UNIT 3 - Passive cooling

Passive Cooling Techniques

 PASSIVE COOLING
• 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 relies 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 - Earth Air Tunnels
- Shading - Evaporative Cooling
- Wind Towers - Passive Down Draught Cooling
- Courtyard Effect - Roof Sprays
 Sources of heat gain
• There are three major sources of unwanted
summer heat: direct solar impacts on a
building and through windows and skylights;
• heat transfer and infiltration (unintentional
heat gain through holes, gaps etc), of exterior
high temperatures, through the materials and
elements of the structure (walls);
• and the internal heat produced by appliances/
equipment, and inhabitants.
Comfort target
Active solar - The
most
straightforward
design of solar
heating and cooling
systems is using
photovoltaic
modules. vapor
compression chiller
is used for cooling.
In such systems,
the electricity
generated by
the photovoltaic
system can be
used for cooling.
Passive solar design
 PASSIVE COOLING SYSTEM
Passive cooling refers to technologies or design
features used to cool buildings without power
consumption, by natural means.
Using – natural forces, energies and heat sinks
To create thermal comfort during the summer –
Remove heat from the building by heat sinks
Cool the building or raise the comfort zone–People
feel more comfortable even though the building is
not actually being cooled
 COOLING WITH VENTILATION-
COMFORT VENTILATION
• Comfort ventilation brings in outdoor air,
especially during the daytime, when
temperatures are at their highest.
• The air is then passed directly over people to
increase evaporative cooling on the skin. –
ventilation being placed along the high wind
direction.
 COMFORT VENTILATION IN HOT AND VERY
HUMID CLIMATES
• Maximize the air flow across the occupants
• Use fans to supplement the wind
• Use at least a moderate amount of insulation to keep the
mean radiant temperature (measure of the net radiant heat
gain and heat loss in the home) near the air temperature
(measure of the average air temperature in the home)
• Window should be open both during the day and night
• Operable window area should be about 20 % of the floor
area, split about equally between windward and leeward
walls.
 NIGHT FLUSH COOLING
• Humid climate – The night
air is cooler than daytime
air. This cool night air can
flush out the heat from a
building’s mass. The pre-
cooled mass can then acts
as heat sink during the
following day by absorbing
heat.
• Hot and dry climate –Cool
night time temperature –
o
21 C & Day time
o
temperature – 38 C
• Night flush cooling works in two stages. At night, natural ventilation or fans bring
cool outdoor air in contact with the indoor mass, thereby cooling it.
• The next morning the windows are closed to prevent heating the building with
outdoor air.
• The mass now act as a heat sink. Keeps the indoor air temperature from rising fast.
• When the indoor air temperature has risen above the comfort zone, internal
circulating fans are required to maintain comfort for additional hours.
 RULES FOR NIGHT FLUSH COOLING
• Night flush cooling works best in hot and dry climates with
o
a daily temperature range that exceeds 17 C
• Except for areas with consistent night winds, windows or
house fans should be used. Ceiling or other circulating
indoor fans should be used during the day when the
windows are closed
• The air flow at night must be directed through the mass to
ensure good heat transfer
• The window area should be between 15 to 20 percent of
the floor area.
• Window should be open at night and closed during the day.
RADIANT COOLING
-DIRECT RADIANT COOLING
-INDIRECT RADIANT COOLING
 RADIANT COOLING
• An object can be cooled by radiation if the
net flow is outward.
• At night the long wave infra red radiation
from a clear sky is much less than the infra
red radiation emitted from a building.
There is a net flow to the sky.
• In hot & dry climate, traditional buildings
used deep courtyards & narrow alleys.
Walls exposed to direct sunlight radiate
the heat to the night sky.
• the roof of the building is exposed more to
the sky. Any non-shiny, painted surfaces
are good for a long wave radiator.
• On humid nights, radiant cooling is less
efficient but a temperature difference of
about 4°C is still possible.
• Clouds almost completely block the
radiant cooling effect
 DIRECT RADIANT COOLING
• Efficient approach to the radiant cooling is to make the roof itself the radiator. E.g.
an exposed concrete roof will lose heat by radiating to the night sky. During the day,
the concrete can effectively cool a building by acting as a heat sink.
• using plastic bags filled with water rather than concrete is also an alternative.
• At night the water bags are exposed to the night sky by removing the insulation.
During the day, the water bags which are supported by metal deck are covered by
the moveable insulation.
• This in turn cools the indoor by acting as a heat sink.
• This roof pond system is proven to be very effective and inexpensive.
 DIRECT RADIANT COOLING

• A lightweight radiator with movable insulation on the inside.

• With this system a painted sheet-metal radiator which is also the roof covers
movable insulation.
• At night this insulation is in the open position so that heat from the building can
migrate up and be emitted from the radiator.
• For the cooling effect to be useful during the day, sufficient mass must be present in
the building to act as a heat sink.
• During the day, the insulation is moved into the closed position to block the heat
gain from the roof.
 INDIRECT RADIANT COOLING

• The difficulty with moveable insulation suggests the use of specialised radiators.
• The painted metal radiator cools air at the night, which in turn blows into the
building to cool the indoor mass.
• During the day, the fan is turned off, and the building is sealed. The cooled indoor
mass now acts as a heat sink. The radiator is vented during the day to reduce the
heat load to the building.
• Unless the radiator is also used for passive heating, it should be painted white to act
as a good emitter of long wave radiation & poor absorber of short wave radiation.
EVAPORATIVE COOLING
-DIRECT EVAPORATIVE COOLING
-INDIRECT EVAPORATIVE COOLING
 EVAPORATIVE COOLING
• When water evaporates, it draws a large amount of sensible
heat from its surroundings & converts it into latent heat in
the form of water vapour.
• There is a temperature drop during the conversion & it can
be used to cool the buildings in two different ways.
• Evaporative cooling is much less energy intensive and
inexpensive.
• The main drawback to evaporative cooling is that its use is
limited to dry climates and not humid climates.
• The two types of evaporative cooling
• Direct evaporative cooling
• Indirect evaporative cooling .
 DIRECT EVAPORATIVE COOLING
• When water evaporates in the indoor air,
the temperature drops but the humidity
goes up.
• In hot and dry climates, the increase in
humidity actually improves comfort.
Whereas it is not appropriate in humid
climates because the humidity is too high
already.
• Most popular evaporative cooling is
accomplished with the evaporative
coolers(swamp coolers). A fan is used to
bring outdoor air into the building by way of
wet screen.
• Misting the air has also become a popular
direct evaporative-cooling method. It is
mainly used to cool outdoor spaces.
 INDIRECT EVAPORATIVE COOLING
• The cooling effect from evaporation can also be used to
cool the roof of a building, which then becomes a heat sink
to cool the interior. This technique is an example of indirect
evaporative cooling, and its main advantage is that the
indoor air is cooled without increasing its humidity.
• An insulated roof shades from the sun. Openings in the
roof enable air currents to pass over the pond during the
summer. As water evaporates, the water will become
cooler and, together with the ceiling structure, will act as a
heat sink for the interior of the building. During the winter,
the pond is drained and the roof openings are closed. The
main disadvantage of this system is the cost of the double
roof structure and waterproofing.
• A double roof structure is no longer needed because the insulation
floats on the roof pond. At night, a pump sprays the water over the
top of the insulation, and it cools by both evaporation and radiation.
When the sun rises the pump stops and the water remains under the
insulation, where it is protected from the heat of the day. Meanwhile,
the water together with the roof structure acts as a heat sink for the
interior. Although the cooling occurs at night, it is very effective
because of the combined action of the evaporation and radiation.
 COOLING TOWER
• Cool towers are passive
evaporative coolers that act like
reverse chimneys.
• At the top of the tower, water is
sprayed on absorbent pads.
• As air enters the top of the tower
it is cooled, becomes denser and
sinks.
• The cool air then enters the
building through the opening
that look like fireplaces.
• Instead of hot air flowing up,
cool air flows down the passive
downdraft cool towers.
• Cool air is supplied to the
buildings without the need for
fans.
EARTH COOLING
-DIRECT EARTH COUPLING
-INDIRECT EARTH COUPLING
• Earth especially wet earth is a good
conductor and stores heat. The EARTH COOLING
temperature at the surface is the
result of solar gain, radiant loss and
heat conduction .
• Since air is heated mainly by its
contacts with the earth, the surface When rain is not sufficient, a sprinkler
soil temperature is about the same as should keep the soil moist. Operated
during Night. Sun warmed water will
the air temperature with its annual percolate into the soil.
fluctuation. However due to the large
time lag of earth, the soil temperature
fluctuates less and less as soil depth
increases.
• About 6m depth the fluctuations die
and a steady state temperature
exists In dry climates, a light colored gravel bed
about 10 cm deep can effectively shade the
soil while still allowing evaporation from the
earth’s surface below the gravel
COOLING EARTH
Since the sun heats the soil, shading the surface
significantly reduces maximum earth temperature.
Water evaporating directly from the surface will also
cool the soil. A canopy of trees, an elevated patio
deck and even building over a crawl space to shade
soil while letting air motion cause evaporation from
the surface.

There are two different types of cooling earth

1. Direct Earth Coupling
2. Indirect Earth Coupling
 DIRECT EARTH COUPLING
• When earth sheltering buildings have their walls in direct contact
with the ground. (There is little on insulation) is direct earth
coupling
o
• In the region with 16 C of mean annual temperature, direct coupling
will be significant source of cooling. This asset becomes liability, in
winter when excess heat lost to the cold ground. (disadvantage)
• One solution is to insulate the earth around the building from cold
winter air but not from the building. The horizontal insulation buried
in the steady state temperature closer to the surface

In earth sheltered
building in cold
climates, the earth
should be insulated
from cold winter air
 INDIRECT EARTH COUPLING
• A building can be indirectly coupled to the earth by means of earth tubes. When
cooling is desired, air is drawn through the tubes into the building.
• Sloped tubes and a sump are required to catch the condensation. To take
maximum advantage and to get maximum cooling effect the tubes are buried
deep inside the earth
• The greatest problem with earth tubes is condensation which occurs mainly in
humid climates where the earth temperature is frequently below dew point. The
tubes, therefore should be sloped.
 FACTORS OF EARTH COOLING DESIGN
• The steady state deep earth temperature is similar
to the mean annual temperature at any location.
• Directly coupled earth cooling works well when the
steady state earth temperature is little below 16
Deg C. If earth is much colder, the building must be
insulated from the ground
• Earth tubes are best in dry climates.
• In humid climates, the condensation on walls or in
earth tubes might cause biological activity which
can cause health issue.
DEHUMIDIFICATION WITH
DESICCANT ( a substance that is used as
drying agent because of its high affinity to water)
 DEHUMIDIFICATION WITH DESICCANT
• In humid regions, dehumidifying the air in summer is very desirable for thermal
comfort and control of mild dew (moisture settling on plants)
• There are two ways to remove moisture from air.
1. The air is cooled below dew point temperature ( the temperature at which the
air becomes saturated and the water vapour condenses to form dew). Water
will condense out of the air. Conventional air conditioning and
dehumidification use this principle.
2. This involves the use of desiccant (drying agent). A number of chemicals, such
as silica gel, natural zeolite, activated alumina, and calcium chloride will absorb
large amounts of water vapour from air.
3. However there are two serious difficulties in this method.
a. When water vapour is absorbed and turned to liquid water, heat is given
off. This is the same heat which vaporises the water in first place. (If a
desiccant is placed in a room it will heat the air as it de- humidifies it – the
desiccant converts latent heat into sensible heat)
b. The use of a desiccant is that the material soon becomes saturated with water and
stops dehumidifying. The desiccant must then be regenerated by boiling off the
water.
What is evaporative cooling?
• If you've ever climbed out of a pool on a hot day and gotten goose pimples, then
you've felt the effect of evaporative cooling. When the water on your skin
evaporates, it pulls heat from your skin to use as the energy it needs to transform
from liquid to gas. The hotter and dryer the air, the faster evaporation occurs, and
the colder you will feel.
• The same principle is how evaporative coolers work. A fan pulls hot, dry air
through water-moistened pads. The moisture in the pads evaporates quickly and
the air temperature drops. The cold air is then blown throughout the room.
When does evaporative cooling NOT work?
• When the humidity is high, there is already a high concentration of moisture in the
air. Evaporation takes place slowly - think about how damp and sticky your skin
feels, because even your body's sweat can't evaporate effectively.
• When there is no rapid evaporation, there is no way an evaporative cooler can
effectively cool the air. In fact, by adding more moisture to the air, you might end
up even more uncomfortable than when you started.
Where can I use a swamp cooler (evaporative cooler)?
• Evaporative coolers work best in warm, dry climates where humidity is low. The
south-western United State is a perfect example. In fact, people in desert climates
have been using evaporative cooling in one form or another for thousands of
years, all the way back to the early Egyptians.
 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,
we can create a breeze of cooler incoming air.
 SHADING
•Solar control is a critical requirement for both
cooling-load dominated and passively solar-
heated buildings.
•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.

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.
 WIND TOWER
• In a wind tower, the hot air enters the tower through the openings in the tower,
gets cooled, and thus becomes heavier and sinks down.
• The inlet and outlet of rooms induce cool air movement.
• In the presence of wind, air is cooled more effectively and flows faster down
the tower and into the living area.
• After a whole day of air exchanges, the tower becomes warm in the evenings.
• During the night, cooler ambient air comes in contact with the bottom of the
tower through the rooms.

Building-integrated
chimney in Sudha
and Atam Kumar’s
residence in New
Delhi form effective
ventilation especially
during humid season.
Wind tower in Jodhpur
Hostel to catch favorable
cool wind from south-west for
passive cooling
•The tower walls absorb heat during
daytime and the air gets cooled down and
reaches interiors.

• at night, Warm air moves up, creating an

upward draft, and draws cool night air
through the doors and windows into the
building.

•The system works effectively in hot and

dry climates where fluctuations are high.

•A wind tower works well for individual units

not for multi-storeyed apartments.

•In dense urban areas, the wind tower has

to be long enough to be able to catch
enough air.

• Also protection from driving rain is difficult.

 COURTYARD EFFECT
• 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.
 EARTH AIR TUNNELS
•Daily and annual temperature
fluctuations decrease with the increase in
depth below the ground surface.
•At a depth of about 6m below ground, the
temperature inside the earth remains
nearly constant round the year and is
nearly equal to the annual average
temperature of the place.
•A tunnel in the form of a pipe or
otherwise embedded at a depth of about 6
m below the ground will acquire the same
temperature as the surrounding earth at
its surface.
•Therefore, the ambient air ventilated
through this tunnel will get cooled in
summer and warmed in winter and this air
can be used for cooling in summer and
heating in winter.
Qanat - (in the Middle East) a
gently sloping underground
channel or tunnel constructed
to lead water from the interior of
a hill to a village below.
•This technique has been used in the composite climate of Gurgaon in
RETREAT building.

•The living quarters (the south block of RETREAT) are maintained at

comfortable temperatures (approx. 20-30 degree Celsius) round the year by the
earth air tunnel system, supplemented, whenever required, with a system of
absorption chillers powered by liquefied natural gas during monsoons and with
an air washer (An air washer is a piece of equipment that is designed to
improve air quality by scrubbing the air that moves through it and adjusting
humidity levels to keep the environment consistent. Air washers are used as
part of climate control and air quality systems.) during dry summer.

•However, the cooler air underground needs to be circulated in the living space.
Each room in the south block has a 'solar chimney; warm air rises and escapes
through the chimney, which creates an air current for the cooler air from the
underground tunnels to replace the warm air.

•Two blowers installed in the tunnels speed up the process.

•The same mechanism supplies warm air from the tunnel during winter.
PASSIVE SPACE
CONDITIONING USING
EARTH AIR TUNNEL
SYSTEM
 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.

1. Ground cover
2. Water sprinkler
3. Insulated roof
4. Shading trees
5. Water trough
A TYPICAL SECTION SHOWING PASSIVE SOLAR FEATURES OF WALMI BUILDING,BHOPAL
 PASSIVE DOWN DRAUGHT COOLING
•Evaporative cooling has been used for many
centuries in parts of the middle east, notably Iran
and turkey.

•In this system, wind catchers guide outside air over

water-filled pots, inducing evaporation and causing a
significant drop in temperature before the air enters
the interior.

•Such wind catchers become primary elements of

the architectural form also.

•Passive downdraught evaporative cooling is

particularly effective in hot and dry climates. It has
been used to effectively cool the Torrent Research
Centre in Ahmedabad.
DETAILS OF THE PASSIVE DOWN DRAUGHT COOLING INLETS
 Awning - a sheet of
canvas or other material
stretched on a frame and
used to keep the sun or
rain off a shop window,
doorway, or ship's deck.

ROOF SPRAYS
The process by which water is transferred from the land to the
atmosphere by evaporation from the soil and other surfaces and by
transpiration from plants.
EARTH
SHELTERED
BUILDINGS
 HEAT GAIN CONTROL
The first step towards passive cooling is Reducing the heat gain through
openings.
• a building's surroundings should be designed to minimize summer
sunlight striking external surfaces, and to prevent surrounding area
heat re-radiation and reflection.
• Mitigation of undesirable summer direct sun and thermal impacts is
achieved through use of vegetation i.e. deciduous trees which
interrupt the summer sun's direct path,
• and ground covers which prevent ground reflection as well as keep
the earth's surface cooler thereby preventing re-radiation.
 Windows and glazing
• Glazing should be minimized on the roof and the east and west walls
where summer sunlight is most intense.
• The summer sun is much higher in the sky and has a negative impact
on skylights and roof windows and lead to enormous solar heat gains.
They should not be used in hot climates unless they are insulated
and/or shaded
• Vertical south facing glass (windows, clerestories, etc.) with
overhangs or shades, is important
• The use of deciduous trees that shade the south face and roof during
the summer.
INSULATED WINDOWS FOR BETTER ENERGY EFFICIENCY
• It helps to stay warm during the cold days and comfortable during the
hot ones. Besides giving you consistently nice temperatures year-
round, these energy-efficient options also reduce your heating and
cooling bills. There are windows that stop the heat transference
process. Insulated windows are also less likely to bring about
condensation problems, unlike non-insulated options.
TYPES OF INSULATED WINDOWS
Tinted Glass
• In this type, the glass is colored slightly to reduce the amount of heat
absorption while also reducing glare. Windows that have a gray or
bronze tint can block both heat and light, making a room darker.
Meanwhile, green and blue tints block heat without keeping the light
out. It is best to avoid darker tint colors as they can make a room
really dark, without providing much benefit.
Double and Triple-Glazed
• These are made of two (double-glazed) or three (triple-glazed) glass
panes that have an air space in between them. The panes are
commonly spaced just a few millimeters apart and sealed to trap air
inside. The trapped air serves as a barrier that reduces the amount of
heat absorbed and transferred through the window. Heat
transference is measured through the “U-factor.” The lower the
number, the more energy efficient the window is. Some
manufacturers lower the U-factor by adding inert gases such as argon
and xenon, instead of regular air between the windowpanes.
Reflective Coatings
• Reflective coatings are those that make the window look mirror-like
on the outside. These coatings do a great job in stopping glare and
preventing heat transfer. However, they also block a huge amount of
light. To make the most out of its benefits, an efficient lighting system
should be in place. Otherwise, the savings gained from blocking heat
will just be spent on energy used for lighting.
Low-Emissivity Coatings
• Also known as low-e coatings, these are thin layers of metal or metal oxide applied
to window glass panes. They are known to be more effective than air or gas pockets
between panes when it comes to preventing heat transfer, and can reduce energy
loss by up to 50 percent. Some low-e coatings allow certain types of light in.
However, some types do not, blocking natural light.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Insulated Windows
• Multiple panes – Double-pane windows insulate twice as well as single-pane
windows. Naturally, triple-pane windows have more insulating power.
• Gas between the panes – It is best to choose windows that have argon or krypton
gas between its panes. Krypton, in particular, is often used on thinner, multi-pane
windows. Argon, on the other hand, insulates almost as effectively as krypton, and
costs less.
• Frame construction – The window frame is said to account for approximately 15
percent of energy loss. Non-urethane aluminum windows make a poor choice as it
has high conductivity levels. A wise choice would be fiberglass, as it is the most
durable material available for window frames while offering efficient insulation.
• Window coating – Windows that have a thin layer of metal oxide on its panes are
good options. They allow sunlight in, letting you enjoy natural lighting, while
reflecting away damaging infrared radiation.
fiberglass frame
A Storm window is a detachable second window attached on the exterior side
of a window in climates with harsh winters.
Storm window
Reflective Coatings
 Shading device

• Provide Proper
shading devices to
keep out the heat
coming in through
the windows
• Shading devices could
be sized using this
graphic method.
 Role of vegetation in reducing heat gain
• Vegetation is perhaps the most effective way of keeping the intense
morning and afternoon sun off the east and west walls and windows.
• If vegetation is impractical, a combination of tinted or reflecting glass
and exterior shades or shade screens that roll down over east and
west windows are effective
• Additionally, light-colored paints and materials on the roof and the
walls are effective in reflecting away most of the sunlight.
 Convective cooling
• The next step in natural cooling is to take
advantage of "convective" cooling methods -
those which use the prevailing winds and
natural, gravity-induced convection to
ventilate a house at the appropriate times of
the day.
 Natural ventilation
• The oldest, straightforward
convective method admits cool
night air to drive out the warm air.
• If breezes are predominant, high
vents or open windows on the
leeward side (away from prevailing
breeze) will let the hottest air,
located near the ceiling, escape.
• The cooler night air sweeping in
through low open vents or
windows on the windward side will
replace this hot air and bring relief.
• To get the best cooling rates,
• Locate cool air inlet vent leeward openings should have
on the building side which substantially larger total area (50%
receives predominant to 100% larger) than those on the
breezes. windward side of the house
 Thermal chimneys
• If there are only light breezes at
the site, natural convection can
still be used to ventilate and cool
a house.
• The coolest air around a house is
usually found on the north side,
especially if this area is well
shaded by trees or shrubs and
has water features.
• Cool air intake vents are best
located as low as possible on the
north side.
• The greater the height difference
between the low and high vents,
the faster the flow of natural
convection and the more heat
mitigation can occur.
Thermal chimneys
Thermal chimneys
 Enhancing ventilation
• There are two basic ways to enhance the convective
cooling rate: 1) increase the volume of air escaping
per minute, or 2) bring in cooler air.
• If Delta T is the temperature difference between
existing indoor air and incoming outdoor air, the
overall cooling rate per hour is given by the simple
equation:
Cooling rate = 1.08 x V x DT
• where V is the volume of air escaping in cubic feet
per minute.
 Turbine vents
• Turbine vents at the roof peak are one way to enhance
airflow and improve the cooling rate.
• Even gentle breezes flowing up and over the roof peak
create an upward suction that draws out warm interior air
 Trombe wall and ventilation
• An even better approach is to use solar radiation to induce a more rapid flow.
• For e.g., Trombe wall vented to the outside. Sunlight striking the concrete wall will
heat the air in the space between glass and wall to temperatures above 150°F.
• This very hot air rises quickly and escapes, drawing cool air into the house through
low vents on the north wall.
Nocturnal RADIATIVE COOLING METHODS –
roof ponds
• The water spray design is to store the cooled water and to precool
the floor slab at night. At night the water is sprayed on a conventional
roof, where it is cooled by both evaporation and radiation to the
night sky. The cooled water is then stored in a tank for the next day.
The cooled water stored in the tank can be used with the fan coil
units the next day.
A Fan Coil Unit (FCU) is a simple device
consisting of a heating and/or
cooling heat exchanger or 'coil' and fan.
It is part of an HVAC system found in
residential, commercial, and industrial
buildings.