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Acceptable Surface Temperature of Floor Radiant Heating System Based on Thermal Comfort Study in Southern China

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Acceptable Surface Temperature of Floor Radiant Heating System Based on Thermal Comfort Study in Southern China E3S Web of Conferences 80, 03007 (2019) https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/20198003007 REEE 2018 Acceptable surface temperature of floor radiant heating system based on thermal comfort study in southern China Xingyu Lu 1, 2 , Hong Liu1, 2, and Yuxin Wu 1, 2 1 Joint International Research Laboratory of Green Buildings and Built Environments (Ministry of Education), Chongqing University, Chongqing, China 2 National Centre for International Research of Low-carbon and Green Buildings (Ministry of Science and Technology), Chongqing University, Chongqing, China Abstract. In winter, people's demand for heating is stronger and stronger in southern China, and the floor radiant heating system is more and more popular. However, there are no suitable guidelines or standards for the floor temperature of the heating system in this area. The insulation performance of buildings in southern is not as good as other area which have central heating system. So the acceptable floor temperature suitable for this area needed to be studied.12 healthy college students participated as samples in this experiment. The floor surface temperature was controlled by varying the temperature of water flowing underneath the floor. The main conclusions were as follows: 1) the floor surface temperature directly affected the skin temperature of the foot and the thermal comfort of the foot. There was a significant statistical relationship between the floor surface temperature and the overall thermal sensation. 2) The acceptable floor temperature ranged from 26.1 °C to 34.3 °C for sitting positions and 24.6 °C ~34.7 °C for standing positions. 3) Considering the head thermal comfort and the health effects of the cumulative effect of long-term heat exposure, the recommended upper limit of the floor temperature in this experiment is 31°C. 1 Introduction and American people. The Japanese and Korean scholars have confirmed that. In Korea, there is a traditional floor In southern China, with the frequent occurrence of heating method called “ONDOL”, which has a extreme cold weather, people's demand for heating is comfortable floor surface temperature range of getting stronger and stronger. However, the insulation 33.6~38.8 °C[9]. The upper and lower temperature limits performance of building walls is not as good as that of when sitting are related to the material of the floor. The buildings in the northern regions where central heating is neutral temperature of the human body is 32.6 °C[10]. used for a long time, and the ratio of windows to walls is When standing with barefoot, the floor temperature bigger. So the acceptable floor temperature of occupants range is 27~33 °C[11]. Japanese scholars have based on thermal comfort may be not the same. Low concluded that the upper and lower limits of acceptable temperature hot water floor radiant heating system which temperature are 31 ° C and 25 ° C, respectively, and the appeared in the early 20th century [1] has received more optimal floor temperature range is 26 ~ 30 ° C[12]. It can and more attention especially by the southern people due be seen that the temperature range obtained by research to the low temperature of hot water, good comfort and in Asian regions such as Korea and Japan is higher than energy saving. However, how to create a comfortable the international standard (19~29 °C). indoor environment by the use of floor radiant heating When using the floor radiant heating, floor contacts and formulate industry standards remain to be solved. the foot directly, and the comfortable air temperature The European, American, and international standards required for different part of human body is different [2-5]governing the temperature range of radiant floor [13]. In the hot environment, head is sensitive to heat heating are mostly in the range of 19 to 29 °C. The discomfort, while feet and hands can easily feel cold and sources of data are mainly those of Olesen et al [6-7]. uncomfortable in the cold environment[14]. If staying on from the Technical University of Denmark in the 1970s- the warmer floor for a long time, when the skin 1980s. While the Chinese standard is 24/25~26/27°C, temperature of feet is greater than 34 °C, the blood flow the upper limit is 28/29 °C[8]. The data source can be is significantly increased [15]. In addition, the increase considered as part of the reference to foreign early of skin temperature will relax the capillaries, promote research data. However, due to differences in races, blood circulation, and enhance the oxygen supply of living environment and living habits, Asian populations various tissues and organs of the human body [16-17]. are more tolerant of heat, so the acceptable comfortable Nevertheless, if the ambient temperature around the feet floor temperature should be higher than that of European is at a high level for a long time, it is not only harmful to © The Authors, published by EDP Sciences. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). E3S Web of Conferences 80, 03007 (2019) https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/20198003007 REEE 2018 patients with cardiovascular disease and diabetes [18], shows. Point A, B and C were the position of subjects. but also has adverse effects on healthy people [19]. The height of the vertical temperature measurement Therefore, in determining the upper limit of the floor points included 0.1 m (ankle), 0.6 m (knee), 1.1 m (head temperature, both the thermal comfort requirement and by sitting), 1.7 m (head by standing), and 2.5 m (top of the long-term cumulative effect on health should be the room), as Figure 2. c) shows. The skin temperature considered. of human body and indoor air relative humidity were Floor radiant heating creates an unsteady indoor measured by HOBO UX100-011 temperature and environment, comfort temperature is not equal to neutral humidity self-recording instrument, and the temperature. That is to say, people who undergo a measurement accuracy was ±0.21 °C; ±2.5%. The number of cold environments may prefer warmer floor measurement points of skin temperature included upper temperature instead of neutral floor temperature[20-21]. arm, chest, anterior thigh, interior calf, instep and ankle. Therefore, as far as the southern region is concerned, it is The measurement time of all parameters were 90 possible to further increase the upper limit of 29 °C in minutes. the current Chinese standard. Thus, the study focused on the actual heating environment in southern buildings. From the perspective of thermal comfort, combined with the frequency of sick symptoms, an acceptable floor temperature range adapted to the southern region was proposed. 2 Research methods a) b) c) 2.1. Experimental platform Fig.2. Diagram of Experimental details: a) exterior of the The experiment was carried out in a capillary radiation Capillary radiation room, b) measuring points on the floor, c) laboratory with a floor area of 3 m*1.5 m and a height of measuring points of vertical temperature 3 m. The air source heat pump unit and the heating water tank were used to prepare hot water, and the temperature 2.2 Experimental conditions and procedure probe was arranged in the water tank to monitor the water temperature in time. The hot water entered the The experiment was carried out in January 2018 in capillary network under the floor in the room for radiant Chongqing, China. Chongqing is a typical city in heating, as Figure 1 shows. Floor material was southern China, which is located in the hot summer and polystyrene board, shown in Figure 2. a), and the wall cold winter climate zone. The outdoor temperature was made of ordinary brick wall with thermal insulation during the experiment was from 2 °C to 8 °C. material, which was similar to the common structure of Experimental conditions were designed with six different architecture in southern China. floor temperatures. The floor surface temperature was Outdoor unit of controlled by varying the temperature of water (tw) air-cooled heat Cold flowing underneath the floor, and it ranged from tw= Medium pump pipes Return pipe 1500mm 30 °C to 55 °C at 5 °C intervals. The background Water supply pipe temperature is maintained at a neutral temperature of 20 to 22 °C and relative humidity of 50%. Water Indoor unit of Hot pump Before the experiment, the subjects were asked to be air-cooled heat water familiar with the experiment requirements and pump tank 3500mm Capillary network questionnaire in the natural ventilation room, clothing is for radiant floor about 1.2 clo.Then entering the floor heating room after heating eliminating the previous thermal experience by resting Door Workbench for about 20 minutes. At the beginning of the experiment, the subject took off his shoes and stepped on the floor wearing socks. Subjects could read books or use mobile phones, but are not allowed to communicate and discuss Door about thermal comfort. During the experiment, subjects were asked to fill out the questionnaire and measured Fig.1. Diagram of the experimental platform. physiological parameters at intervals of 5 min or 10 min.At the same time, the operator recorded The indoor air vertical temperature and floor surface environmental parameters, as shown in Figure 3. temperature were measured by an Agilent 34970A data Start The end Walking or sitting Put on shoes Sitting or Walking acquisition instrument with copper-constantan NV Room in socks & Change the posture in socks NV Room thermocouples. The measurement accuracy after water Enter in floor 30 min 10 min 30 min Out of floor heating room heating room bath calibration was ±0.1 °C.
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