Air Quality and Thermal Comfort in Complex Topology Buildings

Abstract

The internal air quality and the thermal comfort levels change in function to the occupation level and the external thermal conditions. In order to evaluate these levels a numerical methodology, based in uncomfortable hours, is developed and used. This methodology considers the number of hours that the PMV index and the carbon dioxide level exceeds the acceptable limits. The air quality and the thermal comfort in an academic library located in the Algarve region, with complex topology, are evaluated in this paper. The study, made in real conditions, was made during a complete year. Numerical software, that simulates the building thermal behaviour with complex topology, in transient conditions, is developed and used in the study of an academic library thermal response, the internal air quality and the occupants’ thermal comfort evaluation. The modern library, localized in the South of Portugal, in a climate with Mediterranean conditions, has 134 compartments, 1578 opaque building main bodies and 307 windows with simple transparent glass. In the numerical simulation the external meteorological data, namely the air velocity, air temperature, air relative humidity, wind direction, occupation cycle, occupants’ clothing and occupants’ activity levels and ventilation topology are considered as input data. The results of the building air quality and thermal comfort levels, as well the air quality uncomfortable hours and the warm and cold thermal comfort uncomfortable hours, that the occupants are during a complete year, are obtained. In this paper is also obtained the air exchange rate that minimize the percentage of dissastified people simultaneously for indoor air quality and thermal comfort, during a complete year.