Comfortable Environmental Conditions Research Articles

Higher energy-efficiency, readily transportable incubators

Transport incubators are devices used to house and protect premature or small babies individually during journeys between home and hospital or between hospitals, often in circumstances where the maintenance of comfortable environmental conditions within the incubators is essential for the survival of the infants. During use, the transport incubator has to frequently rely for its energy supply solely upon the storage capacity of a ‘built-in’ electric battery, which is the principal inhibiting factor limiting the available performance and duration of operation. During the present study of the environmental and engineering factors which affect the performances of such transport incubators, carried out for Air-Shields Vickers plc, consideration has been given to the use of two technologies to seek to improve both the quality of the artificially created internal environment in the incubator and the duration of operation independent of external electricity supplies. In particular, consideration has focused upon two possibilities: 1. 1. The use of a thermoelectric heat-pump (a) as a substitute for the conventional resistance heater within the incubator, so that the utilisation of the existing electric-battery charge would thereby be enhanced; and (b) to provide active refrigeration within the incubator without incurring the problems of noise and vibration normally associated with the presence of a compressor refrigerator. 2. 2. The potential for stored thermal energy to augment the energy-storage capacity of the electric battery. It has been shown that the use of a thermoelectric heat-pump can approximately triple the duration of use per electric-battery charge, as well as provide refrigeration cooling without incurring a significant weight penalty. The cost of the thermoelectric heat-pump is less than the additional expense incurred for the larger battery, which would otherwise be necessary to achieve the required operational duration. Also weight penalties would be involved in the use of a larger battery. Employing a supplementary thermal-store has been shown to be feasible and desirable, so that any heat lost during the permitted short-period, intermittent access to the incubator under adverse weather conditions can be ‘made good’ rapidly. This requires a very high but transient supply of heat.

Power needs of cooling systems in Kuwait and their effects on the utility

Summer indoor comfortable environmental conditions can be maintained inside the buildings in Kuwait only by employing mechanical cooling systems, owing to the prevailing hot climatic conditions in the country. Cooling systems in Kuwait are, generally, of the vapour compression type that depend solely on electricity. The electric power needs of the cooling systems are quite large and they shape the pattern of load demand in the country. In this paper, the electric power needs of the cooling systems in Kuwait are investigated. It is shown that these needs account for an average of 43% of the total annual power consumption. It is also shown that during the month of highest power demand, the cooling systems' needs account for about 67% of the total power consumption. The paper also investigates the effect of the cooling systems on the size of the installed power generation facilities. Finally, the effects of introducing energy conservation measures in future buildings in Kuwait on the projected growth rates of the annual peak load and total power consumption are investigated.

Assessment of man's thermal comfort in practice.

<b>Fanger, P. O. (1973).</b><i>British Journal of Industrial Medicine,</i><b>30,</b> 313-324. <b>Assessment of man9s thermal comfort in practice.</b> A review is given of existing knowledge regarding the conditions for thermal comfort. Both physiological and environmental comfort conditions are discussed. Comfort criteria are shown diagrammatically, and their application is illustrated by numerous practical examples. Furthermore, the effect on the comfort conditions of age, adaptation, sex, seasonal and circadian rhythm, and unilateral heating or cooling of the body is discussed. The term `climate monotony9 is considered. A method is recommended for the evaluation of the quality of thermal environments in practice.

Electrical automatic controls for space heating

Postwar developments in building have increased the importance of automatic controls for heating and air-conditioning installations because of the demand for comfortable environmental conditions and the large potential saving of fuel obtainable with appropriate controls. The reasons why the actual performance of heating controls is often unsatisfactory are considered.The characteristics of buildings and heating systems affecting the design and selection of automatic controls are discussed, and the principal elements of control systems are described, particular attention being devoted to improvements considered necessary to overcome difficulties in application.The application of these elements to typical systems of electrical heating, conventional central heating and air conditioning is then considered, and the paper concludes by discussing the problems of installation and maintenance and demonstrates how these can be alleviated by suitable design procedures.

Electrical automatic controls for space heating

Postwar developments in building have increased the importance of automatic controls for heating and air-conditioning installations because of the demand for comfortable environmental conditions and the large potential saving of fuel obtainable with appropriate controls. The reasons why the actual performance of heating controls is often unsatisfactory are considered.The characteristics of buildings and heating systems affecting the design and selection of automatic controls are discussed, and the principal elements of control systems are described, particular attention being devoted to improvements considered necessary to overcome difficulties in application.The application of these elements to typical systems of electrical heating, conventional central heating and air conditioning is then considered, and the paper concludes by discussing the problems of installation and maintenance and demonstrates how these can be alleviated by suitable design procedures.