A STUDY ON PERSONAL COOLING DEVICES FOR WARMER TEMPERATURE INDOOR ENVIRONMENTS

Abstract

Singapore relies heavily on Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems for its cooling purpose for its tropical climate and air-conditioning systems are used extensively to cool down buildings and spaces. This method of cooling is extremely energy intensive as it lowers temperature with little air movement and exacerbates the urban heat island effect where heat is being trapped in building components, causing the overall temperature of the area to increase. An alternative cooling method to air-conditioning systems would be to use personal cooling devices. According to the University of Sydney (2022), an increase in air movement in an indoor environment has shown to lower skin temperature. It works by generating volumetric airflow across the skin surface to achieve higher levels of heat loss despite the warmer temperature. Thus, fans are a cost-effective and eco-friendly solution to cool down one’s skin’s temperature and can be used as a tool to achieve both comfort and sustainability goals. This report will explore the use of personal cooling devices as an alternative in the warmer climate of Singapore by using a thermal manikin as the test subject to explore various volumetric airflow across different body parts to determine the cooling effect on the skin temperature