Kuo-Tsang Huang

Passenger thermal perceptions, thermal comfort requirements, and adaptations in short- and long-haul vehicles

While thermal comfort in mass transportation vehicles is relevant to service quality and energy consumption, benchmarks for such comfort that reflect the thermal adaptations of passengers are currently lacking. This study reports a field experiment involving simultaneous physical measurements and a questionnaire survey, collecting data from 2,129 respondents, that evaluated thermal comfort in short- and long-haul buses and trains. Experimental results indicate that high air temperature, strong solar radiation, and low air movement explain why passengers feel thermally uncomfortable. The overall insulation of clothing worn by passengers and thermal adaptive behaviour in vehicles differ from those in their living and working spaces. Passengers in short-haul vehicles habitually adjust the air outlets to increase thermal comfort, while passengers in long-haul vehicles prefer to draw the drapes to reduce discomfort from extended exposure to solar radiation. The neutral temperatures for short- and long-haul vehicles are 26.2°C and 27.4°C, while the comfort zones are 22.4–28.9°C and 22.4–30.1°C, respectively. The results of this study provide a valuable reference for practitioners involved in determining the adequate control and management of in-vehicle thermal environments, as well as facilitating design of buses and trains, ultimately contributing to efforts to achieve a balance between the thermal comfort satisfaction of passengers and energy conserving measures for air-conditioning in mass transportation vehicles.

Parametric study on energy and thermal performance of school buildings with natural ventilation, hybrid ventilation and air conditioning

Most school buildings in Taiwan rely on natural ventilation to maintain thermal comfort. However, many buildings have overheating problems, and air conditioning is commonly used to solve the problem. Although schools are required to provide mechanical cooling when the indoor temperature exceeds 28℃ and maintain the indoor temperature at 28℃ for energy saving purpose, overheating is still a problem yet to be solved. Hybrid ventilation with adaptive comfort model is an effective strategy to ensure thermal comfort and reduce energy. This study aimed to identify the effectiveness of natural ventilation, hybrid ventilation and air conditioning on energy saving and overheating prevention under the climate conditions of Taiwan. The impact of architectural design on cooling energy and thermal comfort of a typical school building were quantified by parametric analysis. Priority parameters for each building condition were proposed as reference. Lastly, suggestions on air conditioning management scheme were proposed to enhance thermal comfort.

Global Radiation for Solar Architecture Design of Taiwan

Solar radiation data is an important consideration factor in building environment planning. This study focused on the regional characteristics of global solar radiation of Taiwan. The research utilized the raw meteorological data meseaursed by the Central Weather Bureau to establish reliable solar radiation data of weather stations by means of statistic analysis. A total of weather station’s data are used where their geographical location are evenly distributed from northern to southern Taiwan. The results of this study will presented the diagrams of annual and monthly averaged solar radiation in Taiwan. Geographical distribution of inter-annual trend of global solar radiation during this period was also presented in this paper. It can be used for further study of the climate zoning comparing with other climate conditions. Furthermore, researchers of solar cell design, building energy, shading design, site planning, etc. can utilize the distribution diagram to fetch reliable solar radiation values to carry on reasonable quantitative analysis.