Heat Transfer Flashcards
What is thermal comfort?
- Thermal comfort is the least effort required to maintain the human body’s thermal balance.
- However, maximum comfort in a building cannot be achieved as it is subjective to each user.
- Therefore, the designer must provide the best indoor climate possible within the range of thermal comfort.
- To maintain a constant temperature, heat generated by the body must be transferred away at the same rate that is generated.
Which factors influence thermal comfort?
Factors involved with buildings include:
- Radiation from surfaces
- Humidity
- Air temperature
- Level of clothing
- Activity
Personal and psychological factors include:
- Age
- Gender
- Health Conditions
- Acclimatisation
- Expectations
What is operative temperature?
Operative temperature is the average of the air temperature and the mean radiant temperature.
Which is the main factor which determines the metabolic heat generation?
The level of activity has the greatest effect on metabolic heat generation.
What is the average heat emission of an adult?
58W/m2 which is known as 1 Met.
Which factors affect metabolic heat generation?
- Activity
- Gender
- Age
- Weight
- Fitness
What is the unit for the insulation of clothing?
0.155m2K/W is the equivalent to the thermal resistance of a winter business suit, which is known as 1 Clo.
How can we increase thermal comfort?
If too cold:
- Exercise to generate metabolic heat.
- Alter our clothing.
- Block drafts.
If too hot:
- Open a window.
- Lower the blinds.
- Turn on a fan.
What is acclimatisation?
- Over time we acclimatise to the environmental conditions around us.
- This is shown by how when the mean outdoor temperature is low, the comfortable indoor temperature doesn’t have to be as high.
What is the law of conservation of energy?
- “Energy is neither created nor destroyed, but can be converted from one form to another”
- For energy to be balanced, the gains must equal the losses, or else temperature will tend to infinity or absolute zero.
What is most of the high-grade (concentrated) energy converted into?
Low-grade heat energy through the waste product of different appliances.
What is energy flow?
- Energy can flow from a place which is hotter, to another cooler place when they are put in thermal contact.
- This causes ordered states (where heat is organised into distinct hot and cold areas) to become more disordered (where heat is evenly distributed).
- This results in thermal equilibrium and at this point, heat flow stops.
What are the different mechanisms of heat transfer?
Humans and buildings:
- Conduction
- Convection
- Radiation
Humans only:
- Evaporation (through respiration and perspiration)
What is conduction?
- Heat is transferred through direct contact between molecules which collide.
- When these collisions occur, the hotter molecules with more energy transfer some of their energy to the cooler molecules.
- There is no change in basic position of molecules.
What is convection?
- Heat is transported because when a fluid is heated, it expands and becomes less dense and therefore lighter.
- This fluid then rises above the heavier, cooler fluid taking heat away in the process.
- There is a change in basic position of molecules.