Thermal characteristics of a personal environment module task air conditioning system: an experimental study

The Effect of Wall-Mounted Oscillating Fan on Energy Consumption in Built Environments

“…These studies suggested an energy saving of about 16 % could be realized per degree set-point temperature rise, from 25.5"C to 26.5"C, and with significant financial returns and short payback period [ 131. Fluctuatingairmovement, on theother hand, is revealed to havegreater cooling effect on subjective thermal sensation than constant air movement [6,10, and 141, Directional fluctuation of air velocity generated by oscillating fans is shown to be particularly effective in extending thermal comfort envelope beyond that due to ceiling fans and with advantageous improvement of occupants' thermal sensation and evident energy saving potentials [ 141. This form of directional cooling is also consistent with recently promoted ideas of maximizing the localized WC effect around occupants, for energy saving purposes [15]. Further more, flexibdityoflocatingthistypeof fanrespondsfavourablytopreference of the user [13,14].…”

“…Human thermal comfort is a complex process, which involves numerous interrelatedfactors [7, .However,convectivecoo~isanimportant component ofthermalcomfort and pmvideselliaent means forcontrohg human body heat loss to the surrounding environment. Thus, convection air movement enhances direct physiological 'task cooling' of occupants, as well as 'structural cooling' of internal surroundings, which indirectly influences body thermal exchange with surroundings [7,15].…”

“…ii-Flexibility ofpositioning for this type of fan responds favourably to user preferen~andenablesm;urimizationof~~veareaofoperationand coolingaroundoccupant [15] . T h d r c o n v e n i e n t l o i n r o o~ also allows for easy operation and control, and switchmg (ON/OFF).…”

Experimental and numerical studies on the performance evaluation of a bed-based task/ambient air conditioning (TAC) system

“…TAC systems used in offices in daytime have been investigated in a large number of previous studies and many benefits associated with using TAC systems revealed: enhancing thermal comfort and reducing energy consumption, etc. By allowing personal control over local thermal environment using TAC, the thermal comfort of occupants can be greatly improved [3,4]. In addition, using TAC can help save energy [5], as less energy will be used when the thermal control outside an occupied zone may be greatly relaxed.…”

Thermal, ventilation and energy saving performance evaluations of a ductless bed-based task/ambient air conditioning (TAC) system

“…Amai et al [5] carried out an experimental study on four types of TAC systems installed in a climate chamber, and found out that using TAC systems achieved better thermal comfort. A personal environmental module TAC system was flexible and easy to control, and therefore, offered a significant potential to improve thermal comfort in workspaces [6]. Bauman et al [7] conducted a series of experiments on the responses of occupants to different air conditioning systems, and the results showed a large increase in the mean ratings of satisfaction for the following three factors when using TAC: temperature, temperature control and air movement.…”