Impact/Purpose:

The objective of the proposed research is to develop a predictive environmental control for natural ventilation based on a real-time sensing of outdoor climate conditions, as well as the indoor thermal environment. In a pilot study, the project investigators carefully evaluated the availability of natural wind based on the weather data of Rolla, Missouri, and estimated that 40% of the energy required for cooling could be realized by adopting natural ventilation as a passive strategy.

Description:

With today’s growing emphasis on minimizing energy use in buildings, energy-efficient active mechanical systems and strategies have admittedly overlooked passive strategies. Critically needed passive cooling or heating can demonstrate that, by maximizing natural resources, quantifiable environmental benefits will be obtained and energy use will be minimized.

Record Details:

Record Type:PROJECT( ABSTRACT )

Start Date:08/15/2011

Completion Date:08/14/2012

Record ID: 249303

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Related Organizations:

Role :OWNER

Organization Name :MISSOURI UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Citation :Rolla

State :MO

Zip Code :65409

Project Information:

Approach :

The proposed research will investigate and determine how significant individual outdoor climatic variables, such as solar radiation, wind speed and direction, outdoor temperature, and humidity levels, contribute to indoor temperatures and humidity conditions, and what the time-lag of heat flow and infiltration would be from outdoor to indoor spaces. These examined parameters will be used in an adaptive control logic, and an appropriate control system for natural ventilation will be constructed, as a test bed, in a residential house located on the campus of the Missouri University of Science and Technology. A validation test and simulation study, adopting yearly weather data, will show quantified environmental benefits derived from the developed control. Successful project performance requires diverse technical skills and explicit knowledge of data acquisition, thermal dynamics, sensing and control, and energy simulations.

Cost :$15,000.00

Research Component :Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development

Approach :

The proposed research will investigate and determine how significant individual outdoor climatic variables, such as solar radiation, wind speed and direction, outdoor temperature, and humidity levels, contribute to indoor temperatures and humidity conditions, and what the time-lag of heat flow and infiltration would be from outdoor to indoor spaces. These examined parameters will be used in an adaptive control logic, and an appropriate control system for natural ventilation will be constructed, as a test bed, in a residential house located on the campus of the Missouri University of Science and Technology. A validation test and simulation study, adopting yearly weather data, will show quantified environmental benefits derived from the developed control. Successful project performance requires diverse technical skills and explicit knowledge of data acquisition, thermal dynamics, sensing and control, and energy simulations.

Cost :$15,000.00

Research Component :P3 Challenge Area - Energy

Approach :

The proposed research will investigate and determine how significant individual outdoor climatic variables, such as solar radiation, wind speed and direction, outdoor temperature, and humidity levels, contribute to indoor temperatures and humidity conditions, and what the time-lag of heat flow and infiltration would be from outdoor to indoor spaces. These examined parameters will be used in an adaptive control logic, and an appropriate control system for natural ventilation will be constructed, as a test bed, in a residential house located on the campus of the Missouri University of Science and Technology. A validation test and simulation study, adopting yearly weather data, will show quantified environmental benefits derived from the developed control. Successful project performance requires diverse technical skills and explicit knowledge of data acquisition, thermal dynamics, sensing and control, and energy simulations.

Cost :$15,000.00

Research Component :P3 Challenge Area - Built Environment

Project IDs:

ID Code :SU835073

Project type :EPA Grant