Diurnal evolution of anthropogenic heat released by kitchens and its relation to the energy balance at the surface in western São Paulo state, Brazil

Abstract

The main goal of this work is to evaluate the anthropogenic heat from the thermal conditions in kitchens in the city of Presidente Prudente, SP, relating it to the energy balance from the building scale to the urban scale of some cities in western São Paulo State, Brazil: the regions of the cities of Presidente Prudente, Assis and Iepê. Particular attention is given to the method used to estimate the main components of energy balance at the surface, by means of estimates fluxes, as well as the characterization of the diurnal evolution of the urban canopy layer in these three cities. Although other buildings can also be analyzed in this context, kitchens were chosen because they represent environments in apparent thermal discomfort for workers who carry out their activities there, and also because in kitchens the environment conditions can be relatively controlled for the purpose of developing a methodological procedure to estimate, in a first estimate, the influence of anthropogenic heat released and the energy balance at the surface, both in inside and outside buildings. The analysis also takes into account the effect of the heat source on the state of thermal comfort. The experimental results indicate the room ventilation as an important element for the dissipation of the energy stored in the surface. Architectural design solutions are proposed to improve the thermal conditions of these environments.