Evaluation of the Thermodynamic Performance of the Traditional Passive Systems

Abstract

The energy consumption of buildings in urban areas is one of the greatest source of energy wasting and, consequently, of increasing of CO2 emission. Research is currently focused on the reduction of this consumption through the use of passive air-conditioning systems, that can be integrated with conventional systems and give rise to the so-called hybrid systems. Historically, these passive systems were developed in the Mediterranean and Middle East area. The research approach on this topic involves the application of design strategies and the development of computational tools and control systems. The development of the hybrid systems is the result of the synergy between current scientific knowledge, advanced manufacturing and information technology. In this study, a modular housing system has been investigated under different conditions. Simulations have been repeated, in order to identify the configuration that provides the highest indoor comfort. The analysis of the different conditions has been carried out using a CFD (computational fluid dynamic) software. The paper shows the results developed by the Dipartimento di Architettura of the Università di Palermo in the analysis of the natural ventilation effect on the indoor comfort.