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Applied Sciences
Special Issues
Thermal Comfort: Challenges, Analysis and Applications
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Thermal Comfort: Challenges, Analysis and Applications

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2021) | Viewed by 4746

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ricardo M. S. F. Almeida

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Guest Editor
1. Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, Department of Civil Engineering, Campus Politécnico de Repeses, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal
2. CONSTRUCT-LFC, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering (FEUP), University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s/n, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
Interests: heat, air and moisture transfer in buildings or building components; energy efficiency; thermal comfort; indoor environmental quality; natural ventilation and airtightness; infrared thermography; in situ testing of buildings or building components
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Eva Barreira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CONSTRUCT, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering (FEUP), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s/n, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
Interests: building technology; sustainable materials; building pathology; infrared thermography; in situ and laboratory testing; hygrothermal behavior of buildings; energy efficiency; thermal comfort; natural ventilation and airtightness
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The concept of thermal comfort is subjective in nature and its assessment, therefore, complex. The challenge is to respond appropriately to the needs and preferences of the users of spaces. The concept of thermal comfort, although requiring adaptations, is applicable in various contexts, such as indoor and outdoor spaces or even transition areas.

Despite the enormous developments observed in the last 25 years, research in the field of thermal comfort currently faces several new and exciting challenges. This Special Issue aims at stimulating the exchange of ideas and knowledge on thermal comfort. To this purpose, original contributions containing theoretical and experimental research, case studies or comprehensive state-of-the-art discussions are welcome for possible publication.

Relevant topics to this Special Issue include but are not limited to the following:

  • Physical and deterministic models versus adaptive and probabilistic models;
  • Thermal comfort towards zero energy buildings;
  • Thermal comfort in the context of smart buildings and IoT;
  • Thermal comfort and buildings digitalization;
  • Thermal comfort and free-running buildings;
  • The role of natural ventilation and of air movement;
  • Compatibility of global thermal comfort with localized discomfort;
  • Relationship between thermal comfort and productivity and work performance;
  • Outdoor comfort;
  • Thermal comfort in transition areas.

Dr. Ricardo M. S. F. Almeida
Dr. Eva Barreira
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • thermal comfort
  • comfort models
  • smart buildings
  • air movement
  • local discomfort
  • free-running buildings
  • outdoor comfort
  • transition areas

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 5912 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Effect of Passive Cooling Techniques on Thermal Comfort Using Test Cells in the Northern Region of Brazil
by Murilo Marcolini, Ricardo M. S. F. Almeida and Eva Barreira
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1546; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app12031546 - 31 Jan 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1783
Abstract
The high consumption of electricity in Palmas, Brazil is a direct consequence of the high temperatures identified throughout the year. Therefore, it is necessary to search for sustainable technologies that contribute to comfort through passive cooling, thus reducing the energy consumption. This work [...] Read more.
The high consumption of electricity in Palmas, Brazil is a direct consequence of the high temperatures identified throughout the year. Therefore, it is necessary to search for sustainable technologies that contribute to comfort through passive cooling, thus reducing the energy consumption. This work presents the results of an experimental campaign of 11 months, in which the effects of shading devices, the use of a low-emissivity reflective film, the implementation of natural ventilation and the application of reflective painting are evaluated, when applied individually and combined. The results show that when applied individually, natural cross ventilation was the most effective at night, while reflective painting showed better performance during the day. Regarding the combinations of techniques, the best combination occurred when reflective painting was used together with natural ventilation, and the result was a relevant improvement in the performance, ensuring high temperature reductions when compared to the control. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Comfort: Challenges, Analysis and Applications)
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15 pages, 3384 KiB  
Article
A Comparative Analysis of Thermoelectric Modules for the Purpose of Ensuring Thermal Comfort in Protective Clothing
by Anna Dąbrowska, Monika Kobus, Bartosz Pękosławski and Łukasz Starzak
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(17), 8068; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11178068 - 31 Aug 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2160
Abstract
In recent times, more and more workers are exposed to thermal stress due to climate changes and increased ambient temperature. Demanding physical activities and the use of protective clothing are additional sources of thermal load for workers. Therefore, recent research has focused on [...] Read more.
In recent times, more and more workers are exposed to thermal stress due to climate changes and increased ambient temperature. Demanding physical activities and the use of protective clothing are additional sources of thermal load for workers. Therefore, recent research has focused on the development of protective clothing with a cooling function. Phase change materials, air or liquid, were mainly used for this purpose; only a few publications were concerned the use of thermoelectric modules. This publication analyzes the influence of such factors as supplied current, ambient temperature, and the type of heat sink on the amount of heat flux transferred by a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) and the electric power consumed by it. In the course of laboratory tests, a flexible thermoelectric module and three heat sink variants were tested. For this purpose, a polymer TEGway heat sink, a metal one, and a self-made one based on a superabsorbent were used. The research showed that at a temperature of 30 °C and above, the amount of the heat flux transferred by a TEC with a total area of 58 cm2, and an active area of 10 cm2 should be expected to be from 1 W to 1.5 W. An increase in ambient temperature from 20 to 35 °C caused a significant reduction in the heat flux by about 1 W. The results obtained indicated that the type of heat sink affects the heat flux drawn by the TEC to a statistically significant extent. The heat sink using the evaporation effect turned out to be the most efficient. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Comfort: Challenges, Analysis and Applications)
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