Adaptative comfort modeling for a typical non-centrifugal cane sugar processing facility

Abstract

The production of non-centrifuged cane sugar in Colombia takes place in post-harvest facilities that generate significant heat and steam resulting from the evaporation of cane juices during the process. This study aimed to improve the comfort conditions of a facility of this type in the municipality of Pacho, Cundinamarca, Colombia, through bioclimatic simulation, where the enclosure on the walls and the lantern window were modified. The evaluation of adaptative thermal comfort revealed that configurations with open perimeter and lantern window demonstrated the best bioclimatic behavior. This is attributed to the increased ventilation area and chimney effect, which optimizes the transfer of heat and mass. Likewise, it was observed that there is a generalized behavior of thermal discomfort for workers in the thermal zone of the oven, due to the high emissions of heat and steam in this specific area.

Keywords

• thermal stress; computer simulation; natural ventilation; thermal load; panela