Thermal comfort is a seemingly ambiguous term, referring to each and every individual’s satisfaction when it comes to indoor environments. In layman terms, thermal comfort evaluation assesses whether or not the majority of persons in a given space feel comfortable with the temperature, air quality, and more. You see, the human body can be perceived as a heat source. Nutrients (food) are inputted, and energy is the output. Depending on the physical size, metabolic rate, and overall BMI of a person, the amount of input, and therefore, output heat can differ, with the regular temperature of a human body hovering always around 98.6°F (37°C).
The heat transfer resulting from the number of humans in an occupied space then creates a temperature difference. If the indoor space is too cold, the human body will output more energy than if the space is warmer (or closer to the average human body temperature). Nevertheless, extremes of either spectrum lead to occupant discomfort. Therefore, one of the chief roles of HVAC and building design engineers alike is to maintain an acceptable level of thermal comfort within their designs. Current internationally recognized standards for this include EN 1678-1:2019, ASHRAE 55, and ISO 7730.
Up until now, this process could only be done through long and drawn out calculations, or, even more recently, desktop/on-premises CAE software. However, today, another solution is gaining momentum; cloud-based CAE platforms. As BIM software modernizes, CAE online software has followed suit. In this article, the benefits of modernizing your thermal comfort evaluation method will be assessed using two case studies from engineering teams that made the switch to cloud-based solutions.
Modernizing Your Thermal Comfort Evaluation Process
In order to keep up with the latest standards for thermal comfort, no matter what country you live or work in, cloud-based solutions should be considered. Using cloud-based simulation instead of on-premises solutions for this process has many benefits including but not limited to:
- Time-saving and shorter design cycles
- Cost-effectiveness
- The possibility for further connectivity/collaboration in the future with other BIM/HVAC modelling tools for even more optimization
However, we don’t expect you to just take our word for it. In this recent podcast, Gruner Roschi AG’s David Akeret speaks about the future of cloud-enabled connectivity and CAE compatibility among other benefits of online simulation.
Gruner Roschi AG Case Study: How They Determined the Best Architectural/HVAC Solution Through Parallel Processing With SimScale
Operating for nearly 50 years, Gruner Roschi AG is an industry leader in the construction sector in Switzerland. Gruner Roschi AG, as a part of Gruner AG, specializes in HVAC engineering and building performance simulation.
In this customer success story, Gruner simulated four HVAC designs in parallel, gaining results in less than a day, ultimately determining the best natural cross-ventilation for a room for a given design. The chief engineer on the project, David Akeret, explained,
“Working with SimScale gave us the possibility to inspect which of the architectural and technical solutions works the best way and give us certainty about our decisions. One other big factor is the speed in which SimScale can deliver results, through its great parallelization capacity. Without SimScale, we wouldn’t be able to deliver high-quality results in the required time period.”
David Akeret
VCD Specialist
To hear more from David and his team’s experience with SimScale, check out this podcast.
Ingenieurburo Gratzl Case Study: How They Used Cloud-Based CFD as a Cost-Effective Alternative for Building Optimization
Ingenieurbüro Gratzl specializes in simulation methods for building physics. The chief focus of founder Markus Gratzl’s work is to aid building planners (architects, HVAC engineers, etc.) to improve their buildings and systems in terms of energy efficiency and thermal comfort.
The case study follows a project Markus was working on for Athlan Quarter, to assess the thermal comfort of the grand entrance hall of a former university building. Through cloud-based CFD simulation using SimScale, Markus was able to quickly obtain results, and can now take on more cases than ever before possible with other simulation solutions. He states:
“SimScale gives me, for the first time as a small specialized engineering office, the possibility to use CFD simulations for building optimization. Other software packages cause much too high investment costs for hardware and software.”
Markus Gratzl
Expert in the field of Green Building Simulation and owner of Ingenieurbüro Gratzl, professor for “Simulation Methods in Building Physics” on Salzburg University of Applied Sciences
To hear more from Markus and his experience with cloud-based CAE, stay tuned for his podcast coming soon.
Conclusion
Cloud-based simulation has benefited our engineers by providing a fast, cost-effective, and low-maintenance solution that keeps up with current trends and standards within their respective industries. To learn more about how SimScale can be utilized in your thermal comfort evaluation and design workflow, check our thermal comfort documentation, providing everything from how-to guides to validation cases, as well as our plethora of video tutorials to get you started today.
This paper addresses the difference between on-premises software and SaaS
solutions for computer-aided engineering, explaining how SaaS came to be and its
key benefits.
Interested in reading more about thermal comfort evaluation and validation using cloud-based simulation? Check out a few of our resources:
- What Is PMV? What Is PPD? The Basics of Thermal Comfort
- What Is ASHRAE 55? Basics of Thermal Comfort
- Indoor Thermal Standards: What’s The Difference Between ASHRAE 55 AND ISO 7730?
- What Is EN 16798-1:2019? Basics of Thermal Comfort
- Radiation and Thermal Comfort for Indoor Spaces
- Thermal Comfort and Radiation with SimScale
- Thermal Comfort, Kitchen Ventilation & Convective Heat Transfer
