Don’t Miss STBE Articles From 2017

From eSociety, December 2017

Science and Technology for the Built Environment’s eight editions in 2017 were filled with technical knowledge and expertise. Many articles address in-demand industry needs and concerns, including the following articles that you don’t want to miss:

Comparative Performance Study on Liquid Desiccant Dehumidification with Different Packing Types for Built Environment

By Chuanshuai Dong, Ronghui Qi, Lin Lu, Yalin Wang and Lingshi Wang

This paper investigated the dehumidification performance of liquid desiccant dehumidification with three packing types: Corrugated structured (C-), S-shape polyvinylchloride (S-) and Globular-shape polypropylene packings (G-). This paper helps researchers and engineers to optimize the design of LDAC system with different packing types.

A New Method on Heat Treatment of Near-Space Crew Capsule Based on Phase Change Material

By Xun Yang, Lei Li, Yong Wang, Jingliang Dong and Jiyuan Tu

Environment control system of the near-space capsule is of great importance to maintain a comfortable environment and working conditions for crew members as well as onboard equipment. In this study, the authors conducted a numerical study of the thermal environment within a crew capsule suspending in the stratosphere to improve the design of environment control system. This research demonstrated an improved temperature control approach using phase change material, and the research findings can contribute towards an improved environmental control system design for near-space crew capsules.

Low-Temperature Heating in Existing Swedish Multifamily Houses - An Assessment to the Significance of Radiator Design and Geometry

By Qian Wang, Adnan Ploskić and Sture Holmberg

This study evaluated the impacts of radiator designs and geometries. The aim was to map the thermal efficiency and performance differences of studied radiator types in Swedish low-rise multifamily houses On-site measurements, analytical model and real-life performance data from radiator manufacturers were applied for the modeling work.

Moisture Buffering, Energy Potential and VOC Emissions of Wood Exposed to Indoor Environments

By Kristine Nore, Anders Q. Nyrud, Dimitrios Kraniotis, Knut R. Skulberg, Finn Englund and Tormod Aurlien

This study presents results of wood surface and indoor air temperature as well as indoor air relative humidity measured in two solid timber test houses. The findings reveal a substantial effect on wood surface temperature under fluctuating indoor relative humidity, due to the latent heat of sorption of water vapours. The results were compared with hygrothermal numerical simulations showing good agreement, and the validated numerical model was used in order to quantify the energy performance in a bathroom when latent heat of sorption is exploited.

Low Energy LED Lighting Heat Gain Distribution in Buildings Part II: LED Luminaire Selection and Test Results

By Ran Liu, Xiaohui Zhou, Scott J. Lochhead, Zhikun Zhong, Cuong Van Huynh and Gregory M. Maxwell

In this project (ASHRAE RP-1681), 14 commercially available LED lighting luminaries’ heat gain distributions were determined through systematically designed experiments. The split between the convective heat gain and the radiative heat gain, and the split between the conditioned space heat gain and ceiling plenum heat gain were determined for these luminaries. A companion paper describes the test approach and pilot test results. This paper introduces luminaires selection and analyzes the formal test results.

Traffic Noise Level Predictions for Buildings with Windows Opened for Natural Ventilation in Urban Environments

By Moon Keun Kim, Christopher Barber and Jelena Srebric

In this study, a new method that combines an algorithm to predict traffic noise levels (CoRTN) with FHWA TNM’s vehicle noise spectra correctly predicts the properties of noise propagation and attenuation through openings in urban environments as well as outdoor sound propagation, sound reduction index and indoor sound transmission. In order to develop this method, various traffic noise prediction methods to calculate sound attenuation during propagation outdoors based on ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 9613 were analyzed. This study also describes the noise attenuation effect from surrounding elements, such as building envelope, location of openings, opening ratio and indoor boundary conditions.

Design Optimization and Validation of High Performance Heat Exchangers UsingApproximation Assisted Optimization and Additive Manufacturing

By Daniel Bacellar, Vikrant Aute, Zhiwei Huang and Reinhard Radermacher

The authors discussed the importance of fins on typical air-to-fluid HX’s and how they become unattractive at smaller characteristic lengths with numerical analyses to support this argument from different perspectives. They present a proof-of-concept design with small finless tubes and a novel shape that can outperform a Microchannel HX (MCHX) and a comprehensive multi-scale analysis and shape optimization leveraging automated CFD simulations and Approximation Assisted Optimization (AAO) techniques.

Enhancement of R1234ze(Z) Pool Boiling Heat Transfer on Horizontal Titanium Tubes for High Temperature Heat Pumps

By Ryuichi Nagata, Chieko Kondou and Shigeru Koyam

In this study, the pool boiling heat transfer characteristics outside of horizontal titanium tubes were experimentally investigated for R1234ze(Z). The experimental results indicate the importance of fin geometry optimization to the operation conditions.

These articles are in the running to win the best STBE paper award for 2017. STBE’s associate editors and guest editors were invited to submit nominations for the award, and a panel of judges, including STBE editorial board members and ASHRAE representatives, judged the papers based on quality of writing, relevance of research, scope of interest and breadth of application and the advancement of the body of knowledge. The winner will be announced in June.