Wang Qingyuan, Zhang Guomin, Wu Qihong, Shi Long
School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu 610106, Sichuan, China.
Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne 3004, Australia.
Energy Build. 2022 Jul 1;266:112145. doi: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2022.112145. Epub 2022 Apr 29.
Natural ventilation is considered the first suggestion for COVID-19 prevention in buildings by the World Health Organization (WHO). Solar chimney's viability in aged care centers or similar facilities was analyzed numerically and theoretically. A new solar chimney design was proposed to reduce the cross-infection risk of COVID-19 based on an airflow path through window, ceiling vent, attic, and then chimney cavity. Solar chimney performance, quantified by the natural ventilation rate, presented power function with window area, ceiling vent area, cavity height, and solar radiation. The ceiling vent is suggested to be closer to the corridor to enhance the performance and ventilation coverage of the room. A cavity gap of 1.0 m is recommended to balance the ventilation performance and construction cost. A theoretical model was also developed for aged care centers with multiple rooms and a joint attic. Its predictions obey reasonably well with the numerical results. Solar chimney's viability in aged care center is confirmed as a 7.22 air change per hour (ACH) ventilation can be achieved even under a low solar radiation intensity of 200 W/m, where its performance fulfills the minimal ventilation requirement (, 6 ACH) suggested by the WHO for airborne infection isolation rooms. This study offers a new design and a guideline for the future implementation of solar chimney in aged care centers or similar facilities.
自然通风被世界卫生组织（WHO）视为建筑物预防新冠病毒的首要建议。对太阳能烟囱在老年护理中心或类似设施中的可行性进行了数值和理论分析。基于通过窗户、天花板通风口、阁楼然后烟囱腔体的气流路径，提出了一种新的太阳能烟囱设计，以降低新冠病毒的交叉感染风险。太阳能烟囱的性能通过自然通风率来量化，它与窗户面积、天花板通风口面积、腔体高度和太阳辐射呈现幂函数关系。建议天花板通风口更靠近走廊，以提高房间的性能和通风覆盖范围。建议腔体间隙为1.0米，以平衡通风性能和建造成本。还为具有多个房间和联合阁楼的老年护理中心开发了一个理论模型。其预测结果与数值结果相当吻合。太阳能烟囱在老年护理中心的可行性得到证实，即使在200 W/m的低太阳辐射强度下，每小时也能实现7.22次换气（ACH），其性能满足WHO对空气传播感染隔离病房建议的最低通风要求（≥6 ACH）。本研究为未来在老年护理中心或类似设施中实施太阳能烟囱提供了一种新设计和指导方针。
