An integrated comfort control with cooling, ventilation, and humidification systems for thermal comfort and low energy consumption. (17th February 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kim, Jeong Won; Yang, Wonyoung; Moon, Hyeun Jun
• Is Part Of: Science and technology for the built environment. Volume 23:Number 2(2017)
• Page Start: 264
• Page End: 276
• Publication Date: 2017-02-17
• Subjects: Heating -- Periodicals; Ventilation -- Periodicals; Air conditioning -- Periodicals; Refrigeration and refrigerating machinery -- Periodicals; Indoor air quality -- Periodicals; Indoor air quality; Air conditioning; Heating; Refrigeration and refrigerating machinery; Ventilation; Periodicals; 697
• DOI: 10.1080/23744731.2016.1258294
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2374-474X

Abstract

Abstract : Over the past few decades, interest in issues related to the global environment and energy resources have increased in many industries, including the building sector which accounts for nearly 40% of the global energy consumption. Simultaneously, the demand for precise comfort control in buildings has increased because people have acquired a better quality of life and expect more from modern technology. In most cases, air-conditioning and ventilation systems have been installed in residential and commercial buildings. However, these systems can increase energy consumption requirements because of their lack of appropriate control. Such increases can be reduced by integrating the control of available sources of cooling, humidification, ventilation, lighting, and so on. An integrated comfort control strategy that integrates an air-conditioning, a humidifier, and a ventilation system by considering the outdoor environment is proposed for ensuring indoor thermal comfort and energy savings in buildings. The control strategy was evaluated in a virtual test bed with a variable refrigerant flow system, a humidifier, and ventilation fans. The performance of the proposed integrated comfort control was compared to that of conventional individual controls using EnergyPlus in terms of thermal comfort and energy consumption. The results showed that the integrated comfort control improved thermal comfort and lowered energy consumption. The methodology of deriving the integrated comfort control was expected to be useful for designing better control logics for thermal comfort and energy conservation.