Modelling temperature and humidity in storage spaces used for cultural property in Japan

Abstract

From rainy season to summer in Japan, the climate is humid. Especially in these seasons, it is difficult to maintain suitable conditions of temperature and relative humidity in exhibition and storage rooms in museums. Such climate conditions and problems are common to many countries in East Asia. Analysis using computer simulation can be a powerful tool because it is cheap and allows the simulation of a range of conditions without having to make changes to buildings and environments surrounding cultural objects. In this study, a storage building in which there is no air-conditioning unit was chosen as a target. The modelling of temperature and relative humidity in storage spaces was conducted using the Thermal and Airflow Network Model Simulation Program for buildings (NETS). The effect of seismic retro-fitting on the variation of temperature was predicted using NETS and the results were evaluated by comparing with the measured values. As a result, the heat transfer was successfully calculated and the modelled temperature represents the measured values reasonably well. Computing relative humidity by taking into account the effect of porous hygroscopic materials is challenging. In order to overcome this problem, the κ-ν model was adopted. We have some improvements but the study is still ongoing.