Effective improvement of a local thermal environment using multi-vent module-based adaptive ventilation

Indoor thermal comfort is essential as it improves living standards. Activity scenarios of personnel are in the process of a dynamic change. In most interior spaces with fixed working stations, people directly blown by cold air have a poor thermal experience. Therefore, to meet the differentiated environmental demands, one challenge is to explore novel ventilation strategies to satisfy the changing environmental needs. An adaptive strategy, multi-vent module-based adaptive ventilation (MAV), was designed to increase the adjustability of air distribution and better adapt to variable demands. A classroom was chosen as a representative model with multiple scenarios during its use. Simulations were conducted to verify the three-level control effect of MAV on improving the thermal environment. The results revealed that different vent solutions create different airflow patterns and thermal environments, which can be matched to the scenarios. The scale for ventilation efficiency No. 4, which measured the influence scope of supply air, was used to evaluate the zoning division control in MAV. The space under the charge of a concerned MAV module showed a higher SVE4 than that at other zones. This implied that the zoning division can be effectively implemented. Thermal comfort measured using the air diffusion performance index, predicted mean vote, and draught rate showed that the application of MAV is better than that of the fixed MV mode, and the discomfort experienced when exposed to cold air can be avoided. It is believed that these results will help extend the research of adaptive ventilation strategies.