CH-89-17-5 -- Field Comparison of Radiant and Convective Heating in Vehicle Repair Buildings PDF

Two Army repair shops at Ft. Riley, KS, were instrumented and monitored during the 1987-1988 heating season. The buildings are nearly identical in design, except one is heated with gas-fired, tube-type radiant heaters and one is heated with overhead, hot water, forced-convection unit heaters. The buildings were instrumented for continuous monitoring of energy use, heater and exhaust fan operation, and door openings. Interior conditions monitored include air temperatures, globe temperatures, air velocities, and dew-point temperature. Weather conditions, including air temperature, wind direction and velocity, dew-point temperature, and solar insolation, were also monitored at a nearby weather station. The buildings are compared in this paper on the basis of their energy use and their interior thermal environment.