Overall and Local Thermal Comfort of Stratum Ventilation with Various Temperatures and Supply Air Flowrates

Ensuring an appropriate thermal comfort level is crucial in elevated room temperature environments. This chapter presents a subjective analysis of thermal comfort in a controlled environmental chamber utilizing stratum ventilation. Overall thermal sensation (OTS), local thermal sensation (LTS), overall thermal comfort (OTC), and draft thermal comfort indexes are quantified. Results of Test Series 1 indicate that room temperature has a significant effect on the four indexes mentioned above. Specifically, a ventilation rate of 10 air changes per hour (ACH) and room temperature of 27 °C provide a neutral overall thermal sensation, satisfactory overall thermal comfort, and low draft risk. However, at room temperatures of 24 °C and 29 °C, the percentage of subjects reporting comfort is below 80%. The effects of supply airflow rate and supply air temperature on thermal comfort (Test Series 2) show that increasing the supply airflow rate from 7 to 17 ACH at room temperature of 27 °C has a negligible impact on thermal sensation and draft, indicating a preference for enhanced air movement. However, to minimize complaints related to the draft, it is essential to avoid supply air temperatures below 20 °C. These findings emphasize that stratum ventilation creates a thermally comfortable environment.