ENVIRONMENTAL

CONTROL - 2
5 - TNEMNGISSA

TOPIC - INTRODUCTION TO PASSIVE SOLAR HEATING & COOLING

INTRODUCTION -
CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM

Climate control systems (solar heating/cooling systems)

classified as either active or passive in nature.

Passive systems use no purchased energy resources; normally

are assembled of “architectural” building elements doing double
duty, such as walls, floors, and finishes; and require design
coordination.

Active systems use purchased energy resources and employ task-

specific, single-purpose elements, such as pumps, fans, and
diffusers. Although mechanical engineers usually design HVAC
systems.
PASSIVE SOLAR ENERGY -

The term PASSIVE signifies that there are no additional mechanical

equipment required, other than the normal building elements -

All Passive techniques use building elements such as walls,

windows, floors and roof, in addition to exterior building
elements and landscaping, to control heat generated by solar
radiation.

If used carefully it could provide us with many benefits which

would otherwise cost a lot more.

Solar energy is useful for heating, cooling, cooking, lighting,

electricity, water, pumping, and purification.
PASSIVE SOLAR DESIGN -

Incorporating shading concepts into your landscape design can help

reduce the solar heat gain in the summer and reduce cooling costs. The
leaves of deciduous trees or bushes located to the south of the building
can help block out sunshine and unneeded heat in the summer. These
trees lose their leaves in the winter, and allow an increase in the solar
heat gain during the colder days. Incorporating overhangs, awnings,
shutters and trellises into the building design can also provide shade.

A trellis with a climbing vine can shade a home and allow air
circulation.

The most important characteristic of passive solar design is that it is

holistic, and relies on the integration of a building's architecture,
materials selection, and mechanical systems to reduce heating and
cooling loads. It is also important to consider local climate conditions,
such as temperature, solar radiation, and wind, when creating climate-
responsive, energy conserving structures that can be powered with
renewable energy sources.
PASSIVE SOLAR HEATING
 1. PASSIVE SOLAR HEATING -

INTRODUCTION:

Passive solar heating is one of several design approaches collectively called passive solar design. When combined properly,
these strategies can contribute to the heating, cooling, and daylighting of nearly any building. The types of buildings that
benefit from the application of passive solar heating range from barracks to large maintenance facilities.
Typically, passive solar heating involves:

The collection of solar energy through properly-oriented, south-facing windows.

The storage of this energy in "thermal mass," comprised of building materials with high heat capacity such as concrete
slabs, brick walls, or tile floors.
The natural distribution of the stored solar energy back to the living space, when required, through the mechanisms of
natural convection and radiation.
Window specifications to allow higher solar heat gain coefficient in south glazing.
DESCRIPTION:

Passive solar heating systems make use of the building

components to collect, store, and distribute solar heat gains to
reduce the demand for space heating. A passive solar system does
not require the use of mechanical equipment because the heat
flow is by natural means, such as radiation, convection, and
conductance, and the thermal storage is in the structure itself.

A passive solar heating system is made up of the following key

components, all of which must work together for the design to be
successful:
Aperture (Collector)
Absorber
Thermal mass
Distribution
Control.
 Aperture- the large glass area, usually a window, through which sunlight enters the building. Typically, the aperture faces within
30 degrees of true south and should avoid being shaded by other buildings or trees between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day during the
heating session

Absorber- a hard, darkened surface of the storage element, is the second element of the design. The surface sits in the direct path
of the sunlight, which hits the surface and is absorbed as heat.

Thermal mass-the materials that retain or store the heat produced by the sunlight. Unlike the absorber, which is in the direct
path of the sunlight, the thermal mass is the material below or behind the absorber’s surface

Distribution- the method by which solar heat circulates from the collection and storage points to the different areas of the house

Control- During the summer months, roof overhangs are used to shad the aperture. Other elements can be used to control the
under- and/or overheating include electronic sensing devices, operable vents and dampers, low-emissivity blinds, and awnings.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Passive solar buildings are designed to let the heat into the building during the winter months, and block out the sun during hot
summer days. This can be achieved by passive solar design elements such as shading, implementing large south-facing windows, and
building materials that absorb and slowly release the sun's heat.
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

The following are general recommendations that should be followed in the application of passive solar heating technology.

Pay careful attention when constructing a durable, energy-conserving building envelope.

Address orientation issues during site planning. To the maximum extent possible, reduce glass on the east and west sides and
protect openings from prevailing winter winds.
Establish an air-tight seal around windows, doors, and electrical outlets on exterior walls. Employ entry vestibules and keep any
ductwork within the insulated envelope of the building to ensure thermal integrity. Consider requiring blower-door tests of model
homes to demonstrate air-tightness and minimize duct losses.
Specify windows and glazing that have low thermal transmittance values (U values) while admitting adequate levels of incoming
solar radiation (higher solar heat gain coefficient [SHGC]). Data sources such as the National Fenestration Rating Council's Certified
Products Directory should be consulted for tested performance values. The amount of glazing will depend on building type and
climate.
Ensure that the south glass in a passive solar building does not contribute to increased summer cooling. In many areas, shading in
summer is just as critical as admitting solar gain in winter. From the overhang figure below, use summer (B) and winter (A) sun
angles to calculate optimum overhang design.
APPLICATIONS:

Passive solar heating strategies should only be used when appropriate.

Passive solar heating works better in smaller buildings where the envelope
design controls the energy demand. This means a space that is not already
heated by busy people, lights, computers and other internal heat gain.
Strategies, such as trombe walls, exist to mitigate unwanted glare and
excessive heat gain, but care must be taken when introducing solar heat into
workspaces. Passive solar heating is often used on circulation spaces such as
lobbies and atria, hallways, break rooms, and other types of spaces with low
internal heat gain that afford occupants the flexibility to move out of the sun.

The primary types of buildings that can benefit the most from the application
of passive solar heating principles are:
Barracks and other low-rise housing in temperate and cold climates
(locations that experience above 2,000° days annually)
Small Post Exchange (PX) facilities (less than 10,000 ft2)
Warehouses
Maintenance facilities.
OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE:

Passive solar heating is implemented during a

building's initial construction; therefore, there is
very little need for maintenance or attention beyond
what is required for the building envelope in
general. Maintenance does have to ensure that areas
designed to gain solar heat are not shaded by
growth of landscaping or other obstructions.
PASSIVE SOLAR COOLING
2. PASSIVE SOLAR COOLING -

INTRODUCTION:

Passive cooling systems are least expensive means of cooling a home which maximizes the efficiency of the building envelope
without any use of mechanical devices. It rely on natural heat-sinks to remove heat from the building. They derive cooling
directly from evaporation, convection, and radiation without using any intermediate electrical devices. All passive cooling
strategies rely on daily changes in temperature and relative humidity. The applicability of each system depends on the climatic
conditions. These design strategies reduce heat gains to internal spaces.

Natural Ventilation
Shading
Wind Towers
Courtyard Effect
Earth Air Tunnels
Evaporative Cooling
Passive Down Draught Cooling
Roof Sprays
NATURAL VENTILATION -

Outdoor breezes create air movement through the house interior by the 'push-pull' effect of positive air pressure on
the windward side and negative pressure (suction) on the leeward side.
In order to have a good natural ventilation, openings must be placed at opposite pressure zones.
Also, designers often choose to enhance natural ventilation using tall spaces called stacks in buildings.
With openings near the top of stacks, warm air can escape whereas cooler air enters the building from openings near the
ground.
The windows, play a dominant role in inducing indoor ventilation due to wind forces.
In most homes, exhausting the warm air quickly can be a problem.
With the design of high ceilings throughout the breeze zone combined with clerestory windows at the 14′ ceiling height on
three walls, the rising hot air is allowed to escape which in turn does two things.
Firstly the rising air creates a low pressure zone on the cool mass floor, pulling air along the floor from other areas of the
house as well as any open doors.
Secondly the rising and escaping air creates an interior low pressure that should pull in large volumes or exterior air from
the patio doors.
Depending on the primary wind direction and which doors are opened relative to time of day and shade, we can create a
breeze of cooler incoming air.
SHADING:

The most effective method of cooling a building is to shade

windows, walls and roof of building from direct solar
radiation.
Heavily insulated walls and roofs need less shading.
Can use overhangs on outside facade of the building.
Solar control is a critical requirement for both cooling-load
dominated and passively solar-heated buildings. Each
project should be evaluated depending on its relative
cooling needs:
Extend the overhang beyond the sides of the window to
prevent solar gain from the side.
Use slatted or louvered shades to allow more daylight to
enter, while shading windows from direct sunlight.
Reduce solar heat gain by recessing windows into the wall.
EVAPORATIVE COOLING:

Evaporative cooling lowers indoor air temperature by

evaporating water.
It is effective in hot and dry climate where the atmospheric
humidity is low.
In evaporative cooling, the sensible heat of air is used to
evaporate water, thereby cooling the air, which, in turn, cools
the living space of the building.
Increase in contact between water and air increases the rate of
evaporation.
The presence of a water body such as a pond, lake, and sea near
the building or a fountain in a courtyard can provide a cooling
effect.
A TYPICAL SECTION SHOWING PASSIVE SOLAR FEATURES OF
WALMI BUILDING,BHOPAL
The most commonly used system is a desert cooler, which
comprises water, evaporative pads, a fan, and pump. 1. Ground
cover 2. Water sprinkler 3. Insulated roof 4. Shading trees 5.
Water trough
COURTYARD EFFECT:

If this heat exchange reduces roof surface temperature to wet bulb

temperature of air, condensation of atmospheric moisture occurs on
the roof and the gain due to condensation limits further cooling.
Due to incident solar radiation in a courtyard, the air gets warmer
and rises.
Cool air from the ground level flows through the louvered openings
of rooms surrounding a courtyard, thus producing air flow.
At night, the warm roof surfaces get cooled by convection and
radiation. Courtyard as a moderator of internal climate
If the roof surfaces are sloped towards the internal courtyard, the
cooled air sinks into the court and enters the living space through
low-level openings, gets warmed up, and leaves the room through
higher-level openings.
However, care should be taken that the courtyard does not receive
intense solar radiation, which would lead to conduction and
radiation heat gains into the building.
APPLICATIONS:

The thermal performance of two passive cooling systems under hot and humid climate condition is experimentally investigated.

The experimental results were obtained from a test cell and a controlled cell with identical walls but different roof
configurations. The passive cooling systems applied to the test cell are solar chimney and water spraying on roof.

The experimental results obtained from the test cell are compared with the closed and no passive cooling controlled cell.

In addition, the significant of solar-induced ventilation by using a solar chimney is realized by utilizing a wind shield to reduce
the effect of wind-induced ventilation resulting in low measured air velocities to the solar chimney and low computed value of
coefficient of discharge.

The derived coefficient of discharge of 0.4 is used to compute Air Changes rates per Hour (ACH). The ACHs with application of
solar chimney solely are found to be in the range of 0.16–1.98. The studies of air temperature differences between the room and
the solar chimney suggest amount of air flow rates for different periods in a year.
HOW DOES IT WORKS?

Passive cooling systems take advantage of natural processes such as conduction, convection and radiation to warm or cool a
building. Because of this, they require little to no external energy to function and can contribute to the energy efficiency of a home.

Additionally, the heat gain from the solar insolation can be stored for future use. Capturing solar radiation in the winter helps to
warm up the space, and shading from solar radiation in the summer cools the space. Hence, the use of insulation and thermal mass
is crucial to prevent over-cooling of a space in the winter.
CONVECTING COOLING

Convection cooling is the mechanism where heat is transferred from the hot device by the flow of the fluid surrounding the object. The
fluid can either air, which is the most common, or another suitable liquid.

During the cooling process the heat causes an expansion of the fluid and a reduction in its density. The difference in density causes the
fluid to flow and as this happens, the hotter, expanded, and less dense fluid carries with it some thermal energy. This results into the
energy transfer from the hot object into the surrounding air or liquid.
The effectiveness of the cooling depend factors such as:

Temperature difference between the surrounding and the hot object

Viscosity of the fluid (air or liquid)

Rate of the fluid’s thermal expansion

Shape, size and surface texture of the object

Ability of the fluid to move in response to the density difference

There are two types of convectional cooling, namely the natural convection cooling and the forced air convection cooling.
CONDUCTIVE COOLING -

Conduction doesn’t require pumps or fans to operate, and instead, relies on heat transfer between parts of a continuum, through direct
physical contact.

Conductive cooling is chosen for its reliability and performance, but is not as accommodating or powerful as an air or liquid cooling
system.

Usage

Conduction is used in specific situations where reliability and noise reduction is crucial, for instance in power electronics,
semiconductors, converters, inverters, batteries and wafers.
OUR GROUP

GAYATHRI JYOSHNA - 10
MADHUMITHA - 20
RAKSHITHA - 30
SAI VYSHNAVI - 37
SHRAVANTHI - 44
VINAY MANDALA - 58