Adequação de índices a partir da percepção de conforto e proposta de Diagrama de Conforto Térmico Humano do Semiárido (DICTHUS)

Abstract

Thermal comfort indices are formulated based on the climatic conditions and the comfort perception of those acclimatized to a given location in the world. The thermal comfort indices commonly used in the semi-arid region were designed for climatic conditions which largely differ from the semi-arid climate and therefore require some adaptations. In this research, we propose to analyze the perception of thermal comfort of inhabitants of the semi- arid region. We also suggest new interpretative ranges for the following comfort indices based on this perception: Thom discomfort index (TDI), temperature and humidity index (THI), effective temperature (ET), heat index (HI) and universal thermal climate index (UTCI). To this end, we used semi-structured interviews to investigate the perception of comfort and the thermal sensation of inhabitants of three municipalities in the state of Ceará (Crateús, Tauá and Campos Sales), in different seasons of the year, in urban and rural areas. The population sample was selected to be qualitatively representative, in its characteristics, of the semi-arid population as a whole. The climate variables were measured concurrently with the interviews and the comfort indices were calculated from them. The delimitation of new interpretative ranges for the indices was carried out using an authorial methodology. The proposed ranges were compared to the original/usual ranges of the indices and considered more appropriate. The delimitation of the new proposed ranges was also shown to be superior to that of interpretative ranges of the indices adapted for nearby, but not semi- arid, locations. Finally, by using the data from the temperature and relative humidity climate variables as axes, we made a scatter plot of the calculated UTCI values, separated into the ranges adapted to the semi-arid region. From this visualization, an empirical thermal comfort index was generated: the human thermal comfort diagram for the semi-arid region – HTCDSR.