Journal of Environmental Engineering (Transactions of AIJ)
Online ISSN : 1881-817X
Print ISSN : 1348-0685
ISSN-L : 1348-0685
Volume 82, Issue 737
Displaying 1-8 of 8 articles from this issue
  • Yuhei NISHIO, Takafumi NOGUCHI, Yasuhiro ODA, Hisayuki MUTO
    2017Volume 82Issue 737 Pages 617-624
    Published: 2017
    Released on J-STAGE: July 30, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
     Heat transfer at void slab under fireproofing performance was unknown in detail. To clear the mechanism of that makes us evaluate the fire performance of void slab by calculating. At the existing fireproof test report about void slab, it indicates that void affect heat transfer for some reason. To reveal the heat transfer mechanism of void slab, authors conducted two experiments like fireproof test on pieces of void slab.
     At the chapter 2, the authors confirm what happened in void during the fire by using the piece of void slab which has fireproof glass on a lateral side to observe void slab's inside as the first experiment. There are 4 specimens, which are void slab with EPS and fireproof glass, void slab with fireproof glass, void slab with EPS and slab without void. It revealed that EPS included in the void was not burning but gradually melting during the fireproof test and that EPS and water included in concrete has some relationship with heat transfer at void slab.
     At the chapter 3, the authors check the impact of water included in concrete and EPS included in void slab on heat transfer at void slab by using pieces of void slab, included water and included EPS of which and water permeability in the void are controlled by drying concrete, taking EPS away from the void and coating epoxy resin on the surface of the void as the second experiment. It revealed that latent heat of water included in slab and thermoplastic and thermal insulation properties of EPS included in void were major impacts on heat transfer at void slab.
     At the chapter 4, the authors make the heat transfer calculating model about void slab with consideration of latent heat of water and melting of EPS by using finite difference method. The model was mainly divided into two parts, one of which is consisted of concrete, void and EPS, and the other of which is consisted of only concrete. Basically, two parts are calculated individually, but heat transfer between the two parts gradually occurred with EPS melting. In this model, wet concrete has latent heat of water and heat absorption happens when temperature on concrete over 100°C and dried concrete has no latent heat of water. The authors set that EPS has melting point on 230°C and positons of EPS become position of void after EPS melt. The authors applied this model for the test specimens used in the chapter 3 and it revealed that calculating heat transfer at void slab by finite difference method matched results of the experiment to some extent.
     As a result, the author revealed how to transfer heat on void slab by conducting the experiment imitating fireproof test and that the calculation method based on the experiments matched results of the experiment to some extent.
    Download PDF (5514K)
  • Olavo AVALONE NETO, Jun MUNAKATA, Sinwon JEONG, Yushi YOSHIDA
    2017Volume 82Issue 737 Pages 625-634
    Published: 2017
    Released on J-STAGE: July 30, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
     This study investigates how changes in the amount of three elements commonly manipulated in public space design — trees, bushes and seats — affect users' perceptions, impressions and intended behavior on privately owned public open spaces — POPOS. The study uses simulated immersive virtual environments presented with a head-mounted display. Potential users evaluated several design variations of four different POPOS of Tokyo, Japan, using 21 different semantic differential and two rating scales.
     The effects of tree cover ratio, tree height, bushes ratio and seating ratio in five intended activities, nine impressions and six physical scales are described, as well as the relationship between different scales. The effects on willingness to pay and stay duration are also provided.
     The study's results exhibited a positive effect of seat and tree cover ratio across several scales. Bushes ratio and tree height had minor effects on some scales, as did the interactions between tree cover ratio and tree height and between tree and seating ratio. No interaction was found between tree height and seating ratio. Increasing seating ratio increased willingness to pay and stay duration. Differences among sites are discussed.
    Download PDF (1243K)
  • Ryo SEKINE, Rika YAMAKAWA, Jun MUNAKATA
    2017Volume 82Issue 737 Pages 635-642
    Published: 2017
    Released on J-STAGE: July 30, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
     Light control systems using motion sensor can efficiently save electricity in office settings, however, rapid change in illumination levels might cause unpleasantness to workers. Although there have been several researches that studied workers' perceptions of lighting fluctuation, the experiments were conducted with an uniform change of the rooms brightness.
     In offices that use light control systems, there is a lot of fluctuation in lighting conditions due to illumination changes made by the system every time a worker leaves or comes back to his seat. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to better understand the effects of lighting fixture positioning on workers' perception of lighting fluctuations of office settings.
     Two experiments were conducted. The first experiment was conducted in a room with white walls, beige ceiling and floor, and all windows closed so that there were no effects of daylight. The dimming of three different ceiling fixture positions was tested: at a 30°, 45° and 100° angle of the observers' eyesight line. The experiment had 20 participants that carried out 15 minutes tasks of writing and computer work combined. The room always had 2 participants at a time and they were asked whether they perceived any illumination change during the task. Illumination was dimed three times on a 15 minutes period, at different patterns. Initial illumination level was set to 750 lx, and final illumination was set to 530lx. Both variables were tested using 3 levels each: dimmerable lighting fixtures position at 30°, 45°, 100° angle from participants line sight and illumination change velocity at 3, 7 and 18 seconds, so that there were a total of 9 lighting fluctuation patterns. As a result, it was revealed that illumination changes happening in fixtures positioned at a 45° angle will be more easily perceived while illumination changes happening at 100° angle from the oververs eyesight line will be perceived the least. The experiment shown that the position of dimmerable lighting fixtures directly influences lighting perception.
     The second experiment, tried to emulate, as close as possible, the lighting fluctuations of real office settings. The experiment was had three workstation : one for the participant and the other two to simulate other workers' desks. Fixtures were distanced 1.8m from themselves, according to guidelines of previous studies that advocate this distance as suitable for electricity saving. Participants performed the same task as the first experiment on a 30 minute interval. Illumination levels were fluctuated 8 times in different patterns. Initial illumination level was set to 750 lx, and final illumination was set to 565 lx in 2nd desk's pattern or 695 lx in 3rd desk's pattern. Fixtures with variable illumination were positioned on top of the 2nd and 3rd desks, and illumination were varied at 8 different velocity patterns: dimmering down at3, 8 and 16 seconds at either the 2nd or 3rd desk. Illumination levels would return to the previous level on a 3seconds interval, after each illumination change. As a result, fluctuating lighting fixture position influence the lighting the lighting perception of examinees, and the perception ratio of illumination change obtained from the second experiment was higher than the first experiment for almost all patterns. Details of these experiments are given in Chapter3.
    Download PDF (1042K)
  • Haru YAMAGUCHI, Hitoshi TAKEDA
    2017Volume 82Issue 737 Pages 643-652
    Published: 2017
    Released on J-STAGE: July 30, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
     Recently wood is being promoted as a primary material used for public structures. With this promotion, the use of double-skinneDSiding (DS) is being incorporated in new buildings, and as older wooden structures are now being reinforced and reformed for continued use, DS is being incorporated in these buildings as well. We examined the efficacy of DS for maintaining a comfortable thermal environment within buildings. We used accumulated temperature data taken from our experiment location, a public school classroom environment, in the Tokyo Metropolitan area to better understand the use of DS for maintaining a comfortable temperature environment within the building.
     For our research, we focused on the following two topics:
     (1) Analysis of the data collected over a year at the experimental site1
     We used an existing wooden structure that had had DS added to it. We were able to note the change in the room temperature with the addition of DS. In the summer, the inside of the DS with natural ventilation had a rate of circulation of 2027 m3/h, and with the fan, the amount of air circulation was noted as 13.1 times per hour. With DS, direct sunshine was reduced by 47.2% and helped to reduce energy consumption for cooling by 20%, and the PMV±0.5 was within the comfort zone.
     In the winter, sunlight warmed the DS, and the warmed air was pulled into the room via the floor ventilation, and when the temperature of the DS room was compared with a room without DS, the room with DS had a temperature 5° higher. The interior wall and floor surface temperature also rose by the vents installed in three areas in the room. The temperature of the inner glass surface of the DS was stable throughout the day contributing to the comfort of the room. During the nighttime, the fan could be stopped, and the use of the warmed air accumulated in the daytime was used to maintain warmth in the room.
     During the intermediate seasons, the use of the fan to circulate the air from the natural ventilation in the DS and the floor ventilation system was incorporated. With natural ventilation of the DS, the removal of the heat of about 30W/m2 occurred, and the DS room had a 5° differentiation in temperature when compared with a room without DS.
     (2) Examination of the Simulation Model for various environmental and climatic conditions
     The LESCOM-mint program was used to simulate the amount of energy required to maintain a heating and air system when DS is used for a wooden structure. Actual temperature data accumulated as well as theoretical considerations were combined to gain an understanding of the air and heating neeDS according to different climatic environments.
     We examined actual temperature measurements and the theoretical value for the summer and found both measurements to be in agreement. When considering the application of these findings for an elementary school environment, we determined that for optimal energy saving and maintenance of a comfortable environment a regular classroom should be on the southern side of the building and open space on the northern side, with DS of 1.4m placed on the southern wall. Through the use of the latest data collected from the Japanese Meteorological Agency (SDP) for Tokyo between 2010 and 2015, and the data collected from Sapporo and Naha from 2015, we have found that in areas like Tokyo, the adoption of DS is an energy-saving way to maintain a comfortable environment. In Sapporo, the warming effects and reduction in energy usage is also quite effective. For Naha, DS is effective in hot and humid environments.
    Download PDF (2227K)
  • Yoshie MATSUMOTO, Yuichiro KODAMA, Koji TAKEMASA, Ryo MURATA, Naoshi K ...
    2017Volume 82Issue 737 Pages 653-662
    Published: 2017
    Released on J-STAGE: July 30, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
     Introduction: Understanding the regional climate is an important part of architectural design. It contributes to make the concept of passive design that enables effective use of natural energy. It is especially necessary for the early stage of the design. It is essential from the viewpoint of the environmental concerns and the energy saving. Based on the expression of Victor Olgyay, this attempt to indicate characteristics of the climate in a contour line map was made by Dr. KODAMA and Dr. HOYANO in 1983. Moreover, the effectiveness of this method has been verified.
     However, two issues are raised when applying this method to use:
     1) Libraries for drawing contour map are not opened generally.
     2) At the time, available weather data were 22 points.
     Now, technique advances and weather data are likewise increasing. A major goal of research to make use of passive climate charts by passive design. This paper presents the passive design methods used by means of new passive climate chart in JAPAN.

     Methods and results of a study:
     1) According to the survey, one of the similar example is ‘CLIMATE CONSULTANT’. However, it is difficult to quantitatively estimate the extent of the figure. In the passive design, the indicated ranges of data are important, too.
     2) Drawing method and the validity of the weather data is confirmed and the passive climate chart is made. To use the GMT for drawing. GMT is open to the public and maintenance continues, and the interpolation processing is also excellent. EA weather data have 842 points of Japanese data, the missing value is interpolated. It was established that a weather data is suitable.
     3) In order to utilize the passive climate chart for passive design, it is necessary to understand the characteristic of the regional climate. Therefore, 842 points passive climatic chart were classified by the characteristics of the climate. Fig. 8 shows types of passive climate chart.
     4) In order to investigate with passive design methods, it is necessary to clarify the relations of climate element and design methods. Table. 1 shows type of passive design methods. Table. 2 shows the relationship between the passive climate chart and passive design methods. In particular, black circle and square of Table. 2 are effective items of passive design methods.

     Discussion: It is examined that the relationship between the passive climate chart and passive design method. Fig 9-Fig. 12 shows passive climate map of HACHIOJI and UOZU. The difference in passive design methods is confirmed by the same area of heating degree day, radiation of the heating period and annual.

     Conclusion: By using passive climate chart, the annual weather tendency is evaluated enough. It is clarified that the relationship between the passive climate chart and passive design method. The results of this study reveal that the passive climate chart is useful for passive design.
    Download PDF (2785K)
  • Kosuke KONDO, Naoki KAGI, Norikazu NAMIKI
    2017Volume 82Issue 737 Pages 663-672
    Published: 2017
    Released on J-STAGE: July 30, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
     Semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC), such as di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), have not only caused chemical sensitivity, but also trigger asthma. SVOCs are adsorbed onto airborne particles as well as gas phase in indoor air, because these compounds have low vapor pressure. This characteristic makes it difficult to measure SVOC concentrations and evaluate pollution. Therefore, three models are suggested to evaluate partitioning between the gaseous and particulate phases through the previous studies. These models are based on different theories. However, there are currently few studies that take into consideration the influence of environmental factors on the mechanism of SVOC adsorption onto airborne particles. In this study, the characteristic of each model was extracted, and the mechanisms of DEHP adsorption onto airborne test particles were investigated under conditions whereby the temperature, airborne test particle concentration, and air exchange rate were controlled in a chamber.

     A diffusion tube was developed to eliminate DEHP gas from air contaminated with DEHP gaseous and the particulate phases. Furthermore, the generation of airborne test particles, and its concentration stability and persistence, were confirmed. Based on these results, the investigation was able to consider the mechanism of DEHP adsorption.

     DEHP total concentration increased from 1.6 to 25.6 μg/m3 as the chamber temperature changed from 15°C to 35°C. On the other hand, the DEHP particulate ratio φ decreased with the rise in temperature. The high airborne particle concentration caused an increase in the DEHP particulate concentration. The difference in the composition of these airborne particles also influenced the DEHP particulate concentration. More DEHP adsorbed to the airborne test particles composed of silica or carbon black than to the Kanto loam test particles.

     Moreover, estimates based on the Junge model corresponded well with the results of these experiments, whereas the Mackay and Pankow models overestimated the values of φ compared to the results of these experiments. These results indicated that particulate surface concentration is related to the mechanism of DEHP adsorption onto airborne particles.
    Download PDF (1093K)
  • ~ Including technical confirmation of SHG's core technical element “heat router” ~
    Takeshi NAGAI
    2017Volume 82Issue 737 Pages 673-683
    Published: 2017
    Released on J-STAGE: July 30, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
     In Japan, the need to reduce energy consumption for business use and household use is questioned. Therefore, further promotion of energy conservation is necessary. Community-wide energy utilization is one way to deal with it.
     Smart Heat Grid (SHG)is a heat accommodation system between buildings with distributed energy systems.
     Heat router is the core technical element of SHG. Choose the optimal transport power among the buildings that heat interchange, and send and receive heat. The effectiveness of heat router was confirmed by 38 control experiments. That objective is to confirm whether heat accommodation control can be stably performed within the assumed time. As a result, it was confirmed that the target error is within 10% of the design flow rate, and the time to shift to the different heat interchange state is within 10 minutes. This time it was done with the control system from the center, but in future it will be made it a distributed control system. This results was confirmed the possibility of extensibility of SHG.
     Simulation of existing DHC coordinated type SHG was conducted for existing buildings, in case of 10%, 30%, 50% heat accommodation to annual heat load. It was targeted the existing DHC in the metropolitan area and the four model buildings of hotels, offices, commercial facilities and hospitals. For DHC, it was also examined the latest heat source system using gas engine type CGS. As a result, the following conclusions were obtained.
     (1) BAU ratio of energy saving , current DHC 0.76 ~ 10.08%, New DHC 1.19% ~ 13.83%.
     (2) The effective cross-sectional area of the heat accommodated piping was 30% to 60% as compared with the total supply system.
     (3) The proportion of time that the heat source of the model building supplementarily operates decreases, and the heat accommodation greatly contributed.
     (4) Waste heat (hot water) of the gas engine greatly contributes to the thermal demands of the model building.
     This study checked a business-related evaluation. (internal rate of return, net present value, the accumulated deficit cancellation year) Since risk of fluctuation in purchased energy cost can be considered in the future, sensitivity analysis in which the utility fee is reduced by 10% · 30% was made. If SHG can be applied 1/2, 2/3 business subsidy (it is carried out now), this result can be confirmed that it is profitable business.
    Download PDF (1878K)
  • Study on the effects of betwixt mountainous areas upon the areal low carbon dioxide emission, Part2
    Daisuke NARUMI
    2017Volume 82Issue 737 Pages 685-693
    Published: 2017
    Released on J-STAGE: July 30, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
     Around the betwixt mountainous areas in Japan, regional decline due to depopulation and aging has become serious. So, the regional redesign and economical promotion are required to maintain the quality of life and area. The fact that the economic value of wood resources has declined and employment has been lost in the 1970s is closely related to depopulation and aging in the betwixt mountainous areas. Therefore, in this research, we evaluate the CO2 emission reduction and the economic revitalization effect of low carbonization countermeasures by means of regional redesign and reestablishment of forestry for rural areas. In the previous paper, we designed a model household to estimate energy consumption and demand for building materials with the aim of evaluating various CO2 emission reduction effects by low carbonization countermeasures. Subsequently, in this paper, the amount of wood resources that can be used continuously for the future is evaluated by constructing “the dynamic prediction model for the regional wood resources” based on forest GIS data.
     By the prediction model, not only the amount of wood resources that can be sustainably utilized for the future, we can also evaluate forestry production activities to respond to the demand of wood resources. From these results, we can analyze the relationship between the demand for wood resources and the amount of resources available in the case of rebuilding from traditional farmhouses to urban houses and changing heating sources from kerosene to firewood. This study was targeted at Inami Town, Wakayama Prefecture. In Inami Town, the total population is about 8,700 and the number of households is about 3,300, and this town is the underpopulated area prescribed in the Act on Special Measures for Promotion for Independence for Underpopulated Areas.

     The resulting findings are as follows.
     1) In the target area, significant aging of wood resources has been proceeding, so the rapid maintenance is desired not only from the absorption of CO2 but also from the aspect of maintaining the value of materials.
     2) The current amount of transport wood from the mountain was estimated about 12% of the annual growth. Due to the further aging of resources, the amount of growth sharply will decrease in the near future.
     3) As a sustainable and maximally utilizable condition of wood resources, the appropriate rate of the harvesting was evaluated for this area by the prediction model.
     4) The average (for 100 years) amount of wood resources available for building materials was estimated 6,249 m3 and for energy was 16,553 m3, the total was equivalent to about 20 times the amount of transport wood from the mountain in the current status.
     5) The dynamic prediction model made it possible to evaluate the transportation amount from the logging of wood resources to the sawmill plant, the area of new afforestation after cutting and the labor volume required for those work.
     6) While the total transported material volume increases by about 50% after 100 years due to poplar conversion, labor volumes required for transportation in the forest only increased by 8% on average in 100 years, this indicate that efficient wood resources production will be possible by poplar conversion.
     7) When the maximum sustainable production conditions are assumed, demand for building materials in the town will be satisfied in 6 years, it will become possible to use outside Inami Town. Even if all heating is assumed for firewood as a heat source, it is possible to use around 10,000 m3 per year outside Inami Town.
    Download PDF (5735K)
feedback
Top