Issue 2/2022

According to Regulation No. 813/2013 of the European Commission, the production and distribution of certain appliances has been discontinued. As a result, only condensing appliances, which operate at a higher efficiency, are now available as the closed gas burning appliances in version C. In terms of their use with existing shared LAS chimneys, the essential difference is the flue gas temperature, which will always be lower than that of the original appliances. In addition to temperature, there is also discussion of the fact that during the operation of condensing appliances, condensate is formed in the flue gas duct, and the higher pressure of the fan causes overpressure in the chimney. The paper discusses the function of shared LAS chimneys, methodology toward their assessment, and factors affecting the replacement of connected fuel burning a ppliances.

The paper describes the test of smoke and heat extraction system (ZOKT ) in a two-storey parking garage of an office building in the Republic of Poland. It is an optional test performed with nontoxic hot smoke, which helps to verify the function of the ZOKT system operation. The test simulates conditions close to a design fire of a vehicle, generates a convective buoyant stream of hot smoke, and allows visual inspection of the ventilation airflow pattern of the mixture of generated smoke and air by means of the tracer gas. This test does not determine other essential parameters of the ZOKT system, such as performance, startup period, etc.

In the year 2020, the revision of the Technical Rules TPG 704 01 “Gas-consuming appliances and appliances using gaseous fuels in buildings” was initiated, merging this TPG with the also revised TPG 700 01 for copper gas pipelines, TPG 704 03 for multilayer gas pipelines, and TDG 704 02 for additional sealing of domestic gas pipelines. The basic requirements for flexible stainless steel bellows pipes used for domestic gas pipelines, for which PTN 704 04-1.2 is currently applicable, will also be added to TPG 704 01. When the revised version of TPG 704 01 enters into effect, TPG 700 01, TPG 704 03, and TDG 704 02 will be repealed.

The thermal insulation of clothing significantly affects the thermal balance of a person and thus influences the achievement of thermal comfort. Knowledge of thermal insulation influences the precision of thermal comfort assessment and the ability to find optimal indoor environmental parameters to ensure the satisfaction with the given thermal state. The paper deals with the possibilities of determining the thermal insulation of selected cleanroom clothing sets; in particular, it investigates the differences in the results obtained on the basis of normative documents and on the basis of measurements using a thermal manikin. The article analyses the influence of the insulation capacity of five sets of clothing on the thermal sensation of the user, including the setting of the optimal air tempera ture to ensure thermal comfort.

The design of chimneys, as well as the design of heating appliances, have recently undergone significant technical development due to the increasing requirements for energy savings and the use of renewable resources. This has also been reflected in the requirements for the manufacturing, implementation, and operation of heating systems with an emphasis on the safety of their operation. This article focuses on chimney fire safety, the legal framework for the design and installation of flue gas ducts, and the factors that influence the risk of fire in chimney operation.

Due to the diminishing fossil fuel reserves, the introduction of European regulations and the need to achieve carbon neutrality, the use of hydrogen in gas boiler heating systems is becoming an issue on hand. Hydrogen technology and the possibilities of using hydrogen as a fuel have made considerable progress and development in recent years. Hydrogen appears to be a suitable and clean fuel. It provides us an economical way of storing energy from renewable sources, mainly wind and solar power plants. Gaseous fuels such as hydrogen and methane, produced by Power to Gas (P2G) technology, can be easily stored in existing natural gas infrastructure and consequently burned. It is no longer a question of whether it can be done but how much it will cost and when this technolog y will be widely a vailable.

The daylighting of living spaces is specific and its technical standardization in the Czech Republic has undergone a complex development, which is currently completed by the adoption of the EN 17037 European standard [1]. The requirements of this standard, if valid for residential buildings, would be less demanding compared to the previous Czech technical standards. This would give urban planning more freedom. If EN 17037 [1] is applied correctly within our building legislation, this standard has the potential to contribute to the finding of a compromise between quality and economy in construction, while maintaining the level of daylight required for a pleasant and healthy indoor environment for the occupants of residential buildings.