Exchange rates of O2 and CO2 between an algal culture and atmosphere

The mechanism of CO₂ and O₂ exchange between atmosphere and an algal mini-pond was examined by monitoring, with a novel microcomputer based system, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, light intensity and temperature. The microcomputer based system was also used to monitor on-line the net oxygen production rate (OPR) and the gas exchange processes. The measured data support the assumption that the gas exchange is driven by the gradient of the partial pressure of the gases across the imaginary boundary layer (z layer). An analytical model based on this assumption was simulated by a computer and compared with the experimental data. The photosynthetic activity of a blue-green alga (Spirulina platensis) mini-pond as it is influenced by the CO₂ concentration in the growth medium is discussed. The overall photosynthetic process was studied by comparing the experimental data with a mathematical model, evaluating the effectiveness of alternative carbon sources.     

Evaluation of emissions of total volatile organic compounds from carpets in an environmental chamber

An environmental test chamber with controlled temperature, relative humidity and airflow rate has been used to evaluate emissions of total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) from 11 new carpets. The quantity of TVOCs emissions was measured by a gas chromatography/flame ionisation detector.The TVOCs emissions of each product were tested as a function of time. The results showed that the time dependence of TVOCs concentrations and the change of emission rates with time can be described by a double-exponential model. With this double-exponential model, the initial emission rates (E₁₀ and E₂₀) and emission decay constants (k₁ and k₂) in evaporation- and diffusion-dominated phases were simulated. These emission parameters could be used in estimation of TVOCs concentrations in an indoor environment. Model evaluation studies indicate that the Highclass carpet has the smallest model accuracy while the Double-diamond and Classic design carpets have the largest model accuracy.     

Experimental and numerical study of room airflow under stratum ventilation

This paper investigates the air movement, air temperature profile and gaseous contaminant transportation in an individual office with stratum ventilation. The room temperature is elevated compared with conventional standards. The experimental investigation is carried out in an environmental chamber with the presence of heat generating rectangles used to simulate an occupant and a computer. Measurements of temperature, velocity, and CO₂ concentration are carried out for nine plumb lines in the chamber. Up to sixteen points are measured along each plumb line. The experimental data of the aforesaid three parameters of the individual office in warm condition under stratum ventilation are presented. The experimental data collected are used to validate a re-normalization group (RNG) k–? turbulence model used for the warm condition. The agreements between the predicted values and experimental results are acceptable, which demonstrates the feasibility of simulating indoor airflows at elevated room temperature under stratum ventilation by the RNG k–? turbulence model.     

Distributions of respiratory contaminants from a patient with different postures and exhaling modes in a single-bed inpatient room

This study investigated contaminant transport and evaluated the ventilation performance in a single-bed inpatient room. The study performed comparative experimental analysis on the distributions of respiratory contaminants breathed out and coughed out by a patient in a full-scale chamber, which simulated a single-bed inpatient room. The contaminant exhaled by the patient was simulated by an SF₆ tracer gas and 3-μm particles at steady-state conditions. The differences in the contaminant distribution between the coughing and breathing cases were insignificant for the mixing ventilation case, while for the displacement ventilation, the contaminant concentrations in the upper part of the room were higher for the coughing case. The contaminant concentrations in the inpatient room for the case with the patient sitting on the bed were lower than those for the patient supine on the bed for the displacement ventilation under the same supply airflow rate. The SF₆ tracer gas and 3-μm particles released at a notable initial velocity for simulating a cough could give similar contaminant distributions in the inpatient room. Therefore, the experimental data can be used to validate a CFD model, and the validated CFD model can be used to investigate transient coughing and breathing processes.     

Statistical data analysis method for multi-zonal airflow measurement using multiple kinds of perfluorocarbon tracer gas

Conventional multi-zonal ventilation measurement methods by multiple types of perfluorocarbon tracers use a number of different gases equal to the number of zones (n). The possible n×n+n airflows are estimated from the mass balance of the gases and the airflow balance. However, some airflows may not occur because of inter-zonal geometry, and the introduction of unnecessary, unknown parameters can impair the accuracy of the estimation. Also, various error factors often yield an irrational negative airflow rate. Conventional methods are insufficient for the evaluation of error. This study describes a way of using the least-squares technique to improve the precision of estimation and to evaluate reliability. From the equations’ residual, the error variance–covariance matrix Λ_q of the estimated airflow rate error is deduced. In addition, the coefficient of determinant using the residual sum of squares and total variation is introduced. Furthermore, the error matrix _mΛ_q from the measurement errors in the gas concentration and gas emission rate is deduced. The discrepancy ratio of the model premises is defined by dividing the diagonal elements of the former by those of the latter. Moreover, the index of irrationality of the estimated negative airflow rate is defined, based on the different results of the three estimation methods. Some numerical experiments are also carried out to verify the flow rate estimation and the reliability evaluation theory.     

The effect of ventilation on indoor exposure to semivolatile organic compounds

A mechanistic model was developed to examine how natural ventilation influences residential indoor exposure to semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) via inhalation, dermal sorption, and dust ingestion. The effect of ventilation on indoor particle mass concentration and mass transfer at source/sink surfaces, and the enhancing effect of particles on mass transfer at source/sink surfaces are included. When air exchange rate increases from 0.6/h to 1.8/h_, the steady‐state SVOC (gas‐phase plus particle phase with log K_OA varying from 9 to 13) concentration in the idealized model decreases by about 60%. In contrast, for the same change in ventilation, the simulated indoor formaldehyde (representing volatile organic compounds) gas‐phase concentration decreases by about 70%. The effect of ventilation on exposure via each pathway has a relatively insignificant association with the K_OA of the SVOCs: a change of K_OA from 10⁹ to 10¹³ results in a change of only 2–30%. Sensitivity analysis identifies the deposition rate of PM_2.5 as a primary factor influencing the relationship between ventilation and exposure for SVOCs with log K_OA = 13. The relationship between ventilation rate and air speed near surfaces needs to be further substantiated.     

Sorption of VOCs on material surfaces as the deciding factor when choosing a ventilation strategy

The interaction between different ventilation strategies, and the adsorption and desorption of volatile organic compounds on material surfaces in small test chambers, is investigated. In test chamber experiments, nylon carpet was exposed to a mixture of toluene and α-pinene at two different dosing rates. The ventilation strategies were chosen to mimic the conditions in real buildings, i.e. with an air exchange rate of 2 h⁻¹ during the working day (8–17) and a rate of 0.67 h⁻¹ during the remainder of the 24 h. The results show that the sorption behavior has to be included when estimating the concentration variations in a room based on source characteristics and ventilation rates. The software application “EnviSim” was used to model the concentrations in a model room based on the experimental conditions. As the ventilation strategy influences the resulting concentrations, it is recommended that the ventilation system be “turned on” a couple of hours before the start of the working day and “turned down” again soon after the occupants have left the building.     

Further validation of a method aimed to estimate building performance parameters

A further validation of an earlier developed neural network method for estimating the total heat loss coefficient (K_tot), the total heat capacity (C_tot) and the gain factor (α) based on measured diurnal data of internal–external temperature difference, supplied heat for heating and “free heat” is presented. The validation was performed in laboratory scale, using a test cell, for three different cases of ventilation, without (constant)-, natural-, and forced ventilation. Earlier measurements from a building was also used in order to simulate a realistic energy use pattern and a rather stochastic behavior of α, which also was transformed to represent existing and future buildings in terms of the composition of their energy use. For all three types of ventilation and different types of buildings, the method was capable of estimating the three different performance parameters and their different dependencies. For K_tot, the RMSE was between 3 and 20% and for α, the deviation was between 9 and 19%.     

A methodology for estimating occupant CO2 source generation rates from measurements in small commercial buildings

It is necessary to know CO₂ source generation rates and system flow parameters, such as supply flow rate and overall room ventilation effectiveness, in order to evaluate cost savings for demand-controlled ventilation applied to commercial buildings. This paper presents a methodology for estimating schedules for generation rates and flow parameters using short-term testing. These parameters are used within a model that predicts return air CO₂ concentrations as part of an overall energy analysis model. As a first step in developing the methodology, two different parameter estimation techniques were evaluated using simulated data. Each method gave models that provide good predictions of return air CO₂ concentrations, but differed in terms of the identified parameters. The preferred parameter estimation method provides estimates of both average hourly source generation rates and day-to-day variations. This technique was applied to three different types of commercial buildings using field monitored data. The sites are small commercial buildings with packaged HVAC equipment and included modular schoolrooms, children's play areas in fast food restaurants and a pharmacy retail store. The impact of the length of model training data period on estimated CO₂ generation rates was investigated. Eight weeks of data is sufficient for training. Expressed in terms of the coefficient of variation, the errors in predicted CO₂ concentrations ranged from 4% to 15% depending on the sites. The predicted frequency of time that CO₂ concentrations were within a given range agreed well with the field measured data.     

The effects of active chlorine on photooxidation of 2-methyl-2-butene

Active chlorine comprising hypochlorite (OCl⁻), hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and chlorine (Cl₂) is the active constituent in bleach formulations for a variety of industrial and consumer applications. However, the strong oxidative reactivity of active chlorine can cause adverse effects on both human health and the environment. In this study, aerosolized Oxone® [2KHSO₅, KHSO₄, K₂SO₄] with saline solution has been utilized to produce active chlorine (HOCl and Cl₂). To investigate the impact of active chlorine on volatile organic compound (VOC) oxidation, 2-methyl-2-butene (MB) was photoirradiated in the presence of active chlorine using a 2-m³ Teflon film indoor chamber. The resulting carbonyl products produced from photooxidation of MB were derivatized with O-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl) hydroxyamine hydrochloride (PFBHA) and analyzed using gas chromatograph-ion trap mass spectrometer (GC/ITMS). The photooxidation of MB in the presence of active chlorine was simulated with an explicit kinetic model using a chemical solver (Morpho) which included both Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM) and Cl radical reactions. The reaction rate constants of a Cl radical with MB and its oxidized products were estimated using a Structure-Reactivity Relationship method. Under dark conditions no effect of active chlorine on MB oxidation was apparent, whereas under simulated daylight conditions (UV irradiation) rapid MB oxidation was observed due to photo-dissociation of active chlorine. The model simulation agrees with chamber data showing rapid production of oxygenated products that are characterized using GC/ITMS. Ozone formation was enhanced when MB was oxidized in the presence of irradiated active chlorine and NO_x.     

The spatial distribution of carbon dioxide in an environmental test chamber

The spatial distribution of CO₂ level in a classroom carried out in previous field work research has demonstrated that there is some evidence of variations in CO₂ concentration in a classroom space. Significant fluctuations in CO₂ concentration were found at different sampling points depending on the ventilation strategies and environmental conditions prevailing in individual classrooms. However, how these variations are affected by the emitting sources and the room air movement remains unknown. Hence, it was concluded that detailed investigation of the CO₂ distribution need to be performed on a smaller scale. As a result, it was decided to use an environmental chamber with various methods and rates of ventilation, for the same internal temperature and heat loads, to study the effect of ventilation strategy and air movement on the distribution of CO₂ concentration in a room. The role of human exhalation and its interaction with the plume induced by the body's convective flow and room air movement due to different ventilation strategies were studied in a chamber at the University of Reading. These phenomena are considered to be important in understanding and predicting the flow patterns in a space and how these impact on the distribution of contaminants. This paper attempts to study the CO₂ dispersion and distribution at the exhalation zone of two people sitting in a chamber as well as throughout the occupied zone of the chamber. The horizontal and vertical distributions of CO₂ were sampled at locations with a probability that CO₂ variation is considered high. Although the room size, source location, ventilation rate and location of air supply and extract devices all can have influence on the CO₂ distribution, this article gives general guidelines on the optimum positioning of CO₂ sensor in a room.     

Simulation and experimental analysis of a fresh air-handling unit with liquid desiccant sensible and latent heat recovery

This article introduces a liquid desiccant fresh air processor. Its driving force is low-grade heat (heat obtained from 65 – 75°C hot water). Inside the processor, the air is dehumidified by the evaporative cooling energy of the indoor exhaust air. A four-stage structure is used to increase the efficiency of the combined sensible and latent heat recovery from the exhaust air. A mathematical model of the fresh air processor was set up using Simulink®. A liquid desiccant fresh air processor was constructed and tested for outside air conditions of 29.1 – 33.6°C, 13.7 – 16.7g/kg humidity ratio, and supply air conditions of 23.6 – 24.2°C, 7.4 – 8.6g/kg humidity ratio. The average measured COP _f was 1.6 (cold production divided by latent heat removed) for the range of conditions tested. The corresponding average COP _sys of the system including the regenerator was 1.3 (cold production divided by heat input). The detailed operating parameters of each part of the test unit were also measured. The test data was compared with the simulated performance. The characteristic coefficients (such as the volumetric mass transfer coefficient of the air-water evaporative cooling module, etc.) in the mathematical model were modified to calibrate the model output to the measured data. The calibrated simulation model was used to investigate the control strategy of the fresh air processor. The flow rate of the strong solution into the unit and the number of operation stages may be controlled separately or together to meet different indoor air requirements at different outdoor conditions. The hot water driven liquid desiccant air conditioning system was compared with a typical vapor compression system with an average COP of 4.5; the pump and fan power of the proposed system was 40% of the combined chiller, pump, and fan consumption. We achieved savings of over 30% of the power consumption compared with the traditional system under the designed outdoor air conditions.     

Improvement of natural ventilation in a large factory building using a louver ventilator

When heat generated from facilities inside a large factory building is not discharged outside the building due to a stagnant ventilation flow, the working environment of workers becomes worse, and the cooling of high-temperature products is delayed. In this study, wind tunnel tests were conducted to investigate the natural ventilation of entrained air inside a large factory building. The scale-down factory-building models were embedded in a simulated atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), and the mean and fluctuating velocity fields were measured using a two-frame particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique. For the original factory model, some of the outdoor air came in the factory building through the one-third open windward wall, while the stagnant flow region existed in the rear part of the target area. In order to improve the indoor ventilation environment of the present factory building, three different types of the louver ventilator were attached at the upper one-third open windward wall of the factory model. Among the three louver ventilators tested in this study, the ventilator model ?3 with the outer louver (θ_o=90°) and the inner louver (θ_i=−70°) was found to improve the natural ventilation inside the target factory-building model. It increased the flow rate of the entrained air by aligning the outer louver blades with the oncoming wind and guiding the entrained air down to the ground surface with the elongated inner louver blades.     

CFD study of exhaled droplet transmission between occupants under different ventilation strategies in a typical office room

This paper investigated the transmission of respiratory droplets between two seated occupants equipped with one type of personalized ventilation (PV) device using round movable panel (RMP) in an office room. The office was ventilated by three different total volume (TV) ventilation strategies, i.e. mixing ventilation (MV), displacement ventilation (DV), and under-floor air distribution (UFAD) system respectively as background ventilation methods. Concentrations of particles with aerodynamic diameters of 0.8 μm, 5 μm, and 16 μm as well as tracer gas were numerically studied in the Eulerian frame. Two indexes, i.e. intake fraction (IF) and concentration uniformity index R_C were introduced to evaluate the performance of ventilation systems. It was found that without PV, DV performed best concern protecting the exposed manikin from the pollutants exhaled by the polluting manikin. In MV when the exposed manikin opened RMP the inhaled air quality could always be improved. In DV and UFAD application of RMP might sometimes, depending on the personalized airflow rate, increase the exposure of the others to the exhaled droplets of tracer gas, 0.8 μm particles, and 5 μm particles from the infected occupants. Application of PV could reduce R_C for all the three TV systems of 0.8 μm and 5 μm particles. PV enhanced mixing degree of particles under DV and UFAD based conditions much stronger than under MV based ones. PV could increase the average concentration in the occupied zone of the exposed manikin as well as provide clean personalized airflow. Whether inhaled air quality could be improved depended on the balance of pros and cons of PV.     

Ventilation rates in the bedrooms of 500 Danish children

The ongoing “Indoor Environment and Children’s Health” (IECH) study investigates the environmental risk factors in homes and their association with asthma and allergy among children aged 1–5 years. As part of the study, the homes of 500 children between 3 and 5 years of age were inspected. The selected children included 200 symptomatic children (cases) and 300 randomly selected children (bases). As part of the inspection, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the bedrooms of the children was continuously measured over an average of 2.5 days. The ventilation rates in the rooms during the nights when the children were sleeping in the room were calculated using a single-zone mass balance for the occupant-generated CO₂. The calculated air change rates were log-normally distributed (R² > 0.98). The geometric mean of the air change rates in both the case and the base group was 0.46 air changes per hour (h⁻¹; geom. SD = 2.08 and 2.13, respectively). Approximately 57% of both cases and bases slept at a lower ventilation rate than the minimum required ventilation rate of 0.5 h⁻¹ in new Danish dwellings. Only 32% of the bedrooms had an average CO₂ concentration below 1000 ppm during the measured nights. Twenty-three percent of the rooms experienced at least a 20-minute period during the night when the CO₂ concentration was above 2000 ppm and 6% of the rooms experienced concentrations above 3000 ppm. The average air change rate was higher with more people sleeping in the room. The air change rate did not change with the increasing outdoor temperature over the 10-week experimental period. The calculation method provides an estimate of the total airflow into the bedroom, including airflows both from outdoors and from adjacent spaces. To study the accuracy of the calculated air change rates and their deviation from the true outside air change rates, we calculated CO₂ concentrations at different given air change rates using an indoor air quality and ventilation model (Contam). Subsequently we applied our calculation procedure to the obtained data. The air change rate calculated from the generated CO₂ concentrations was found to be between 0% and 51% lower than the total air change rate defined in the input variables for the model. It was, however, higher than the true outside air change rate. The relative error depended on the position of the room in relation to the adjacent rooms, occupancy in the adjacent room, the nominal air change rate and room-to-room airflows.     

Computational analysis of wind driven natural ventilation in buildings

The design of natural ventilation in buildings is often performed by means of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques, whose application is gaining popularity. In the present study, Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes equation (RANS) approach is applied to wind driven natural ventilation in a cubic building. Two different models are considered, namely the two-equation k–ɛ model and the Renormalization Group (RNG) theory. The velocity and pressure distribution inside and around the building are determined, as well as the ventilation rate, for three different configurations: cross ventilation, single-sided ventilation with an opening on the windward wall and single-sided ventilation with an opening on the leeward wall. The numerical results are compared with experimental data, showing a good agreement, particularly when using RNG. The discrepancy in the determination of the ventilation rate is reasonable and the flow distribution inside the building is properly described when RNG model is used. However, the k–ɛ model fails to determine the correct velocity components near the horizontal surfaces. According to these results, the RNG model can be considered a useful tool for the study of wind driven natural ventilation, especially for the assessment of the ventilation rate and of the air distribution inside a room.     

Flame extinguishing in the cup-burner by inert gases

National and international standards on gaseous fire extinguishing systems specify the minimum design concentrations of gaseous agents for flammable liquid hazards based on extinguishing concentrations determined by the cup-burner method. Extinguishing concentration values, X_G, reported in standards documents do not correlate as well as expected with heat capacity, the underlying figure of merit for inert gas agents, a result that is likely due to inconsistent application of the test method. In this paper an explicit relation is developed for inert gas extinguishing concentration in terms of heat capacity and fuel properties. Equilibrium stoichiometric combustion at the fuel–air interface is assumed. A unified set of extinguishing concentration data for six inert gas agents is used to validate the model. For n-heptane flames the characteristic extinction limit temperature, T_Ex, was found to be essentially the same for each inert gas agent, though T_Ex may depend on details of the test apparatus and procedure, variations of which may account for the observed inconsistencies in data submitted by different laboratories. The measured X_G for CO₂ was ∼5% less than expected based on heat capacity effects alone, a result qualitatively consistent with elevated heat loss due to radiation by CO₂. The results of this work are expected to be useful in eventually harmonizing data used fire protection standards.     

A novel methodology for estimating space air change rates and occupant CO2 generation rates from measurements in mechanically-ventilated buildings

It is useful to know ventilation rates and carbon dioxide (CO₂) generation rates for evaluating indoor air quality and ventilation efficiency in mechanically-ventilated buildings. A strong limitation of the current models is either they focus solely on a whole building or they are too complicated for practical use in studies of individual spaces. This paper develops a new method for accurately quantifying ventilation rates (i.e. space air change rate) and CO₂ generation rates from measured CO₂ concentrations for individual spaces. The proposed method firstly determined space air change rate using Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE). Additionally, a novel coupled-method was initiated for further estimating CO₂ generation rates. Both simulated and experimental data were used to validate the model. Experiments were conducted in a school office by measuring indoor CO₂ concentrations and pressure differences between the return air vent and space. Excellent agreement was obtained. At least 0.998 R² values were obtained for fitting measured CO₂ concentrations when conducting MLE for estimating space air change rate, and the corresponding residual plots showed no pattern and trend. The estimated numbers of occupants were same as the actual ones. Furthermore, the predicted space air change rates showed great consistencies with those from CO₂ equilibrium analysis. The model is simple, handy and effective for practical use. Moreover, the model is also capable for dealing with time-varying space air change rates.     

Optimization of indoor environmental quality and ventilation load in office space by multilevel coupling of building energy simulation and computational fluid dynamics

The fundamentals, implementation, and application of an integrated simulation as an approach for predicting the indoor environmental quality for an open-type office and for quantifying energy saving potential under optimized ventilation are presented in this paper. An integrated simulation procedure based on a building energy simulation and computational fluid dynamics, incorporated with a conceptual model of a CO₂ demand controlled ventilation (DCV) system and proportional integral control of an air conditioning system as the optimization assessment of conceptual model in the occupied zone, was developed. This numerical model quantitatively exhibits energy conservation and represents the non-uniform distribution patterns of airflow properties and CO₂ concentration levels in terms of energy recovery and indoor thermal comfort. By means of an integrated simulation, the long-term energy consumption of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems are predicted precisely and dynamically. Relative to a ventilation system with a basic constant air volume supply rate characterized by a fixed outdoor air intake rate from the ceiling supply opening, the optimized CO₂-DCV system coupled with energy recovery ventilators reduced total energy consumption by 29.1% (in summer conditions) and 40.9% (winter).     

An analytical and numerical study of solar chimney use for room natural ventilation

The solar chimney concept used for improving room natural ventilation was analytically and numerically studied. The study considered some geometrical parameters such as chimney inlet size and width, which are believed to have a significant effect on space ventilation. The numerical analysis was intended to predict the flow pattern in the room as well as in the chimney. This would help optimizing design parameters. The results were compared with available published experimental and theoretical data. There was an acceptable trend match between the present analytical results and the published data for the room air change per hour, ACH. Further, it was noticed that the chimney width has a more significant effect on ACH compared to the chimney inlet size. The results showed that the absorber average temperature could be correlated to the intensity as: (T_w = 3.51I^0.461) with an accepted range of approximation error. In addition the average air exit velocity was found to vary with the intensity as (ν_ex = 0.013I^0.4).