Case study of the modeling and analysis of heat transfer in a desert habitat

What is it about?

In this paper, the evaluation methods, influence factors and strategies of the modeling of habitable heat transfer and thermal comfort of an urban space are examined and summarized in an exhaustive manner. The microclimate affects the indoor thermal conditions of the habitable enclosure, and consequently its energy behavior. To optimize the thermal comfort of a habitat, it is essential to model the solar flux received by the walls of this habitat, taking into account the internal and external conditions (temperature and flow density). In this context, we have developed an analytical model to predict the different thermal exchanges in a habitat of the ADRAR region, assimilated to a parallelepiped cavity. The equations governing thermal transfer have been reduced from thermal balances established at each facade of the habitable enclosure. These heat transfer equations were discretized by an implicit finite difference method solved using the Gauss algorithm coupled to an iterative procedure. The models thus developed were validated based on climatic data recently measured at the renewable energy research unit in the Saharan medium of ADRAR. A detailed analysis of the different parameters influencing thermal comfort in the habitat was presented and discussed. The results obtained in this work have shown that the currently used construction material and the severe climatic conditions represent the most important parameters of undesirable overheating in this desert region. Recommendations for improving thermal comfort in this region are proclaimed at the end of this work.

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Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash

Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The optimization of energy consumption in a habitat can be based on mass and energy balances, knowledge on the temperature field and the evolution of the solar flux, which are necessary for a further study. Indeed, these data make it possible to evaluate the occupants comfort: air renewal problems, strong temperature gradients, air currents, stratification and to prevent possible degradation of condensation and pollutant pollution .

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