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Auxiliary Cooling Loads in Passively Cooled Buildings: An Experimental Research Study
Abstract
Currently accepted methods of passive cooling
offset only sensible building loads. In the warm, humid
southeastern gulf coast climates the latent building
load can comprise 35% of the building load in the
typical residence. As the sensible load on residences
in these climates is reduced or offset by passive
cooling techniques, this latent cooling load percentage
increases rapidly. In such residences the auxiliary
cooling load cannot be effectively met by conventional
cooling equipment .
The Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) is examining
the auxiliary cooling requirements of residences in
warm, humid climates. The study addresses both the
thermal and moisture response of buildings. A total of
eight wall systems, three frame wall types and five
concrete block wall types are under test at the FSEC
Passive Cooling Laboratory (PCL) in Cape Canaveral.
Moisture studies involve examination of the
absorption and desorption rates of building materials
and furnishings and the development of improved moisture
migration modeling techniques for inclusion in building
energy analysis programs. TARP (Thermal Analysis
Research program), developed at NBS by George Walton,
and FLOAD, by FCHART Software, have been chosen as the
analysis programs with which cooling
examined.
Citation
Fairey, P.; Vieira, R.; Chandra, S.; Kerestecioglu, A.; Kalaghchy, S. (1984). Auxiliary Cooling Loads in Passively Cooled Buildings: An Experimental Research Study. Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu); Texas A&M University (http://www.tamu.edu). Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /6843.