DESIGN CONDITION

basic textbook/reference material

For ME 421
John P. Renie
Adjunct Professor Spring 2009

Chapter 4 Design Conditions

This chapter covers the selection, specification, and determination

of the indoor and outdoor environmental conditions that are to be

expected at design time or the conditions that will govern the
sizing of the heating, cooling, and ventilation equipment
Indoor Design Conditions
Physiological Principles human comfort
that condition of mind that expresses satisfaction with the thermal

environment ASHRAE Standard 55.

What is condition of mind and satisfaction cognitive process involving
many inputs (physical, physiological, psychological, etc).
Direct temperature and moisture sensation from the skin body regulations.
Wide climates similar feelings of temperature with respect to clothing,
activity, humidity, and air movement.
Definition of comfort vary widely perception, value rating, and acceptability.

Chapter 4 Design Conditions

Indoor Design Conditions
Physiological Principles
Definition of health and discomfort WHO Health is a state of complete

physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease
or infirmity
1970s energy crisis the introduction of sick building syndrome (SBS) and
building-related illness (BRI)
SBS- mucosal irritation, fatigue, headache, and lower respiratory symptoms
and nausea nonspecific in nature
BRI clinically identified with laboratory measurements hypersensitivity
illnesses, such as humidifier fever, asthma, and allergic rhinitis sensitivity to
bio-aerosols.
Regulation of body temperature skin temperature regulation
Comfort and health HVAC engineering - control of any or all of the physical
and chemical qualities of the air.
Control of the temperature, humidity, air cleanliness, and air distribution within
the occupants vicinity. Also, mean radiant temperature, odor control, acoustic
level

Chapter 4 Design Conditions

Indoor Design Conditions

Physiological Principles - Occupant

Air and surroundings are heat sink for metabolic heat release of the body.

Radiant heat exchange air in motion

Comfort = skin temperature of 91.5 F (33 C) +/- 2.5 F (+/- 1.4 C)
Cylindrical model

Chapter 4 Design Conditions

Indoor Design Conditions

Physiological Principles - Occupant

Environmental indices used to evaluate sensation of comfort

Chapter 4 Design Conditions

Indoor Design Conditions

Physiological Principles - Occupant

Operative temperature uniform temperature of a radiantly black enclosure in
which an occupant exchanges the same amount of heat by radiation plus
convection as in the actual nonuniform environment.
Numerically, this is the average of the air and mean radiant temperature (at air
speeds less than 80 fpm and radiation temperature below 120 F)
Sensation of comfort and temperature
Thermal comfort that state of mind which expresses satisfaction with the
thermal environment ANSI/ASHRAE Standard
Current predictive charts comfort defined as a sensation that is neither
slightly warm not slightly cool
Research on comfort based on lightly clothed, sedentary people.
Main purpose of HVAC is to maintain comfortable indoor conditions for
occupants load calculation is to determine sizing of equipment
The indoor design temperature should be selected at the lower end of the
acceptable range so as to not oversize heating equipment 72 F DB and 30%
maximum RH

Chapter 4 Design Conditions

Indoor Design Conditions

Physiological Principles Occupant

The conscious mind appears to reach conclusions about thermal comfort and

discomfort from direct temperature and moisture sensations from the skin,
deep body temperatures, and the efforts to regulate body temperature.
Comfort occurs when body temperatures are help within a narrow range, skin
moisture is low, and the physiological efforts of regulation is minimized
ASHRAE thermal sensation scale (Y)

Chapter 4 Design Conditions

Indoor Design Conditions

Physiological Principles Occupant (see Table 4-1)

Women are more sensitive to temperature and less sensitive to humidity than

men.
5.4 F change in temperature or 0.44 psi change in water vapor to change one
unit of Y

Chapter 4 Design Conditions

Indoor Design Conditions

Physiological Principles Metabolic Rate

Energy expended during the course of routine physical activity

Body surface area

Average-sized male = mass 70 kg, height 1.73 m, has surface area of 1.83 m2

this is 154 lbm, 5 ft 8 in, and 19.7 ft2

For this surface area, metabolic rate is provided in Table 4-2

Chapter 4 Design Conditions

Indoor Design Conditions

Physiological Principles Metabolic Rate

Chapter 4 Design Conditions

Indoor Design Conditions

Physiological Principles Metabolic Rate

Rate defined in terms of rate of heat transfer (Btu/hr) per Dubois area (ft2), or

the met unit 1 met = 18.4 Btu/(hr-ft2) = 50 kcal/(hr-m2) which is the rate of a
sedentary person (seated and quiet)
Man at 20 years: Mmax = 12 reduces to 7 by age 70 (women 30% lower)
Metabolic activity results in heat that must be continually dissipated and
regulated - hyperthermia (over-heating), hypothermia (excessive heat loss)
Heat produced by resting man is 340 Btu/hr, with area = 19.7 ft2, results in 1
met.
Physiological Principles Clothing
The resistance value is I in clo units R = 0.88 , that is, 1 clo is equivalent to

0.88 ft2-hr-F/Btu
Table 4-3 gives values of Garment Insulation I in clo units
Layering results in summation of clo values.

Chapter 4 Design Conditions

Indoor Design Conditions

Physiological Principles Clothing

Chapter 4 Design Conditions

Indoor Design Conditions

Physiological Principles Thermal Comfort

For a resting person wearing trousers and a long-sleeve shirt, thermal comfort
in a steady-state is experienced in a still-air environment at 75 oF. A zone of
comfort extends about 3 oF above and below this level.
ASHRAE Standard 55-2004 majority is based on 80% overall acceptability
standards based on indoor comfort only only humidity ratio limit is a
maximum of 0.012
Winter and summer comfort zones specified (Figure 4-2)
Temperature ranges appropriate for seasonal clothing (summer 0.5 clo and
winter 0.9 clo) sedentary and slightly active
Winter zone air speeds less than 0.15 m/s
Summer zone air speeds less than 0.25 m/s
Temperature boundaries can be shifted by -1 oF per 0.1 clo
Temperature boundaries can be shifted lower for increased activity level
Radiant temperature asymmetry < 5 oC vertical, , 10 oC horizontal
Temperature boundaries up 2.5 oF for 1 met above 1.2 met
Relative humidity < 60% (warm) and Tdew > 32 oF (cold)

Chapter 4 Design Conditions

Indoor Design Conditions

Physiological Principles Thermal Comfort Figure 4-2

Chapter 4 Design Conditions

Indoor Design Conditions

Design criteria for different building types (Table 4-4)

Chapter 4 Design Conditions

Indoor Design Conditions

Thermal Comfort adjustment for clo and met

Then adjust for clo -> 1 oF decrease for each +0.1 clo

Chapter 4 Design Conditions

Indoor Design Conditions

Thermal Comfort Fangers General Comfort Charts

Chapter 4 Design Conditions

Indoor Design Conditions

Thermal Comfort Fangers General Comfort Charts

Chapter 4 Design Conditions

Indoor Design Conditions

Thermal Comfort Moisture and Humidity

Needs attention in building design and construction

Water vapor due to cooking, laundering, bathing, breathing, perspiring

Exterior and interior building material should permit vapor to pass five times

more rapidly than moisture inside the wall any moisture that gets into the
wall should be able to pass through it.
Limitations imposed by the thermal and permeable characteristics of the
building enclosure included in design of humid/dehumid equipment
Relative humidity specification dictated by:

Human comfort broad range of 30% 60%

Static electricity sparks RH > 45% 55% (hospitals)
Prevention and treatment of disease airborne infection - 50% RH best
Visible condensation dew point - windows
Concealed condensation internal damage due to moisture

Chapter 4 Design Conditions

Indoor Design Conditions

Thermal Comfort Moisture Production

Chapter 4 Design Conditions

Indoor Design Conditions

Thermal Comfort Window condensation

Chapter 4 Design Conditions

Outdoor Design Conditions

Weather Data ASHRAE Climatic Design Information 2005

4422 location in US, Canada, and worldwide

Data used for the design, sizing, distribution, installation, and marketing of

heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, and dehumidification equipment

As well as other energy related process in residential, agricultural, commercial,
and industrial applications.
Includes:

Dry-bulb temperature
Wet-bulb temperature
Dew-point temperature
Wind speeds with direction frequency of occurrence

See text for Discussion of Figure 4-4 (Atlanta, GA)

Abbreviated Heating Data (Figure 4-7A)
Abbreviated Cooling and Dehumidification Data (Figure 4-7B)
Average Winter and Yearly Heating Degree Days (Figure 4-8)
Equivalent Wind Chill Temperature (Figure 4-9)

Chapter 4 Design Conditions

Other Factors Affecting Design

Energy conservation new buildings ASHRAE Standard 90.1

Comfort
First cost
Owning and operating cost along with these factors

Chapter 4 Design Conditions

Example 4-3

Chapter 4 Design Conditions

Temperatures in Adjacent Unconditioned Spaces

Adjacent space temperature can be estimated by

Chapter 4 Design Conditions

Temperatures in Adjacent Unconditioned Spaces

Example 4-4