Passive cooling techniques

theory and practice

Thoughtful Cooling
TOT Workshop on Cooling Interiors Efficiently and Sustainably

Rachana Sansad, Mumbai | 9th January, 2015

Deepa Parekh

Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd

Delhi Mumbai Pune Bangalore Chennai New York

© Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

 Energy efficient buildings are
designed in response to
sun and climate

Passive cooling techniques 2 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

 Buildings are designed to keep
occupant comfortable

Definition of thermal comfort

parameters has an impact on
energy efficiency

Passive cooling techniques 3 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

India has a predominantly warm climate

Hot dry  cooling

Hot humid  cooling
Composite  cooling
+ heating
Temperate  cooling
Cold  heating

Passive cooling techniques 4 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Energy end-use in buildings in India
BAU split up of Commercial end use BAU split up of Residential building energy use

Others, 7%
Others, 10% TV, 4%

Lighting, 30%
Refrigerator, 13%

Air
Conditioning, 31%
Evap. Cooling, 4%
Lighting , 59%

Air Conditioning, 7%

Fans, 35%

Commercial buildings Residential buildings

There is an estimated 30-50% energy savings

potential in these buildings

Passive cooling techniques 5 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

 Patna Chennai

12% comfortable hours 2% comfortable hours

Nagpur Jaipur

14% comfortable hours 15% comfortable hours

Passive cooling techniques 6 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

 Passive design might not help solve
100% of the problem, but it certainly
will reduce the demand for energy
consumption

Passive cooling techniques 7 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Key objectives in passive cooling

①Reduce demand for cooling

• Avoid overheating
②Reduce the energy required for cooling
• Integrate passive cooling techniques

Passive cooling techniques 8 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Room A vs Room B
All Brick walls All Glass
You need a 1 ton AC to You need a 3 ton AC to
cool the room cool the room
COOLING LOAD = x COOLING LOAD = 3x

9 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Room A vs Room B
Mr. A is using the AC for Mr. B never shows up
5 hours a day for work
Energy consumption = y Energy consumption = 0

10 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

 LOADS vs
Static
As a result of DESIGN
Loads for identical
buildings in the same
location will be the
same
Thus, it all depends on
the DESIGN !
Units: kW/sqm or sqft
11
ENERGY
Dynamic
As a result of USE
Energy consumption for
identical buildings in
the same location can
be different.
Thus, it all depends on
the USER !
Units: kWh/sqm or sqft
© Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
Key objectives in passive cooling

①Reduce demand for cooling

• Avoid overheating
②Reduce the energy required for cooling
• Integrate passive cooling techniques

Passive cooling techniques 12 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Techniques to avoid overheating

Objectives:
①Resist heat gain
②Promote heat loss

Passive cooling techniques 13 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Building bioclimatic chart
Integrates architectural strategies with human comfort needs

Passive cooling techniques 14 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Building bioclimatic chart

15.7% comfortable hours

Passive cooling techniques 15 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Building bioclimatic chart

15.7% comfortable hours

Add passive strategies

shading
High thermal mass
Direct evaporative cooling
Natural ventilation
Internal heat gain

54.3% comfortable hours

Passive cooling techniques 16 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Techniques to avoid overheating

①Reduce heat gain

①Using thermal mass
construction
②Reduce exposed
surface
③Adding insulation

Passive cooling techniques 17 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Techniques to avoid overheating
①Reduce heat gain
④Form and orientation
⑤Reduce WWR
⑥Use shading devices
⑦Reduce heat gain
through glazed areas
⑧Minimize heat gain
around the building

Passive cooling techniques 18 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

 All these strategies do not cool,
they reduce overheating..
they reduce cooling demand..

Passive cooling techniques 19 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

 Passive cooling systems
These transfer heat from the building to natural
energy sinks, such as the air, water, earth or outer
space. Implementation of these systems in buildings
reduces energy needed for cooling.

Passive cooling techniques 20 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Bihar Museum, Patna

Passive cooling techniques 21 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Bihar Museum, Patna

Passive cooling techniques 22 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Bihar Museum, Patna

Passive cooling techniques 23 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

 Bihar Museum, Patna

Passive cooling techniques 24 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Bihar Museum, Patna

Passive cooling techniques 25 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Bihar Museum, Patna

ASHRAE Std 55 Comfort Model Adaptive Comfort Model

For conditioned areas For naturally ventilated areas

Thus various design strategies will have to be combined within the premise of both
comfort models to achieve thermal comfort with reduced systems loads in the building
throughout the year.

Passive cooling techniques 26 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

 Passive cooling systems
These transfer heat from the building to natural
energy sinks, such as the air, water, earth or outer
space. Implementation of these systems in buildings
reduces energy needed for cooling.

Passive cooling techniques 27 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Nocturnal ventilative cooling
Concept
 Night time cooling of
the thermal mass that
gets heated up in the
day time
 Heat absorption of
the thermal is more
efficient during the
day

Passive cooling techniques 28 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

 Stack ventilation

-Natural ventilation
strategy

CONCEPT
-Works on the
principle of thermal
buoyancy
-Hot air rises
through the stack
drawing the cool air
inducing the air
movement

Passive cooling techniques 29 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

 Solar chimney

CONCEPT
Glazed or black
colored surface on
the stack increases
solar heat gain and
accelerates rise in
temperature in the
stack

Passive cooling techniques 30 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Earth tubes
CONCEPT:

-Ground temperatures at about 3

to 4m do not vary through the
year
-Earth is a very large heat sink and
can be used to exchange heat
Conditioned
air supplied
Air intake to buildings

Heat exchange with earth

Passive cooling techniques 31 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
Earth tubes

Passive cooling techniques 32 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

French School, Damascus, Syria
Climate responsive design
- daylight
- night cooling of thermal mass
-natural ventilation
-wind and solar supported chimney
- ground heat exchanger

Passive cooling techniques 33 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

French School, Damascus, Syria

Passive cooling techniques 34 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

French School, Damascus, Syria
Climate concept summer night

Passive cooling techniques 35 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

French School, Damascus, Syria
Climate concept winter day

Passive cooling techniques 36 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

French School, Damascus, Syria

Passive cooling techniques 37 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

French School, Damascus, Syria

Passive cooling techniques 38 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

French School, Damascus, Syria

Passive cooling techniques 39 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Miramar college police station, san diego,
California
Thermal chimney performance goals
① Integrate with a whole building natural
ventilation system (exterior windows, interior
openings – doors, grills, interior windows)
② Meet minimum OA requirements during
operation
③ Maintain comfort when outdoor air
conditions permit
④ Don’t exceed 160 fpm through openings
⑤ Provide mixed mode HVAC operation

Passive cooling techniques 40 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Passive cooling techniques 41 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
Passive cooling techniques 42 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
Passive cooling techniques 43 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
 Temperatures, Heat Gains and Energy Consumption - Miramar Police Station, Building 1
EnergyPlus Output 20 May - 27 May, Hourly Student

System Fans Heat Generation (Gas)

4
3
Fuel (kBTU/h)

2
1
0
Air Temperature Radiant Temperature Operative Temperature Outside Dry-Bulb Temperature
Temperature (°F)

70

60

50

Glazing Walls Ceilings (int) Floors (int) Ground Floors Partitions (int) Roofs Doors and vents Internal Natural vent.
External Air Occupancy Solar Gains Exterior Windows Zone/Sys Sensible Heating Zone/Sys Sensible Cooling
Heat Balance (kBTU/h)

20

-20

Zone Heating
System Energy (kBTU/h)

3
2
1

0
Mech Vent + Nat Vent + Infiltration
6
Total fresh air (ac/h)

0
21 Tue 22 Wed 23 Thu 24 Fri 25 Sat 26 Sun 27 Mon
May 2002 Time/Date

Shoulder period - Whole Building Results – NV maintains 1 to 6 ACH during

occupied periods.

Passive cooling techniques 44 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

 Temperatures, Heat Gains and Energy Consumption - Miramar Police Station, Building 1
EnergyPlus Output 26 Aug - 2 Sep, Hourly Student

System Fans Chiller (Electricity)

Fuel (kBTU/h)
40

20

0
Air Temperature Radiant Temperature Operative Temperature Outside Dry-Bulb Temperature

90
Temperature (°F)

80
70
60

Glazing Walls Ceilings (int) Floors (int) Ground Floors Partitions (int) Roofs Doors and vents Internal Natural vent.
20 External Air Occupancy Solar Gains Exterior Windows Zone/Sys Sensible Heating Zone/Sys Sensible Cooling
Heat Balance (kBTU/h)

0
-20
-40

0 Sensible Cooling Total Cooling

System Energy (kBTU/h)

-20
-40
-60
-80

Mech Vent + Nat Vent + Infiltration

3
Total fresh air (ac/h)

0
27 Tue 28 Wed 29 Thu 30 Fri 31 Sat Sep 2 Mon
Aug 2002 Time/Date

Summer period - Whole Building Results – NV system maintains ACH above min OA
requirements and typically provides 2 ACH.

Passive cooling techniques 45 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Airflow Results (7am to 6pm, Mon-Sat)
Zone Summer Period Winter Period Shoulder Period
(Aug 26 – Sep 2) (Jan 7 - 14) (May 20 – 26)

Max ACH Max Airspeed Max ACH Max Airspeed Max ACH Max Airspeed
(fpm) (fpm) (fpm)

1.1 5.4 77 7.7 110 14.5 207

Kitchen 9.2 36 12.7 50 21.9 87
2.3 6 37 7.8 48 18.5 113
2.4 33.4 60 25 45 46.5 83
2.5 20.1 68 16.1 54 31.7 107
2.8 2.8 43 5.7 87 6.1 93

Maximum airspeeds are all acceptable (<160 fpm) for nearly all spaces so breeze is
mostly imperceptible. Zone 1.1 rises slightly above this limit but should not negatively
impact comfort (still < 300 fpm)

Passive cooling techniques 46 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Sizing the thermal chimney

Passive cooling techniques 47 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Wind tower/ wind catcher
CONCEPT:
-Aids comfort ventilation
-Capture the natural
breeze and direct it inside
the buildings
-the tower inlet is
oriented towards the
prevailing breezes
-The air isn’t necessary
cooled but the circulation
creates a fan-like
condition

Passive cooling techniques 48 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Passive downdraught cooling
CONCEPT:
-Similar to wind catcher, but
this is a cooling strategy
-Water is sprinkled at the
top of the tower
-When air moves through
the tower, the water
droplets evaporate picking
up the heat the air
-Cool air falls down and
enters the building

Passive cooling techniques 49 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Passive downdraught cooling

Passive cooling techniques 51 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Passive downdraught cooling

Passive cooling techniques 52 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Summary
①Focusing on reducing building loads is
key to achieving energy efficiency
②This is very much a design issue !
③This should become a business as usual
‘way of working’
④Low energy cooling techniques
combined with conscious usage is the
key to reduce GHG emissions.

Passive cooling techniques 53 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

 Thank You

Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd

Delhi Mumbai Pune Bangalore Chennai New York

Passive cooling techniques 54 © Environmental Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd.