Thermal Conditions Controlled by Thermostats: An Occupational Comfort and Well-being Perspective

From the perspective of occupational comfort and well-being, indoor thermal condition characterized by its temperature levels, spatial variations, and airflow patterns plays an important role. Studies have demonstrated strong correlations among indoor comfort levels and users' well-being, productivity, and overall health. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been used to investigate indoor thermal comfort. In this research, a private office on the University of Cincinnati campus was selected and studied in order to spatially map the thermal comfort index. Autodesk® CFD, a ventilation simulation software, was utilized to model the office space and air conditioning systems, as well as simulate the airflow in the indoor space. Based on the simulation results, the air speed, ambient temperature, and relative humidity were all obtained for different vent locations. These simulated parameters can be used in dynamic anthropometry to acquire the predicted mean vote (PMV) and temperature in specific office areas. Through this method, a visualized indoor comfort map was developed as a means of indicating potential user comfort effects; spatial variations in the indoor comfort index have also been analyzed and discussed.