Passive cooling techniques for ventilation: an updated review

Abstract

The consumption of energy for cooling is an important issue, especially in subtropical climates where there are high temperatures and dry weather in the summer; this climate forces homeowners to use mechanical-electric cooling and ventilation. The main advantage of passive cooling is to minimize energy demands which are required to achieve thermal comfort in buildings, especially with climates exhibiting high ambient temperatures. This paper presents a detailed literature review and concept breakdown for passive cooling and ventilation in building by offering the fundamental principles of the techniques of passive cooling and ventilation. Moreover, the status of passive cooling developments along with state-of-the-art research is critically reviewed in this paper. Furthermore, the article focuses on Buoyancy air-driven ventilation. Solar control techniques are explained and classified along with techniques for heat modification and dissipation. This paper offers insight into the design considerations of different passive ventilation systems and presents recommendations for future work to achieve cost-efficient, comfortable living. Moreover, novel systems are reviewed and discussed to better understand the role of Phase Change Material (PCM) in passive cooling systems.