Effect of diffuser design on thermal comfort and ventilation efficiency

Social progress and lifestyle change cause more people living in Taiwan to spend 90% of the daytime indoors. The indoor environment may affect human health and productivity. Results of previous researches reveal that inappropriate air conditioning design will cause air quality problems. The indoor ventilation pattern, which influences the indoor air quality and the thermal environment, is affected by the location of diffusers. This research is based on on-site testing and computer modeling of the air flow using a full-scale air conditioning system in a confined space to evaluate how the indoor air quality is affected. The results reveal that indoor temperature, humidity, air change per hour (ACH), and the diffuser arrangement will affect the indoor comfort and contaminant removal efficiency. When the rate of air exchange increases from 6 ACH to 12 ACH, the ventilation efficiency will increase by 30%. © 2010 ASCE.