Influence of Solar Radiation on Classroom Environment in High Latitude and Rich Solar-Resource Areas
Abstract
Understanding of the knowledge of classroom temperature distribution is critical to design of solar system terminal. The temperature non-uniformity caused by solar radiation is not negligible, especially in high-latitude and strong radiation areas. This paper presents a detailed and comprehensive experiment in a primary and secondary school in northwestern China that was used to determine the thermal distribution and validate a simulation model. The temperature variations in both the vertical and horizontal directions were analyzed in detail. The indoor air temperature distribution was investigated with a systematic simulation of different conditions, including five solar radiation intensity levels, four southern external walls thicknesses and five window-to-wall area ratios. The results showed that the average air temperature difference in the vertical direction was nearly 3.0°C, whereas it was approximately 1.0°C in the horizontal direction. The optimal results of the non-uniform temperature distribution can provide the basis for determining the parameters of thermal design and heating system settings in primary and secondary school classrooms.