The International                        UPDATED 30th November 2011
Journal of Ventilation
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December 2011 Edition of the IJV now Published  Call for Papers

IJV now included in the Science Citation Index

Paper 8

Case Study Assessment of Local and General Thermal Comfort by Means of Local Skin Temperature

Anna Bogdan^1,2

¹⁾ Central Institute for Labour Protection – National Research Institute, Department of Ergonomics, Czerniakowska 16 Str., 00-701 Warsaw

²⁾ Warsaw University of Technology, Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Air Condition and Heating Department, Nowowiejska 20 Str, 00-653 Warsaw

Abstract

The temperature of human skin is determined by the human thermoregulatory system which reacts to changes in the thermal balance between a human body and the environment. For this reason, skin temperature can be used as the quickest predictor for the assessment of local comfort or discomfort. This paper presents the outcome of case study experiments carried out to determine which of the skin temperature measurement points (specified in accordance with the ISO 9886 standard) can be used to determine local and general thermal comfort. To this end, experiments were conducted using 14 volunteers who were asked to wear the following three types of clothing ensembles: winter clothing, summer clothing and underwear only (i.e. semi-nude). Thermal conditions were achieved using a climatic chamber over the temperature range between 15 and 35 ^oC. On the basis of the conducted experiments it was determined that the highest correlation between thermal sensation and skin temperature occurs for measurements on the forehead, chest and abdomen (R²>0.9). Moreover, the results provided the basis for deriving linear equations characterizing a relationship between thermal sensation responses and skin temperature. The results of these experiments will help in the setting for optimum performance of ventilation and air-conditioning systems.

Key words:  thermal comfort, skin temperature measurements, thermal sensation, clothing.

Contents

Paper 1
System Design for Demand Controlled Ventilation in Multi-Family Dwellings

Paper 2
A Long-Term Modelling Study of Ventilation and VOC Distribution in Multi-family Residential Buildings in the Severe Cold Region of China

Paper 3
Evaluating the Influence of Window Types on the Natural Ventilation Performance of Residential Buildings in Hong Kong

Paper 4
Effects of Urban Ventilation Patterns on the Carbon Monoxide Concentration in a High-Rise Mega City

Paper 5
A Measurement Study on the Indoor Climate of a College Classroom

Paper 6
Natural Personalised Ventilation - A Novel Approach

Paper 7
Experimental Study of Turbulent Structures in a Non Isothermal Horizontal Jet Issuing from a Round Nozzle Distanced from a Wall

Paper 8
Case Study Assessment of Local and General Thermal Comfort by Means of Local Skin Temperature

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