Thermal environment characteristics of large space building with stratified air conditioning based on Block-Gebhart model during the cooling season

The thermal environment of large space building with stratified air distribution is characterized by its obvious gradient of vertical temperature, and the stratified air conditioning load (SACL) is closely related to the thermal environment. The Block-Gebhart (B-G) model in summer is established for an actual large space building which has two stratified air distribution (STRAD) systems. One system is the air supply nozzles (ASN) arranged at middle sidewall, the other is the half-cylinder diffusers (HCD) arranged at low sidewall. In order to quickly calculate the air temperature of unoccupied zone (ATUZ), two regression equations for the air temperature gradient under the conditions of two STRAD systems were proposed. Considering six factors, the B-G model was used to calculate 648 cases and the two equations were obtained by multiple regression analysis. Through the field measurement in summer, in three cases of ASN system, the mean absolute error (MAE) between predicted and experimental values of ATUZ was 1.4°C, and the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) was 4.5%; in three cases of HCD system, the MAE was 1.0°C and the MAPE was 3.0%. The results of this study establish the foundation for the calculation of SACL.