| Title |
A Study on the Effect of Underground Thermal Mass for Domestic Cooling and Heating |
| Abstract |
It's well known that the earth or ground is a useful medium for a long-term heat source and storage of it's heat. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of an underground thermal mass on cooling and heating system for houses. A scale model that was tested had 6.2m-wide, 2.1m-deep, 3.2m-high with circulation air-ducts of 30m in length and 0.2m in diameter which were located 3m underground. The effect of the underground thermal mass on temperature and humidity was recorded on a 60-minute basis from September 23, 1996 to October 21, 1996. The underground thermal mass was evaluated for the effect of making living environments comfortable.Consequently, there are several conclusions:1)Room(1) of scale model which has circulation air-ducts is more comfortable than room(2) of the scale model. Temperature swing during the day is 10C in room(1), but 20C in room(2).2)Heat transfer between air and ground thermal mass is effective.3)Humidity swing during the day is below 10% in room(1), but 40% in room(2).4)The scale model indoor temperature has a time-lag effect. |