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Our intent is to
measure the ambient radiant temperature and the dry bulb temperature of
the main living space. For reference we also recorded outdoor temperature
and the surface temperature of the stove.
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We used eight Hobo
XT Dataloggers to record our data. The Hobo XT is a portable, self-contained
datalogger the size of a box of matches. These miniature data acquisition
systems have many applications. They record dry bulb temperatures
that can be down-loaded and interpreted using specialized computer software.
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Three Dataloggers
were adapted to record mean radiant temperature by inserting the sensor
into a black plastic toilet floater. The short-wave radiation is
absorbed by the black mass of the floater. The act of absorbing converts
this radiation to heat. As the floater heats up it transfers heat
to the surrounding air through convection. The air temperature inside
the floater then increases and is a good measure of radiant air temperature
of the room.
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The measurements
will be taken in four stations(each with two Hobos, one measuring radiant
and one dry bulb temperature), starting at the stove and moving to the
back wall at six foot intervals. The sensor of the Hobo at the stove
was taped to the front surface of the stove. The eighth Hobo was
used to measure the outdoor temperature.
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The Hobos were
set to record data every two minutes for a twenty-four hour period.
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We expected to
observe a difference between the radiant and dry bulb temperatures where
the dry bulb would be lower. We also expected the zones closer to
the stove to be warmer than the outer zones. Furthermore, we expected
the ambient radiant temperature to remain within the parameters of the
comfort zone as defined by the psychrometric chart. We anticipated
a correlation between the surface temperature of the stove and the radiant
temperature of the room.