Vertical temperature distribution in large space buildings in the heating season: On-site measurement and Block-Gebhart model prediction considering air infiltration

Abstract

In the heating season, the air infiltration in large space buildings cannot be neglected, which will cause a complex movement of indoor air and affect the creation of the thermal environment. Existing thermal environment prediction models often treat the indoor space as a whole, and cannot consider the temperature gradient in the vertical direction. Therefore, in this investigation, based on the Block-Gebhart (B-G) model, combined with the air infiltration model, the indoor air temperature distribution and infiltration air volume in large space buildings were predicted. The on-site measurement was carried out in an engineering training plant in Shanghai, which used nozzle air supply as a stratified environment regulation method. The measurement results verified the accuracy of the indoor thermal environment predicted by the compound model. The influence of the outdoor temperature, the supply air temperature and velocity, and the height difference of the infiltration and exfiltration air outlets on the indoor air temperature and the infiltration air volume was analysed. The infiltration air volume was most significantly affected by the height difference. In addition, the influence of the above factors on the thermal comfort of the personnel activity area was discussed. In general, the proposed compound model can accurately predict the indoor thermal environment under air infiltration and provide a theoretical basis for the design of airflow distribution in large space buildings in winter.