Ergonomics Impact of Indoor Air Temperature in Thermal Comfort of Tertiary Institutions’ Classrooms in Abeokuta, Nigeria
Authors: Musa AI, Yusuf SO, Sodunke MA
DOI Info: N/A
ABSTRACT
This study presented the results of the impact of indoor air temperature in thermal comfort of tertiary institutions’ classrooms in Abeokuta, Nigeria. This was conducted between December 2017 and May 2018 between the hours of 8.00 and 16.00. A total of twenty (20) classrooms were assessed for meteorological indoor conditions: air temperature (Ta), relative humidity (RH), air velocity (Va). Three thousand five hundred questionnaires were administered to students to determine their thermal condition during lectures. Furthermore, a regression model as a function of the measured air temperature (Ta) was also used to estimate the radiant temperature (Tr) and operative temperature (To). The results showed that 34.24±2.5 oC, 51.85±5.1%, 0.5±0.12m/s, 33.80±2.5 oC and 34.07±2.5 oC were recorded respectively for the indoor conditions of Ta, RH, Va, Tr, and To. Moreso, the result showed that 22.6 and 15.1% of the students felt warm and slightly warm with 13.5 and 10.1% experiencing hotness and very hot conditions. Some students (11.5 and 7.6%) felt slightly cool and cool with 1.75% of the students experiencing neutrality with the indoor meteorological conditions. The study established that the human responses to the thermal environment are inherently difficult to predict due to subjective assessment of indoor users. These have a considerable effect on comfort and health of the students during lecture.
Affiliations: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Nigeria
Keywords: Temperature, Radiant Temperature, Operative Temperature, Environment, Indoor, Meteorological
Published date: 2018/12/30
