Study of a Micro Thermal Environment of a Personal Air-Conditioning

Abstract

In a highly developed living, people are always looking for a comfortable indoor environment with minimum energy use. Regional air conditioning mechanism (RACM) can create a personal thermal comfort control in a workroom which can contribute to save air-conditioning energy. In this study, we analyze the airflow circulation cell of the RACM with varied inlet port opening and inlet port position dimensions using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique. We created a RACM, two workstations, lightings, and a cabinet in a 3-dimensional room. The fluid was assumed to be Newtonian, unsteady, and incompressible. A Bossinesq approximation was determined in order to consider the buoyancy effect. We examined the effects of the inlet port opening and inlet port position on airflow circulation establishing process. Air temperatures along the various midline of the occupied zone were predicted and compared for a range of inlet port opening and inlet port position by using nondimensional form. We also showed the occupied zone temperature at various planes in the workroom. Results will indicate the suitable inlet port opening and inlet port position for maintaining individual satisfied occupants’ requirements and improving energy saving potential.