Impact of elevated air velocity on subjective thermal comfort sensation under asymmetric radiation and variable airflow direction

Abstract

Buildings rarely have homogeneous thermal indoor environments. Transparent building elements are one of the sources of thermal asymmetry. Using advanced personalised ventilation systems, the discomfort caused by radiation asymmetry may be reduced. A series of measurements involving 20 subjects were carried out under controlled environmental conditions to investigate subjective thermal comfort in the case of asymmetric radiation combined with the personalised ventilation. Analysis showed that the subjective thermal comfort sensation without a personalised ventilation system is similar to the calculated predicted mean vote. However, there is a significant difference between the responses of female and male participants. The advanced personalised ventilation system lowers the subjective thermal comfort sensation, but does it differently for men and women. The skin temperatures of the hands of the women were significantly lower than that of the men. In the case of the men, radiation asymmetry led to significant differences in the facial skin temperature, while in the case of the women, the differences in the facial skin temperature were not significant.