be done by combining the PPD with time.