Influence of winter natural ventilation on thermal environment of university dormitories under central heating mode in severe cold regions of China

Abstract

The indoor thermal environment impacts people’s health, while it can be adjusted by natural ventilation. However, studies on the effects of winter natural ventilation on the thermal environment in severe cold regions are minimal. Through field measurements in university dormitories in winter in Shenyang, China, this study explored, under the central heating mode, the thermal environment differences in different orientations of the dormitory and its different indoor positions under natural ventilation and the influence of window opening area and duration on the thermal environment. The results show that under winter natural ventilation, the air temperature, mean radiation temperature, and adaptive predicted mean vote (APMV) of dormitories facing different orientations were mainly affected by the direct solar radiation reception. When the ventilation duration reached 15mins, with the ratio of window opening area to a ground area of 0.05, 0.11, and 0.16, the APMV decreased by about 0.35, 0.5, and 1, respectively.