An Analytical and Computational Investigation of Room Heating due to Complex Geometry Heat Sources

The compressed air generated by a compressor, is one of the most expensive known energy forms. The reason therefore is that electrical energy is converted directly into heat. The dissipation of the heat has a decisive influence on the performance of a compressor. Due to lack of standards during the planning phase of new production halls the heat balance, i.e. the supply and removal of the generated heat, very often the compressor is not considered proper. Even the German Engineering Association Directive VDMA 4363 “Lüftung der Betriebsräume luftgekühlter Kompressoren” (Ventilation of Industrial Premises Air-Cooled Compressors) [4] does not answer this question. In order to close this gap the impact of the volume of the room in order to keep the compressor running at a proper temperature is investigated. The influence of the orientation and size of the hot surfaces on the room heating is analyzed in detail as well.