近年来，工业空调系统的设计师利用了热分层的优势，通过仅冷却天花板较高的较低占用空间，实现了显著的节约[2-5]。集中热源（如灯或机械）附近较热的空气由于其浮力往往会上升到天花板。因此，产生的部分内部热量从空调空间中排出。此外，通常的屋顶荷载中有很大一部分不会进入较低的水平面，因为它被天花板附近较热的空气堵塞。这导致天花板附近的空气形成具有不同温度的水平层。这种排列被称为分层层。空调工厂中的分层过程与在湖泊和池塘中观察到的更为常见的分层过程相似[9]。在这两种情况下，系统的主要热量输入都是由于上表面（工厂屋顶或水面）的太阳能加热而产生的垂直温度分布。 由于工厂中存在散热器，空调工厂所代表的系统比池塘复杂得多。由于系统的复杂性，以及热量添加、散热和蓄热的许多可能途径，空调负荷计算程序并不明显，也不容易推导。本文报告的工作旨在开发一种利用温度分层原理设计空调系统的负荷计算方法。计算方法还旨在提供有关负荷分布的足够详细信息，以便分析和解释分层系统中发生的负荷减少。在本研究中，考虑了工厂中间典型截面的物理模型，并编写了能量方程。得到了日循环的数值解，其中包括屋顶处随时间变化的边界条件和各种同时发生的传热模式。 来自一家设计有热分层空调系统的工厂的实际数据验证了该解决方案。引文:阿什雷学报，第84卷，第一部分，佐治亚州亚特兰大

In recent years designers of industrial air-conditioning systems have taken advantage of thermal stratification, and significant savings have been achieved by cooling only the lower, occupied levels of spaces with high ceilings [2-5]. The warmer air near concentrated heat sources such as lights or machinery tends to rise to the ceiling due to its buoyancy. Thus, part of the internal heat generated is removed from the air-conditioned space. Also, a large part of the usual roof load does not enter the lower level since it is blocked by warmer air near the ceiling. This causes the air near the ceiling to be formed into horizontal layers having different temperatures. Such an arrangement is called a stratified layer.The stratification process in an air-conditioned factory is similar to the more familiar one observed in lakes and ponds [9]. In both cases a primary heat input to the system is due to solar heating at an upper surface (the factory roof or the water surface) with resulting vertical temperature distributions.The air-conditioned factory represents a much more complex system than does a pond due to the presence of heat sinks in the factory. Because of the complex nature of the system and because of the many possible avenues of heat addition, heat rejection and heat storage, a procedure for air-conditioning load calculation is not obvious or easily deduced.The purpose of the work reported here was to develop a load calculation method for design of air-conditioning systems utilizing temperature stratification principles. The calculational method was also intended to provide sufficient detail on load distribution to allow analysis and explanation of the load reduction occurring in stratified systems.In the present investigation a physical model of a typical section in the middle of a factory was considered and the energy equations were written. A numerical solution for the daily cycle was obtained which includes the time dependent boundary condition at the roof and the various simultaneous modes of heat transfer. Actual data from a factory with an air-conditioning system designed for thermal stratification provided a verification of the solution.