Evaluation of the Effects of Airflow Patterns on Human Thermal Perception

Abstract

Recently, greenhouse gas emissions have led to irreversible climate change, and in order to mitigate the changes, more and more research is focusing on energy efficiency and environmental protection in the building sector. Improving indoor ventilation airflow as a feasible solution for energy conservation as well as improving human thermal comfort. This study aims to provide reference for optimizing the thermal perception of occupants in indoor ventilation design. This research evaluates the effect of heat perception on students in a stable indoor environment (28 ℃, RH 50%) under two airflow patterns (dynamic and constant). The use of airflow was found to have a positive impact on thermal sensation vote (TSV) and thermal pleasure vote (TPV). There was non-significant difference in the effects of heat perception between airflow modes. This finding is consistent with the findings of Parkinson and de Dear's study. It is worth noting that differences in experimental results may be due to other personal factors (e.g., gender, age, and weight). Further studies are therefore needed to demonstrate the influence of these factors on the thermal perception effect of air movement.