Modeling natural energy flow in houses

A model for predicting the energy use of residential buildings is developed for the purpose of investigating the effect on energy consumption of various changes in building design, construction and operation. The model differentiates between the thermal behavior of the north and south zones of the house, and describes an innovative method of air-handling.The model is incorporated into an analytical computer program called TWOZONE. This program is used to evaluate the effect on annual energy use of various amounts and locations of glass areas in houses. The results are compared with recent work on the energy value of windows in houses.Among the findings, when using this particular model and load program, is the fact that single-glazing is a net loser in any climate. Energy-use curves for several climates are given for single- versus double-glazing, thereby permitting cost-effectiveness analysis to be done.     

A physical study of plumbing life cycle in apartment houses

We know that extending the life span of a building can reduce environmental impact, and also save money with the viewpoints of life-cycle cost. But due to the complex system construction of buildings, if we apply the concept of life-cycle cost to design, we must consider it in coordination with the life spans of subsystems in order to avoid unreasonable wastage and problems of utility function. Concerning corrosion of piping, past documents mostly direct investigation and analysis to the physical or chemical characteristics of materials. This paper focuses on the plumbing system of a building, by matching up the investigation of practical cases, we determined the life span of a plumbing system in a building and try to offer an assessment system for a life-cycle model. This could be of use in life-cycle architectural planning and design.     

Household air pollution from wood burning in two reconstructed houses from the Danish Viking Age

During 13 winter weeks, an experimental archeology project was undertaken in two Danish reconstructed Viking Age houses with indoor open fireplaces. Volunteers inhabited the houses under living conditions similar to those of the Viking Age, including cooking and heating by wood fire. Carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter (PM_2.5) were measured at varying distances to the fireplace. Near the fireplaces CO (mean) was 16 ppm. PM_2.5 (mean) was 3.40 mg/m³, however, measured in one house only. The CO:PM mass ratio was found to increase from 6.4 to 22 when increasing the distance to the fire. Two persons carried CO sensors. Average personal exposure was 6.9 ppm, and from this, a personal PM_2.5 exposure of 0.41 mg/m³ was estimated. The levels found here were higher than reported from modern studies conducted in dwellings using biomass for cooking and heating. While this may be due to the Viking house design, the volunteer's lack of training in attending a fire maybe also played a role. Even so, when comparing to today's issues arising from the use of open fires, it must be assumed that also during the Viking Age, the exposure to woodsmoke was a contributing factor to health problems.     

江西金溪与鄂东南传统民居建筑比较研究

研究实地调研了两地数十个民居,并结合文献阅读分析,从平面格局、结构构件和细部三方面总结出两地民居的典型特征及存在的类似点与差异点,并结合各自的文化、地理环境和迁移历史,归纳出两地民居形制异同的原因。     

Survey of natural radiation in France

Survey of natural radiation is conducted in France since 1981, with the assessment of the components resulting from external sources (ground and building materials) using thermoluminescent dosemeters. In addition, the internal exposure to Rn-222 and the potential alpha energy due to radon daughters, are estimated by passive track detectors in the first case and active dosemeters in the second one. This paper presents the French program methods and results with an analysis and discussion of the observed levels.     

某阻燃液对木质结构房屋应用探讨

采用某阻燃液对连片木质结构房屋(村寨)进行阻燃处理.介绍该阻燃液及阻燃清漆的制备方法、阻燃机理,国家检验机构的检验结果以及该阻燃液应用于凯里市寨石龙寨的实施方法及工序.从试点村寨抽取经该阻燃液阻燃处理的木质板材等样品,经贵州省消防产品质量监督检验站检测,其燃烧性能均达到B1级.     

The natural (baseline) quality of groundwater: a UK pilot study

Knowledge of the natural baseline quality of groundwaters is an essential prerequisite for understanding pollution and for imposing regulatory limits. The natural baseline of groundwaters may show a range of concentrations depending on aquifer mineralogy, facies changes, flow paths and residence time. The geochemical controls on natural concentrations are discussed and an approach to defining baseline concentrations using geochemical and statistical tools is proposed. The approach is illustrated using a flowline from the Chalk aquifer in Berkshire, UK where aerobic and anaerobic sections of the aquifer are separately considered. The baseline concentrations for some elements are close to atmospheric values whereas others evolve through time-dependent water-rock interaction. Certain solutes (K, NH(4)(+)), often considered contaminants, reach naturally high concentrations due to geochemical controls; transition metal concentrations are generally low, although their concentrations may be modified by redox controls. It is recommended that the baseline approach be incorporated into future management strategies, notably monitoring.     

A review of solar houses in Europe

This paper describes the first stage in a programme of work to investigate the performance monitoring of solar houses in Europe. The study is 100% funded by the Commission of the European Communities and the initial brief required a state-of-the-art review to cover solar energy applications in dwellings. A total of twelve projects have been selected to illustrate the variety of approaches to solar heating system design which were prevalent at the time. These case studies form the main body of this paper. They describe the nature and location of the project, the main features of the system, the way it operates and the results obtained. The case studies are prefaced by a brief discussion on system design and the factors affecting system performance. Finally, a postcript describes recent progress with the study, which has concentrated on the development of a standard format for reporting system performance.     

Indoor natural radiation levels in Ireland

The principal results of a preliminary study made on indoor radiation levels in Ireland are presented. During the period 1983–1984 measurements were made in over 250 houses. Most measurements were made using passive devices: TLDs for penetrating radiation and CR-39 alpha track plastic detectors for radon measurements. The median value of the doses from penetrating radiation was 0.78 milligray/year with a maximum value of 1.47 m Gy/year detected. The radon concentrations showed a large degre of variability with a median value of 43 Bq/m³. About 10% of the houses had radon air concentrations in excess of 100 Bq/m³ with a maximum of 700 Bq/m³ being recorded. A tentative analysis of the data with regard to the geological situation is presented.     

A pilot investigation into associations between indoor airborne fungal and non-biological particle concentrations in residential houses in Brisbane,Australia

Indoor air contains a complex mixture of bioaerosols such as fungi, bacteria and allergens, as well as non-biological particles including products from various combustion processes. To date little work has been done to investigate the interactions and associations between particles of biological and non-biological origin, however, any occurring interactions could affect pollutant behaviour in the air and ultimately the effect they have on health. The aim of this work was to examine associations between the concentration levels of airborne particles and fungi measured in 14 residential suburban houses in Brisbane. The most frequently isolated fungal genus was Cladosporium, Curvularia, Alternaria, Fusarium and Penicillium. The average outdoor and indoor (living room) concentrations of fungal colony forming units were 1133+/-759 and 810+/-389, respectively. Average outdoor and indoor (normal ventilation) concentrations of submicrometre and supermicrometre particles were 23.8 x 10(3) and 21.7 x 10(3) (particles/cm(3)), 1.78 and 1.74 (particles/cm(3)), respectively. The study showed that no statistically significant associations between the fungal spore and submicrometre particle concentrations or PM(2.5) were present, while a weak but statistically significant relationship was found between fungal and supermicrometre particle concentrations (for the outdoors R(2)=0.4, P=0.03 and for a living room R(2)=0.3, P=0.04). A similarity in behaviour between the submicrometre particle and fungal spore concentrations was that the fungal spore concentrations were related directly to the distance from the source (a nearby park), in a very similar way in which the submicrometre particles originating from vehicle emissions from a road, were dependent on the distance to the road. In the immediate proximity to the park, fungal concentrations rose up to approximately 3100 CFU/m(3), whereas for houses more than 150 m away from the park the concentrations of fungi were below 1000 CFU/m(3). Recommendations have been provided as the future study designs to gain a deeper insight into the relationships between biological and non-biological particles.     

Occupational exposure to natural radiation

Natural sources of radiation can make an important contribution to the exposures of people at work. Two areas of ine interest are work with minerals having elevated concentrations of activity and work in buildings where radon daughter concentrations are elevated.The Euratom Directive on ionising radiation requires that the handling of radioactive substances be reported to national authorities. National authorities may waive this requirement where the activity per unit mass is below 100 Bq g^?1, or for solid natural radioactive substances, 500 Bq g^?1. An investigation was undertaken in five factories to determine whether work with minerals having levels of natural activity below these might lead to significant doses. Models based on the data collected were used to relate the activity in the minerals to the effective dose equivalent arising from gamma radiation, inhalation ohow that the activity, and intake of long-lived activity. These assessments show that the activity concentration at which exposures to airborne dust could lead to doses equal to one-tenth of the dose limit for workers are 0.3 Bq G^?1 for thorium-232 and 1 Bq g^?1 for uranium-238. Above these values, radiological supervision may be necessary.In a separate study, measurements of radon daughter concentrations were made in seventy workplaces. Concentrations in some premises approached or exceeded the derived air concentration for occupational exposure. The highest concentrations were found in premises with low ventilation rates.     

Outdoor natural background radiation in the Netherlands

As part of the SAWORA-project the outdoor natural background radiation was investigated by the National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Hygiene and by the Netherlands Energy Research Foundation. Measurements wer carried out with an ionization detector at more than 1000 locations evenly distributed throughout the country. After correction for the contribution of the cosmic radiation, the exposure rates were plotted on a map. Results show that the gamma radiation originating from the soil in The Netherlands varies between 1.1 and 7.2 μR/h (79 and 516 fC/(kg.s)). Comparison of the radiation map with a geological one indicates that “high” values of the exposure rates correspond to areas with silty deposits. The “low” exposure rates correspond to areas with sandy deposits. Gamma spectrometric analysis of the radiation at some locations shows that the terrestrial radiation is mainly caused by natural radionuclides.     

Principles of protection against natural radiation

The recent recommendation for limiting the exposure of the public to natural sources of radiation is one of the more important statements of principle by the International Commission on Radiological Protection in recent years. The evolution of the recommendations is traced, the exposition of the recommendations is reviewed, and the execution of the recommendations is explored.     

晋北民居的生态节能理念初探

从晋北民居的地域性、建筑材料使用、节能保温措施、采光通风等几个方面介绍了山西晋北民居中的建筑节能理念,从而为地区特色的可持续发展的建筑提供新的建筑节能思想。     

A study of natural ventilation in a refuge floor

Under the Building Codes of Hong Kong Special Administration Region, the provision of refuge floors has been an indispensable element in high-rise building design since 1996. Wind-induced cross natural ventilation is an important design criterion of a refuge floor since it helps to prevent any smoke entering to become persistent state remained (logging) on the refuge floor. This paper reports a study of refuge floor natural ventilation induced by wind flow around a high-rise building with a refuge floor arriving from different wind incidence angles. The study is based on CFD simulations which are validated by wind tunnel measurements. The refuge floor under investigation has a main services core at the centre and support walls flush with the building walls along two opposite sides. The results reveal that at all wind angles, wind is able to enter the refuge space from the windward side and escape from the leeward side. At some wind angles, wind is found to re-enter the refuge space from the leeward opening and accumulate behind the main services core. Based on the results, we suggest that stairs connecting to the refuge space should be located inside the side corridors formed by the internal and external side walls.     

A union and consumer proposal for the regulation of enhanced natural radiation

This paper discusses the problems related to enhanced exposure of workers to natural radiation and other pollutants in the working and living environment, with particular attention to radon. A method is proposed for regulating this high priority problem, which also considers the variable borderline between the controllable and uncontrollable exposure contributions. It is based on the principles of an integrated health policy regarding air quality. The complex multiple source exposure in private dwellings, at the workplace and through consumer goods should be taken into account as discussed in recent WHO and ILO reports. The important role of ventilation practices for future health is put forward.As far as regulation of exposure to ionizing radiation is concerned the present Euratom Basic Safety Standards are considered inadequate. Particular attention is given to a specification of justification and optimization and to a practical use of a hierarchy of limits as defined in the IAEA/ILO/WHO/NEA Basic Safety Standards.     

吐鲁番农村住宅冬季室内热舒适调查研究

对吐鲁番57户农村住宅中108名居民的热感觉、热舒适等进行了主观问卷调查,测试了温度、相对湿度等室内外环境参数,运用统计学分析方法对测试与调查结果进行了回归分析。结果表明,吐鲁番农村住宅冬季实测的热中性温度为19.3℃,预测热中性温度为21.2℃;通过两种计算方法获得的热期望温度分别为19.7℃和19.6℃;80%居民可接受的温度范围为15.2~27.4℃。由于受干热干冷的地域气候影响,冬季可接受的最低温度范围明显高于其他地区的农村住宅。     

贡觉三岩地区碉楼民居特点研究

介绍了三岩地区的人文地理,从建筑学和城市规划的角度对三岩碉楼民居的特点进行了分析和研究,以提高人们对碉楼式民居的认识,促进我国传统民居的研究。     

喷雾降温系统在重庆地区半开放房屋降温中的效果研究

通过对中国建筑热环境分析专用气象数据集和美国EnergyPlus中的重庆地区气象参数的分析,得出重庆地区夏季降温可以使用蒸发降温方法的时频为85．78％～93．05％,是重庆地区夏季降温的一个有效方法。以一个半开放猪舍的降温改造试验证明,喷雾降温效果显著,在不对猪舍进行改造的条件下,可降低开放半开放猪舍温度2．3—6．3C,平均降温4℃,当舍外温度为37℃时,舍内温度保持在30℃以下。