VIII Semester B.Arch.

Lesson plan ARC 420 Energy conscious architecture

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
DEENBANDHU CHHOTU RAM UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
MURTHAL

TOPIC 8 Heat exchange of buildings

The building can be considered as a defined unit and its heat exchange processes with the out-
door environment can be examined:
Qi +Qs±Qc±Qv±Qm-Qe=0
Where,
Qi =Internal heat gain
Qs=Radiation through windows
Qc=Heat gain or loss due to conduction
Qv=Heat gain or loss due to covection
Qm=Heat gain or loss due to mechanical equipment
Qe=Heat loss due to evaporation
Conduction
 Conduction of heat may occur through the walls either inwards or outwards, the rate
of which will be denoted as Qc (convective and radiant components in the transfer of
the same heat at the surfaces are included in the term: transmittance)
 Conduction heat flow through a wall of given area can be described by equation:
Qc =AxUx∆T
where Qc = conduction heat flow rate, in W
A = surface area, in m2
U = transmittance value, in W/m2degC
∆T = temperature difference
 The effects of solar radiation on opaque surfaces can be included in the above by
using the sol-air temperature concept, but through transparent surfaces (windows)
the solar heat gain must be considered separately. It may be denoted as Qs
Radiation through windows
 The effects of solar radiation through transparent surfaces (windows) the solar heat
gain may be denoted as Qs
 If the intensity of solar radiation (I) incident on the plane of the window is known —
this itself being a value denoting a density of energy flow rate (W/m2) — it will have
to be multiplied by the area of the aperture only (m2) to get the heat flow rate in
watts. This would be the heat flow rate through an unglazed aperture.

1 Prof (Dr) C. Kabre

VIII Semester B.Arch. Lesson plan ARC 420 Energy conscious architecture

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
DEENBANDHU CHHOTU RAM UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
MURTHAL
 For glazed windows this value will be reduced by a solar gain factor(θ) which
depends on the quality of the glass and on the angle of incidence. Values of θ given
in Fig. 55 (Koenigsberger et al 1975)
 The solar heat flow equation can therefore be established as:
Qs =Axlxθ
where A area of window, in m2
I= radiation heat flow density, in W/m2
θ = solar gain factor of window glass
Convection
 Heat exchange in either direction may take place with the movement of air, i.e.
ventilation, and the rate of this will be denoted as Qv
 Convection heat flow rate between the interior of a building and the open air,
depends on the rate of ventilation, i.e. air exchange. This may be unintentional air
infiltration or may be deliberate ventilation, The rate of ventilation can be given in
m3/s. :
The’ rate of ventilation heat flow is described by the equation:
Qv = 1300 x V x ∆T
Where
Qv =ventilation heat flow rate, in W
1300= volumetric specific heat of air, J/m3 degC
∆T= temperature difference, deg C
 If the number of air changes per hour (N) is given the ventilation rate can be found
as:
(3600 is the number of seconds in an hour)
N  roomvolume
V
3600
Internal heat gain
 An internal heat gain Qi may result from the heat output of human bodies, lamps,
motors and appliances.
 Heat output from a body (inside the building) is a heat gain for the building. Thus the
heat output rate appropriate to the activity must be selected and multiplied by the
number of occupants. The result, in watts, will be a component of Qi
 The total rate of energy emission of electric lamps can be taken as internal heat gain.
The larger part of this energy is emitted as heat (95% for incandescent lamps and
79% for fluorescent lamps) and the part emitted as light when incident on surfaces,
will be converted into heat. Consequently the total wattage of all lamps in the
building (if and when in use) must be added to the Qi
 If an electric motor and the machine driven by it are both located (and operating) in
the same space, the total wattage of the motor must be taken as Qi .
Heating and cooling
 There may be a deliberate introduction or removal of heat (heating or cooling), using
some form of outside energy supply. The heat flow rate of such mechanical controls
may be denoted as Qm.

2 Prof (Dr) C. Kabre

 VIII Semester B.Arch. Lesson plan ARC 420 Energy conscious architecture

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
DEENBANDHU CHHOTU RAM UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
MURTHAL
 Heating and cooling, i.e. mechanical controls, the heat flow rate of these systems is
subject to the designer’s intentions and it is deliberately controllable. It can thus be
taken as a dependent variable in the equation, i.e. it can be adjusted according to
the balance of the other factors.
Evaporation
 Finally, if evaporation takes place on the surface of the building (e.g. a roof pool) or
within the building (human sweat or water in a fountain) and the vapours are
removed, this will produce a cooling effect, the rate of which will be denoted as Qv
 The rate of cooling by evaporation can only be calculated if the rate of evaporation
itself is known. If the evaporation rate is expressed in kg/h, the corresponding heat
loss rate can be found:
Qe = 666 x kg/h
as the latent heat of evaporation of water around 20°C is approximately 2400 kJ/kg,
this gives:
2400000 J/h = 2400000/3600 J/s = 666W
 The estimation of evaporation rate is a more difficult task and it can rarely be done
with any degree of accuracy (except under mechanically controlled conditions), as it
depends on many variables, such as: available moisture, humidity of the air,
temperature of the moisture itself and of the air and velocity of the air movement. It
can be measured indirectly, e.g. by measuring the reduction in the quantity of water
in an open vessel, or it can be estimated from the number of people in the room,
their activity and thus their likely sweat rate (a value between 20 g/h and 2 kg/h).
Usually evaporation heat loss is either ignored for the purposes of calculations
(except in mechanical installations), or it is handled qualitatively only: evaporative
cooling will be utilised to reduce air temperature ‘as far as possible’.
 Revise heat gain calculation and heat loss calculation done in the tutorial.
Further reading
Koenigsberger, et al (1975) Manual of tropical housing and building, climatic design, Orient
Longman, chapter 3.2.

3 Prof (Dr) C. Kabre