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Thermal comfort

About: Thermal comfort is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 9832 publications have been published within this topic receiving 187432 citations.


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Book
01 Jan 1972
TL;DR: In this paper, an account of research undertaken by the author and his colleagues at the Technical University of Denmark and at the Institute for Environmental Research, Kansas State University is described. But the data in the literature on thermal comfort are extensive, they are disjointed Other CABI sites 
Abstract: This book is basically an account of research undertaken by the author and his colleagues at the Technical University of Denmark and at the Institute for Environmental Research, Kansas State University. Although the data in the literature on thermal comfort are extensive, they are disjointed Other CABI sites 

3,930 citations

01 Jan 1998
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the semantics of thermal comfort in terms of thermal sensation, acceptability, and preference, as a function of both indoor and outdoor temperature, as predicted by the adaptive hypothesis.
Abstract: The adaptive hypothesis predicts that contextual factors and past thermal history modify building occupants' thermal expectations and preferences. One of the predictions of the adaptive hypothesis is that people in warm climate zones prefer warmer indoor temperatures than people living in cold climate zones. This is contrary to the static assumptions underlying the current ASHRAE comfort standard 55-92. To examine the adaptive hypothesis and its implications for Standard 55-92, the ASHRAE RP-884 project assembled a quality-controlled database from thermal comfort field experiments worldwide (circa 21,000 observations from 160 buildings). Our statistical analysis examined the semantics of thermal comfort in terms of thermal sensation, acceptability, and preference, as a function of both indoor and outdoor temperature. Optimum indoor temperatures tracked both prevailing indoor and outdoor temperatures, as predicted by the adaptive hypothesis. The static predicted means vote (PMV) model was shown to be partially adaptive by accounting for behavioral adjustments, and fully explained adaptation occurring in HVAC buildings. Occupants in naturally ventilated buildings were tolerant of a significantly wider range of temperatures, explained by a combination of both behavioral adjustment and psychological adaptation. These results formed the basis of a proposal for a variable indoor temperature standard.

1,747 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The physiological equivalent temperature (PET) is defined as the air temperature at which the heat budget of the human body is balanced with the same core and skin temperature under the complex outdoor conditions to be assessed, and enables a layperson to compare the integral effects of complex thermal conditions outside with his or her own experience indoors.
Abstract: With considerably increased coverage of weather information in the news media in recent years in many countries, there is also more demand for data that are applicable and useful for everyday life. Both the perception of the thermal component of weather as well as the appropriate clothing for thermal comfort result from the integral effects of all meteorological parameters relevant for heat exchange between the body and its environment. Regulatory physiological processes can affect the relative importance of meteorological parameters, e.g. wind velocity becomes more important when the body is sweating. In order to take into account all these factors, it is necessary to use a heat-balance model of the human body. The physiological equivalent temperature (PET) is based on the Munich Energy-balance Model for Individuals (MEMI), which models the thermal conditions of the human body in a physiologically relevant way. PET is defined as the air temperature at which, in a typical indoor setting (without wind and solar radiation), the heat budget of the human body is balanced with the same core and skin temperature as under the complex outdoor conditions to be assessed. This way PET enables a layperson to compare the integral effects of complex thermal conditions outside with his or her own experience indoors. On hot summer days, for example, with direct solar irradiation the PET value may be more than 20 K higher than the air temperature, on a windy day in winter up to 15 K lower.

1,674 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The origin and development of the adaptive approach to thermal comfort is explained, and recommendations made as to the best comfort temperature, the range of comfortable environments and the maximum rate of change of indoor temperature.

1,564 citations

Journal Article
TL;DR: In this paper, the adaptive hypothesis predicts that contextual factors and past thermal history modify building occupants' thermal expectations and preferences, which is contrary to static assumptions underlying the current ASHRAE comfort standard 55-92.
Abstract: The adaptive hypothesis predicts that contextual factors and past thermal history modify building occupants' thermal expectations and preferences. One of the predictions of the adaptive hypothesis is that people in warm climate zones prefer warmer indoor temperatures than people living in cold climate zones. This is contrary to the static assumptions underlying the current ASHRAE comfort standard 55-92. To examine the adaptive hypothesis and its implications for Standard 55-92, the ASHRAE RP-884 project assembled a quality-controlled database from thermal comfort field experiments worldwide (circa 21,000 observations from 160 buildings). Our statistical analysis examined the semantics of thermal comfort in terms of thermal sensation,

1,455 citations


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Performance
Metrics
No. of papers in the topic in previous years
YearPapers
2023994
20221,884
2021932
2020870
2019889
2018729