Type
Text
Type
Dissertation
Advisor
Longtin, Jon | Wang, Lin-Shu | Kincaid, John M | Hwang, David | Butcher, Thomas.
Date
2013-12-01
Keywords
Mechanical engineering | Building Design, Building Energy Modeling, Building Hydronic Radiant Cooling, Building Thermal Comfort, Thermal Homeostasis in Buildings, Thermal Mass and Cooling Tower
Department
Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Language
en_US
Source
This work is sponsored by the Stony Brook University Graduate School in compliance with the requirements for completion of degree.
Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/11401/76447
Publisher
The Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY.
Format
application/pdf
Abstract
" Living" buildings, like living bodies, seek to maintain stable internal environments while the external surroundings keep on changing. In biology, the " stable internal environment" is called homeostasis. This dissertation focuses on thermal homeostasis in buildings. In a homeostatic building, adequate thermal mass is applied to keep indoor temperature varying within a small range; natural energy is harnessed to maintain indoor temperature at a comfortable level using lower-power equipment (lowPE); hydronic radiant conditioning system is employed to distribute heat or coolness effectively to avoid over-heating or over-cooling; and large fenestration is designed for aesthetics, natural lighting and solar gain. The design of homeostatic buildings is approached in interdependent but distinguishable two steps: archi.engineering building's indoor air-mass partially homeostatic to be within an acceptable temperature range without equipment, and maintaining the building fully homeostatic to be at a comfortable temperature level with lowPE or off-peak mechanical equipment. This new process design philosophy replaces the conventional heat balance design philosophy of engineering building's indoor air to be at a fixed temperature. The new design philosophy is applied to a TABS (thermally activated building systems)-equipped office building-room using an RC (resistor-capacitor) model built in Matlab/Simulink. Everyone intuitively knows that a building's thermal resistance and its mass are the most important passive elements of its thermal-control system. However, common building codes make no provision for its mass. This inconsistency results from the static heat balance design philosophy. In the dynamic RC model, indoor temperatures are allowed to float within a range. Systematic study of building's structural thermal mass requirement leads to a new dynamic definition of the thermal envelope, which sets limit in minimum thermal mass and maximum WWR (window-to-wall ratio) for partially homeostatic buildings. The use of TABS and thermal mass makes a partially homeostatic building possible to harness natural energy with lowPE, such as cooling tower. The favorable climatic conditions of using cooling tower are investigated to achieve full homeostasis in buildings. It shows that in seven selected cities the most favorable location is Sacramento, which has a largest diurnal temperature variation derived from the strong micro-climatic process of sea breeze. This finding argues that the changing " external environment" is not only a challenge but also an opportunity--the opportunity in how a partially homeostatic building can harness natural energy with lowPE to achieve full homeostasis. Better than Sacramento, Paso Robles has a larger diurnal temperature swing in summers, which makes it one of the most favorite locations for homeostatic buildings. A stand-alone one-story south-facing small commercial building in Paso Robles is designed. Simulation confirms that the building is a good partially homeostatic building even with a very high WWR. Thermal homeostasis in buildings is an example of sustainable technologies. The homeostatic conception makes a building into a harnessing system for a new kind of renewable " energy." Homeostasis in buildings and how it is engineered offer an opportunity of creating a new kind of man-made systems with ecological sustainability -- a perfect revolutionary form and content for getting the green architecture movement lifting off. | 205 pages
Recommended Citation
Ma, Peizheng, "Thermal Homeostasis in Buildings (THiB): Radiant conditioning of hydronically activated buildings with large fenestration and adequate thermal mass using natural energy for thermal comfort" (2013). Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions). 2367.
https://commons.library.stonybrook.edu/stony-brook-theses-and-dissertations-collection/2367