nd oe Chapter 4 FEIERS- sion, wer Comfort and Health—Indoor Environmental Quality ‘Comfartis a major concern ofthe HVAC industry. Experience has shown that not everyone can be made completely comfortable by one set of egnditions, but a fsrly clearypderstanding of what is involved in providing comfort to most ofthe occupants ing controlled space has been developed. Comfort involves control of temperature, ‘humidity, ar motion, and radiant sources interacting with the occupants. Oder, cust (partigulate matter), noise, and vibration are additional factors that may eause one to {eel uycomforable. A well-designed HVAC system manages to Keep these vatables ‘within specified limits that have been set by the customer, bulling codes, and good enjineeting judgment, Nonenvironmenta factors such as Uess and the activity level ‘ofthe oceupaas must be considered. The customer is becoming increasingly aware ‘ofthe importance of comfort to those who willoccupy the building, andthe engineer is challenged to utilize all ofthe available information and tools to design systems that provide that comfortable environment. neater days ofthe HVAC industry comfort at reasonable cost was the single primary concern. A comtforiable environment was generally taken to be a healthy ‘one. Inthe 1970s the threat of energy shortages and economic factors ed to tighter buildings and reduced outdoor venation air, The importance of humidity contro! was often ignored, and new materials and equipment were placed in buildings. The sects with buildings changed, andthe FIVAC systems that were in place were ‘often poorly maintained. ll ofthese factors contributed toa varity of incidents involving the health of building occupants. Litigation exposure, public awareness yee and sentiment, economics, and regulations all combined to make everyone involved ‘mare conscious of the need for good indoor air quality (TAQ) or a more general concept, good indoor environmental quality (IEQ). The heath ofthe occupants has Jbecome as much a concern as Gomfort, In tis chapter we cover the factors that provide a comfortable and health ‘fu environment for bulling occupants. A maer factor isthe use of uutdoor or tweated air to maintain acceptable space conditions Industral ventilation, specal> aed environments for laboratories, and health facilities will not be specifically cov ‘red, hough some of the methods covered here may have application in those ‘ANSU/ASHRAE Standard 621989, “Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality” (2), is a basis for many building codes and has a direct effect on most HIVAC desiges Tis standard funder continuous maintenance by an ASHRAF ‘committee wich mesns addenda andor revisions may be forthcoming.9% Chapters Comfor snd Health—Indoor Environmental Quality ANSUASHRAE Standard 55-1992, “Thermal Envizonmental Conditions for Human Occupancy” 2), andthe ASHRAF handhook of fundamentals (3) give fun ‘damental information needed t asure the design of healthy, comfortable building HVAC systems These three documents form the bass for much of the material in this chapter, 41 COMFORT—PHYSIOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS ‘The ASHRAE tundbook of fundamental (3) gives a detailed dicusion ofthe piyslologzalpriniples of human thermal comfort Only brie essential details wll beaitentere ook “The amount cheat generated and dsipate by the human body vais consid craly wit activity and age as wells wth ize and gender. The body has a complex regulating stem ating to maintain the deep body temperature of about 986 F (2690) regarlesof the environmental condions A nora, eat person genet- aly fel mos confortable when the environment is msintaned at conditions where the body can easly nti a thermal balance with the surroundings ASHRAE Standard 55 species conditons in which 80 percent or more ofthe ocupant Will find the envionment thermally acceptable ‘The envionnenial actors tha afet prsoa'therma balance and therefore ‘which uence thermal comfort are The dry bul temperauve ofthe surrounding air + The humidty ofthe surounding ait * The relative velocity ofthe surrounding ait | * The temperature of any surfaces that can direct view any part ofthe body and thus exchange radiation | In addition the personal variables that inluence thermal comfort ate activity and clothing The basic mechanisms tht the body uses to control body temperatures are ‘metabolism, blood circulation nea the surface of the skin (cutaneous blood ciscu- Jaton), respiration, and sweating. Metabolism determines the rate at which energy js converted from chemical to thermal form within the bod, nd blood circulation ‘controls the rate st which the thermal energy is eatried tothe surface ofthe ski, In respiration ai is aken in at ambient conditions but leaves saturated with moisture and very near the body temperature. Sweating has asignificateffect onthe rat at Which energy canbe caried away from the skin by heat and mass transfer. ‘The energy generated by a person's metabolism varies considerably with that person's activity. A unit to express the metabolic rate per Unit of body surface tea ithe mat, defined se the metabolic rate of a sedentary person (seated, quit) Imet = 18.4 Btulfurt) (58.2 Win). Typical metabolichest generation for various activities are gvecin Table 41 (3). The average adultis assumed tohave an etfecive surface area fo heat transfer of 194 ft and will therefore dissipate approximately 360 Buwhr (106 W) whea functioning in a quiet, seated manner. table of eat generation by various categories of persons is given for purposes of making cooing load calculations in Chapter 8. ‘The other perional variable that affects comfort isthe type ind amount of clothe ing that a person is wearing. Clothing insulation is usually desribed|as a singlefor ling Lin oy 441 Comfort—Physiologcal Considerations “Table 41 Typicd Metabolic Heat Generation for Varios | aes { Baten) ae Revog Seepine rr Resiing BR Sead gulet B18 Stake reine Boy ‘Wain (on etered 089 mis» 7 20 13m es ism m8 tice Actives Reading seated 10 Wang "i BLD “ping 2 Fg ted BOB ete a 0 » on a7 an ‘zat ote 2 "DG ‘Aten nue nding rl ‘esrb aon Feary ve 2 OR Mseanenus Ocapation ces, est | ma 620 Foes Seng Bas lbs Seated tery nb a ke ‘nine work ; sing (abl) 38 igh (este nd) mat 2024 ter pat Handing 04g 068 Hf Pak enovel work vis ate ‘Mscalanews oe Atvier Dance oc eeeren Citaheatstrrse Su hoa “easing we 340 Barta seu) 58 ‘Nesting compeve io 7087 ‘Saree Rep perio ron ASURAB Hook, Fa ‘no Voto, ‘equiva uniform layer over the whole body. Its insulating value is expressed in ms of elo units: lo = 0.880 (F.1°-br)/Btu [0.155 (mW, Typical insulation luce fd lating ensembles are given in reference 3. A heavy two-piece business it with acesories has an insulation value of about 1 clo, whereas @ pair of shorts about 005elo, The operative temperatures andthe clo values corresponding to92 Chapter Comfor and Heath—IndoutEnvronmenial Quality _ Operative temperature, © Figure 41 Clthigginstation for vatious levels of comfort at given tenperatire during light and primary sedentary } sxtvies(<1.2 me). d (Reprinted by peemision i | dig SE 76 BOB tom ASHRAE Standaid pert tamper, F 551992) he optimum comfort and the 80 perceat acceptability limits are given in Fig, 41 from Standard 5 2), 42 ENVIRONMENTAL COMFORT INDICES 1m the previous section twas pointed out tha, in addition tothe personal fectors of clothing and activity that affect comtor, there are four enviomental factors: temperature, humidity, ar motos, and radiation. The fist ofthese, temperature, is easily measured and iy altematvely called the air temperature of the dry bulb temperature. The second factor, humid can be described, fra given pressure and are physically 8 Breakin period required for men not, o ‘revo acclimated. Some decrement in performance ot Dyial Wor sto be expected. Mecical election of tonne detable bene thee copdion are usable ie for those wih cardiovascular or repiratory pairment or th rnie derma These working condition at ko ‘nsulublefor aces requing stained mental fer ‘Very severe eat stun. Only a smal percentage of the population maybe expected to quai or this work, ersonel shouldbe selected (2) by meical examination; and (b) bs ti onthe job (ater aclimatzton), Speci + teaser are needed to sere adequate water and intake, Amelioration of working cnaloas by any este ‘ment highly desirable, and maybe expected to deeease ‘the eat hazard whe inresing jb efciency. Sight “adiaposton” which in most obs woul be nsf! 19 slfet perfomance may ender workers unt for his capone. 100. Themrimm stiin torte daily by actinatized young men. ‘Saree Rapid prmon to ASHTRAE Honest, Fara Vane. SOLUTION “The operative temperature depends onthe mean radiant temperature whichis given by Eg tt i = T+ CP", - 7) Tan = Ti+ CVT, TI)" [(81 + 460)* + (0.103 x 10°)(30)""(81 — 75)}" + 546 R = 86 F Notice that in Eg 41 absolute temperature must be used in the terms involv- ing the fourth power, but tht temperature diferences can be expressed in degrees Fabrenbeit or Celsius,9% Chapters Comfor and Health—Indoor Environmental Quality ‘A good estimate of the operative temperature is oer tte _ T5485 z z ‘The operative temperatureshows the combinedeffect ofthe environment’ radiation andairmotion, which for thiscasegivesa value 6 degreesF greater than the surround ing ar temperature. Iwill be zen in Fig. 4-2 that ties probably an uncomfortable ‘environment. Te discomforts caused by thermal radiation from surrounding warm surfaces, aot from the air temperature. The humidity has not been taken into ac- ‘count, but at ts operative temperature a person would likely be uncomfortable at any evel of bundy. =805, or 43 COMFORT CONDITIONS ASHRAE Standard 55 gives the conditions for an acceptable thermal environment, ‘Most comfort sues involve use of the ASHRAE thermal sensation scale. This scale relates words describing thermal sensations to a corresponding number. These are aiven below: 43 hot 42 vam 4 1 ghty warm © neutral | 1 1 aightly cool. | ts 2 cool 2 3 old ' Energy bglance equations have been developed that use a predict! mean vote (PMV) index. Tie PMV index predicts the mean response ofa large group of people accordingto the ASHRAE thermal sensation scale, The PMV gan be used toestimate the predicted percent disaisfied (PPD) .1S0 Standard 7730ineludes computer listings {or facilitating the computation of PMV and PPD for a wide range of patameters (3), ‘Acceptable ranges of operative temperature and humidity for people in typical summer and wirter clothing during ight and primarily sedentary atvity (1.2 met) are given in Fig.4-2. The ranges are based on # 10 percent disaisfactign criterion, ‘The coondirate of the comfort zones are: i Winter. Operative temperature = 6810 74 F (20 1023.5 C) at 64¥ (18 C} wet ‘bul ands, = 690 76F 205 1024. C) at26F (2 C) dew point. The slanting ‘de boundaries ofthe winter zone correspond to 68 and 74F(20.nd23 5C) elective temperature (ET*) lines and are loci of constnt comfort or thermal Sensations Summer. Operative temperature ts = 73079 (225 t026C) at68F (20.C) wet bulb andt, = 74 to 81 F (235 10.27 C) at 36 (2 C) dew poiat.'The slanting side bourdaries ofthe summer zone correspond to 73 and 79F (23 and 26 C) ET" fines. The wet bul lines afe based on a wettedness of approximately 20, InFig 42the upper and lowerhumidity limits are based on considerations ofdry skin, eye irritation, respiratory health, microbial growth, and other moistué-related