Thermal Management in Healthcare Facilities: Computational Approach

Abstract

The balance between thermal comfort and air quality in healthcare facilities to optimize the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is the main aim of this paper. The present paper will present this balance from the viewpoint of the air conditioning design. It was found that the design of the (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) HVAC airside systems plays an important role for achieving the optimum air quality beside the optimum comfort level. This paper highlights the importance of the proper airside design on the IAQ. The present paper introduces some recommendations for airside designs to facilitate the development of optimum HVAC systems. This paper also stresses on the factors that improve the thermal comfort and air quality for the already existed systems (for maintenance procedure). The present paper defines the current status, future requirements, and expectations. Based on this analysis and the vast progress of computers and associated software, the artificial intelligent technique will be a competitor candidate to the experimental and numerical techniques. Finally, the researches that relate between the different designs of the HVAC systems and energy consumption should concern with the optimization of airside design as the expected target to enhance the indoor environment. The indoor spaces are designed to provide the comfort and suitable conditions for life. In the last decades, the more complexity of architectural designs and less area available for equipment made the selection and design of HVAC airside systems an aradus task indeed. The attainment of comfort conditions was the target of the HVAC engineers and designers for the last of fifties of twentieth century. Most of researchers agreed that the airside of HVAC system should be used further more providing the comfort. Indeed, the infection control depends mainly on the provided airside system design. On the other hand, the architectural design of the ventilated space and its relative position to other space directs the decisions of the HVAC engineer and designer which finally affect the IAQ level. The present paper reviews the results of recent investigations in the world that are concerned with the HVAC design engineering in the healthcare applications.