Building Services Engineering

Smart and Sustainable Design for Health and Wellbeing

Tarik Al-Shemmeri, Neil Packer

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781119722854
• eBook ISBN: 9781119722977
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Civil Engineering
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Building Services Engineering: Smart and Sustainable Design for Health and Wellbeing covers the design practices of existing engineering building services and how these traditional methods integrate with newer, smarter developments. These new developments include areas such as smart ventilation, smart glazing systems, smart batteries, smart lighting, smart soundproofing, smart sensors and meters. Combined, these all amount to a healthier lifestyle for the people living within these indoor climates. With over one hundred fully worked examples and tutorial questions, Building Services Engineering: Smart and Sustainable Design for Health and Wellbeing encourages the reader to consider sustainable alternatives within their buildings in order to create a healthier environment for users.

1
Ambient Air

1.1 Overview

The atmosphere is a mixture of gases and water separating the planet from space. Its maximum thickness is of the order of 8000 km. The mass of dry gas is of the order of 5.1 × 10¹⁸ kg, whilst the mass of water is about 1.3 × 10¹³ kg. Its interface with space is gradual, becoming indistinct at the outer edge. Its composition and density are, however, by no means constant throughout its thickness.

The troposphere is a dense turbulent layer closest to the earth comprising ∼80% by mass of the earth's atmosphere. Its thickness varies from 8 km at the poles to 18 km at the equator. Seasonal variations in thickness can also occur.

An often‐used average value is 11 km. It contains ∼90% of the planet's atmospheric water content and is home to the world's weather systems. Its mass/energy interaction with the other components of the planet's environments and incoming solar radiation is central to life. We inhabit the very base level of this stratum.

---

Learning Outcomes

• To appreciate the importance of clean, fresh air to human health
• To be able to differentiate between fresh and respired air in terms of composition
• To be familiar with the basic thermodynamic properties of air
• To be able to evaluate air energy content

---

1.2 Why Ambient Air Is Important?

Humans cannot survive without air. On the spectrum of human needs, air is special. We are able to choose what to eat and drink, but this is not the case for the air we breathe.

Close to the planetary surface, the air comprises a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen in combination with a much smaller proportion of other elements. In the human body, the oxygen is absorbed by the blood stream in the lungs. Oxygen supports our life and oxidises or ‘burns’ food to create energy for metabolic processes and heat for our bodies. This produ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Table of Contents
• Building Services Engineering
• Copyright
• Preface
• Structure of the Book
• Notation
• 1 Ambient Air
• 2 The Thermodynamics of the Human Machine and Thermal Comfort
• 3 Ventilation
• 4 Psychrometry and Air Conditioning
• 5 The Building Envelope
• 6 Refrigeration and Heat Pumps
• 7 Acoustic Factors
• 8 Visual Factors
• 9 Cleaning the Air
• 10 Solar Energy Applications
• 11 Measurements and Monitoring
• 12 Drivers, Standards, and Methodologies
• 13 Emerging Technologies
• 14 Closing Remarks
• Appendix A: Appendix AThe Psychrometric Chart
• Appendix B: Appendix BRefrigerant Thermodynamic Properties
• 1 1Bibliography
• Index
• End User License Agreement