Abstract
A light pipe is an excellent solution to transport and distribute daylight into environments without or with little lighting, guaranteeing comfort inside the rooms. As stated in the literature, the evaluation of the performances of light pipes presents numerous complexities, making the work very difficult for technicians and designers. This study is aimed to present a methodology that is able to identify the potential of light pipes using indices such as daylight autonomy (DA), continuous daylight autonomy (DAc), and useful daylight illuminance (UDI). This paper presents an analysis of daylight obtained by several configurations of simple models of light pipes installed into a 5 × 5 m plant area room. All simulations are carried out in a DAYSIM environment, which allows calculating the annual availability of daylight based on a RADIANCE raytracer backward. Several daylight conditions were analyzed for different light pipe configurations, considering different pipe lengths and a variable number of light pipes. The light pipes are tested also in the horizontal position, for different orientations. The results of all the combinations were compared with the performances of a window with dimensions equal to 1/8 of the internal surface, which was in accordance with the minimum value to be guaranteed by the Italian Regulation (D.M. 5 July 1975 n. 190) for different orientations. The results indicated a difference in daylight distribution, showing a strong correlation between the percentage levels of DA and DAc with the length and number of pipes, during different periods of the year. The simulated model is strongly influenced by the aspect ratio (R = diameter/length). The results show that the illuminance levels decrease drastically, increasing the length.
Highlights
Nowadays, climate change is considered one of the main challenges to be overcome globally [1].In recent years, numerous strategies have been developed around the world to reduce the negative effects of climate changes and tackle global warming due to greenhouse gas emissions, especially from the building sector
This study focuses on the daylight analysis of a room modeled in a DAYSIM environment by using a standard overcast CIE (Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage) sky
It must be reminded that DAYSIM does not consider many important aspects of the light analysis of real light pipes
Summary
Numerous strategies have been developed around the world to reduce the negative effects of climate changes and tackle global warming due to greenhouse gas emissions, especially from the building sector. It is well known that the identification of the optimal configuration of building components can significantly reduce the excessive energy consumption in buildings [2]. For this reason, several studies have examined the implementation of new methodologies to guarantee high-energy performance in the buildings [3,4,5]. The need to reduce energy consumption and at the same time guarantee comfortable vision has led to the development of new components, systems, and technologies
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