The traditional Chinese kang and its improvement: A review

•Traditional Chinese kang systems are reviewed and compared.•Improved kang systems are summarized and compared.•Possible directions for further study of Chinese kang are suggested. Chinese kang, which serves as the main space heating equipment in rural residences of cold regions of China, has receiv...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Energy and buildings 2020-07, Vol.218, p.110051, Article 110051
Main Authors: Yu, Kecheng, Tan, Yufei, Zhang, Tiantian, Zhang, Jindong, Wang, Xuemei
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bend kang
Cold regions
Environmental effects
Heating equipment
Houseful kang
Improved kang system
Indoor environments
Linear kang
Mathematical models
Numerical methods
Reviews
Rural areas
Space heating
Thermal comfort
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Summary:•Traditional Chinese kang systems are reviewed and compared.•Improved kang systems are summarized and compared.•Possible directions for further study of Chinese kang are suggested. Chinese kang, which serves as the main space heating equipment in rural residences of cold regions of China, has received increasing attention due to people's increasing requirements of thermal comfort and concerns about indoor air environment in recent years. Most of the existing studies focused on one specific type of Chinese kang by using experimental or numerical methods to investigate the system's energy performance and its effect on the indoor environment. Therefore, there is a lack of comprehensive review of all the existing types of Chinese kangs. This paper firstly classifies the traditional Chinese kangs into three categories according to their culture and ethnic background. Secondly, the detailed construction, flue modality and thermal performance of the three kang systems are reviewed and compared. Thirdly, some recently proposed improved kang systems are introduced and analyzed. Finally, based on the review results, several possible research opportunities are suggested to guide future research on Chinese kangs.
ISSN:0378-7788
1872-6178
DOI:10.1016/j.enbuild.2020.110051