Monitoring of Indoor Airflows with a New Two-Dimensional Airflow Sensor

Although airflow is invisible, it has a big influence on the indoor environment. An incorrectly planned HVAC systems can lead to draught and thermal discomfort in occupied zones. Since the commissioning tests required after the installation of HVAC systems are generally performed without occupancy, the tests results do not always accurately represent the airflow that occurs during ordinary usage. The airflow needs to be continuously monitored and controlled by an intelligent HVAC system. The aim of this study is to develop a new two-dimensional airflow sensor for the monitoring of indoor airflow, which can also indicate the flow direction. Several of these sensors can be placed in a planar sensor array, by which a two-dimensional section of the flow field is created. By recording data from several of these arrays simultaneously, an image of the three-dimensional flow could be acquired. The prototype of the sensor, which is made by Hahn-Schickard Society for Applied Research is currently being validated at the Institute for Building Energetics, Thermotechnology and Energy Storage. When the development is completed, it will greatly contribute to the control strategies of HVAC systems.