Popis: |
In urban and suburban areas, hot outdoor thermal environment in summer months make it difficult to maintain a comfortable indoor thermal environment using only natural ventilation. A two-step research, comprising a field measurement and CFD simulation, was conducted to study and improve the outdoor and indoor microclimates of a house using passive cooling methods (PCMs), including evaporative cooling louver, vegetation, and sunscreen, installed in the semi-outdoor space and different ventilation settings at the indoor space, respectively. First, a field measurement was conducted to evaluate the microclimate in a semi-outdoor space under different amounts of solar radiation, surrounding vegetation, and distances from louver to window to find the best way that accumulates at most the cool air generated by the louver. Best results were found when the semi-outdoor space was exposed to low solar radiation, was fully surrounded by vegetation, and when the louver was closer to the window. Second, the modeling method of PCMs for CFD simulation were demonstrated using literature-based values and the field measurements. It also demonstrated model validity by comparing the obtained results with field measurements. The results show that CFD simulation with detailed modeling of these elements can replicate vertical temperature distributions at four different positions across the semi-outdoor space and indoor space. The maximum difference in air temperature between the measurements and simulation results was 0.7–1 °C. The sensitivities of each passive cooling element on the microclimates formed in both semi-outdoor and indoor spaces were confirmed. Finally, CFD simulations were conducted to find the best combination of PCMs and indoor conditions to improve the natural ventilation of the house in hot days of summer. |