A novel and dynamic demand-controlled ventilation strategy for CO2 control and energy saving in buildings

Although conventional CO₂-based demand-controlled ventilation strategies, such as proportional and exponential controls, can ensure buildings/spaces meeting the minimum requirements of outdoor air by industry standards, they are operated under the assumption of equilibrium condition which can hardly be reached in practice and therefore there is still much space to improve on conventional strategies in terms of energy saving. In this paper, a novel and dynamic control strategy was developed for hourly scheduled buildings. The strategy utilized schedules by setting a base ventilation rate for unoccupied periods and calculating ventilation rate dynamically at each occupied period by solving the CO₂ mass balance equation to keep indoor CO₂ near the set point during the occupied period. Experimental simulations were made over a sports training center using both simulated and experimental CO₂ generation rates. Results show that the new strategy can save +34% of energy related to ventilation air compared to proportional control. The new strategy was also extended to common buildings which are occupied for almost all opening hours. In the case of common buildings, the new strategy can save about +26% of energy related to ventilation air compared to proportional control. The new strategy is simple, dynamic, flexible and efficient.     

CO2-based demand controlled ventilation under new ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2010: a case study for a gymnasium of an elementary school at West Lafayette, Indiana

CO₂-based demand controlled ventilation had been tried and tested in the United States under the old ASHRAE Standard 62 “Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality”, but this had since been replaced by ASHRAE Standard 62.1 and little is known on the field about the relative performances of CO₂-based demand controlled ventilation between the old and new ventilation standards. In view of that, this paper presents a case study for an American elementary school gymnasium in order to compare the implementation of CO₂-DCV under the old and new ventilation standards in terms of control strategies involved, the resulting energy savings, and indoor air quality associated with each strategy. The results indicate that, compared to the existing fixed ventilation rate strategy at which the ventilation rate is always 5% of the total supply air flow, a cooling coil energy savings of 0.03% and 1.86% can be achieved using an occupancy detection control strategy under the new ASHRAE 62.1 and old ASHRAE 62 respectively, while preserving thermal comfort and indoor air quality.     

Optimization of a liquid desiccant based dedicated outdoor air-chilled ceiling system serving multi-zone spaces

A liquid desiccant based dedicated outdoor air-chilled ceiling (DOAS-CC) system is proposed to serve a multi-zone space. The outdoor airflow rate and the supply air humidity ratio are two crucial variables in such a system, which significantly influence indoor thermal comfort, indoor air quality and energy consumption. Two strategies are presented to optimize these two variables in the study. They are the demand-controlled ventilation (DCV) strategy and the supply air humidity ratio set-point reset strategy. To evaluate the performances of these two strategies, a basic control strategy, i.e., the strategy adopting constant ventilation flow rate and constant supply air humidity ratio, is selected as the benchmark. Performances of the two strategies in terms of indoor air temperature, relative humidity and CO₂ concentration as well as energy consumption are analyzed using simulation tests. The results show that the supply air humidity ratio set-point reset strategy is effective for the indoor air humidity control. It can save about 19.4% of total energy consumption during the whole year. The DCV-based ventilation strategy can further reduce about 10.0% of energy consumption.     

Methods to reduce the CO2 concentration of educational buildings utilizing internal ventilation by transferred air

The aim of this study is to develop internal ventilation by transferred air to achieve a good indoor climate with low energy consumption in educational buildings with constant air volume (CAV) ventilation. Both measurements of CO₂ concentration and a multi‐room calculation model are presented. The study analyzes how to use more efficiently the available spaces and the capacity of CAV ventilation systems in existing buildings and the impact this has on the indoor air quality and the energy consumption of the ventilation. The temperature differences can be used to create natural ventilation airflows between neighboring spaces. The behavior of temperature‐driven airflows between rooms was studied and included in the calculation model. The effect of openings between neighboring spaces, such as doors or large apertures in the walls, on the CO₂ concentration was studied in different classrooms. The air temperatures and CO₂ concentrations were measured using a wireless, internet‐based measurement system. The multi‐room calculation model predicted the CO₂ concentration in the rooms, which was then compared with the measured ones. Using transferred air between occupied and unoccupied spaces can noticeably reduce the total mechanical ventilation rates needed to keep a low CO₂ concentration.     

A Case study on natural ventilation characteristics of the Diyarbakir Surici (Old City) Municipality Building in Turkey

Field measurements of the natural ventilation of the Diyarbakir Old City Municipality Building located in Southeastern Region of Turkey were conducted throughout a year. Ventilation need is determined from adequate and fresh air requirements to the working area for better working conditions.The objective of the study was to clarify environmental conditions that modify the health of the occupants and their sensations of comfort. In particular, natural ventilation quantity based on CO₂ and O₂ concentrations and open office planning are considered within this paper. The total airflow requirement and natural airflow rate were determined. The building should be ventilated hourly in order to provide necessary comfort conditions in case of all openings are closed. Finally, necessary recommendations on better working environment were made.     

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.     

A study of a control strategy utilizing outdoor air to reduce the wintertime carbon dioxide levels in a typical Taiwanese bedroom

A CO₂ concentration of more than 1000 ppm has been monitored in Taiwanese bedrooms during sleeping hours in the wintertime. The high indoor CO₂ levels were caused by poor ventilation due to insufficient ventilation rates. This study sought to reduce the wintertime CO₂ concentration level in a typical Taiwanese bedroom with less outdoor air to maintain thermal comfort. CO₂ was used as an indicator to assess whether an adequate ventilation rate has been obtained to dilute or remove harmful pollutants. With the help of the thermal buoyancy effect, the CO₂ generated in the bedroom was effectively removed by means of less outdoor air. Through computational fluid dynamics simulations, the appropriate window and transom locations with the corresponding outdoor air supply volume, as well as the lowest possible outdoor air temperature were identified.     

In-situ implementation and validation of a CO2-based adaptive demand-controlled ventilation strategy in a multi-zone office building

This paper presents the in-situ implementation and validation of a CO₂-based adaptive demand-controlled ventilation (DCV) strategy in a super high-rise building in Hong Kong. The adaptive DCV strategy employs a dynamic multi-zone ventilation equation for multi-zone air-conditioning systems, in which a CO₂-based dynamic occupancy detection scheme is used for online occupancy detection. This strategy is implemented in an independent Intelligent Building Management and Integration platform (IBmanager), which communicates with the main station of the Building Management System (BMS) through a communication protocol and interface. The performance of this DCV strategy is practically tested and validated by comparing with that of the original fixed outdoor air flow rate control strategy used in site. The implementation architecture and test results including energy and environmental performances represented. Since the accuracy and reliability of the major measurement instrumentations affect the actual performance of the DCV strategy significantly, the commissioning and calibration of major measurement instrumentations are presented as well.     

Evaluation of four control strategies for building VAV air-conditioning systems

It is necessary to adopt appropriate control strategies to save energy and improve the indoor air quality (IAQ). On the validated TRNSYS simulation platform, four different control strategies are investigated to examine the indoor air temperature, energy consumption, CO₂ concentration and predicted mean vote (PMV) for the variable air volume (VAV) systems in an office building in Shanghai. As an original scheme, Strategy A using constant outdoor air intake fraction shows high energy consumption, low CO₂ concentration and acceptable thermal comfort. By using minimum outdoor air ventilation based on dynamic occupancy detection, Strategy B can provide more than 15% energy saving, acceptable PMV value but high CO₂ concentration in breathing zone. By using indoor air temperature reset, Strategy C presents the most energy savings beyond 20% reduction, low CO₂ concentration but poor thermal comfort. In mild seasons, combining enthalpy-based outdoor airflow economizer cycle with supply air temperature reset, Strategy D can achieve 9.4% energy savings and the lowest CO₂ concentration. Taken together, each strategy covers some strengths as well as some weaknesses. How to comprehensively assess a control strategy for all specific objectives should be considered in future studies.     

Experimental investigation of the air flow and indoor carbon dioxide concentration in classrooms with intermittent natural ventilation

Air flow and the associated indoor carbon dioxide concentrations have been extensively monitored in 62 classrooms of 27 naturally ventilated schools in Athens, Greece. The specific ventilation patterns as well as the associated carbon dioxide concentrations, before, during and after the teaching period are analysed in detail. During the teaching period, only 23% of the measured classrooms presented a flow rate higher than the recommended value of 8 l/p/s while the mean daily fluctuation was close to 40%. About, 52% of the classrooms presented a mean indoor CO₂ concentration higher than 1000 ppm. The specific experimental data have been compared against existing ventilation rates and carbon dioxide concentrations using published information from 287 classrooms of 182 naturally ventilated schools and 900 classrooms from 220 mechanically ventilated schools. The relation between the air flow rates and the corresponding indoor carbon dioxide is analysed and then compared to the existing data from naturally and mechanically ventilated schools. It is found that all three data sets present a CO₂ concentration equal to 1000 ppm for air flows around 8 l/p/s. Specific adaptive actions to improve the indoor environmental quality have been recorded and the impact of indoor and ambient temperatures as well as of the carbon dioxide concentration on window opening is analysed in detail. A clear relation is found, between the indoor temperature at which the adapting action takes place and the resulting air flow rate. In parallel, a statistically significant relation between window opening and the indoor–outdoor temperature difference has been established.     

The effect of low ventilation rate with elevated bioeffluent concentration on work performance,perceived indoor air quality,and health symptoms

The aim of this laboratory experiment was to study the effects of ventilation rate, and related changes in air quality, predominantly bioeffluents, on work performance, perceived indoor air quality, and health symptoms in a typical conditions of modern open‐plan office with low material and equipment emissions. In Condition A, outdoor air flow rate of 28.2 l/s person (CO₂ level 540 ppm) was applied and in Condition B, outdoor air flow rate was 2.3 l/s person (CO₂ level 2260 ppm). CO₂ concentration level was used as an indicator of bioeffluents. Performance was measured with seven different tasks which measure different cognitive processes. Thirty‐six subjects participated in the experiment. The exposure time was 4 hours. Condition B had a weak negative effect on performance only in the information retrieval tasks. Condition B increased slightly subjective workload and perceived fatigue. No effects on health symptoms were found. The intensity of symptoms was low in both conditions. The experimental condition had an effect on perceived air quality and observed odor intensity only in the beginning of the session. Although the room temperature was controlled in both conditions, the heat was perceived to impair the performance more in Condition B.     

Condensation in Attics: Are vapor barriers really the answer?

Calculations of water vapor flow through walls and ceilings are frequently based on the permeabilities of building material, and implicitly assume that most of the vapor transport takes place by diffusion. In order to determine the validity of this assumption, a model for vapor transfer between two spaces by diffusion and convection is first developed. Measurements in a number of houses reveal that, for normal construction practices in U.S. wood frame houses, the transfer of water vapor from living space to attic is almost entirely by air movement. “Kraft” paper “vapor barriers”, frequently attached to batt insulation, do not effectively hinder air (or moisture) flow into attics. Even after numerous cracks and openings in the attic floor, below the insulation, were plugged, significant air flow from living space to attic remained, and evidence of condensation of water vapor within the attic was observed.In new housing, a continuous sheet placed between the ceiling and the framing of the attic floor should effectively hinder air and moisture flow. In existing housing, where it may not be possible to install a continuous sheet under the attic insulation, adequate opening for ventilation with outside air should be provided to prevent moisture build-up and condensation.     

The potential and need for energy saving in standard family detached and semi-detached wooden houses in arctic Greenland

The paper gives an account of the potential and need for energy saving in standard family detached and semi-detached wooden houses in Greenland. It is based on studies of house construction compared with Building Regulation requirements and the spread of buildings over time. In the climatic conditions of Greenland, there is considerable potential for energy saving in houses due to their construction, shape and condition. To estimate the total potential for energy saving and thus reducing CO₂ emissions, we carried out a detailed investigation of three typical standard semi-detached family houses (type 18D). Temperature, relative humidity and air tightness were measured, and thermal bridges were determined from drawings, visual inspection, and by using a thermal camera. The findings show a current energy consumption of up to 383 kWh/(m² a) for heating, poor air tightness, a large number of thermal bridges, and high indoor temperatures. We demonstrate a potential for a reduction in CO₂ emission by a factor of 10. Finally, the paper describes a practical way of reducing thermal bridges significantly, increasing air tightness, upgrading insulation and adding mechanical ventilation to approximately half of the housing stock without changing the architectural expression or having to relocate the occupants during the renovation.     

Advanced buffer materials for indoor air CO2 control in commercial buildings

In this study, we evaluated solid sorbents for their ability to passively control indoor CO₂ concentration in buildings or rooms with cyclic occupancy (eg, offices, bedrooms). Silica supported amines were identified as suitable candidates and systematically evaluated in the removal of CO₂ from indoor air by equilibrium and dynamic techniques. In particular, sorbents with various amine loadings were synthesized using tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA), poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) and a silane coupling agent 3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS). TGA analysis indicates that TEPA impregnated silica not only displays a relatively high adsorption capacity when exposed to ppm level CO₂ concentrations, but also is capable of desorbing the majority of CO₂ by air flow (eg, by concentration gradient). In 10 L flow‐through chamber experiments, TEPA‐based sorbents reduced outlet CO₂ by up to 5% at 50% RH and up to 93% of CO₂ adsorbed over 8 hours was desorbed within 16 hours. In 8 m³ flow‐through chamber experiments, 18 g of the sorbent powder spread over a 2 m² area removed approximately 8% of CO₂ injected. By extrapolating these results to real buildings, we estimate that meaningful reductions in the CO₂ can be achieved, which may help reduce energy requirements for ventilation and/or improve air quality.     

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).     

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.     

Probabilistic analysis of air infiltration in low-rise buildings

The probabilistic model (PROMO) applied to the problem of air infiltration in low-rise buildings is presented. The model allows estimation of the effect of variations of climatic conditions on air exchange in a building. Probabilistic output in the form of probability density function of air change rate forms a ground for reliability analysis of adequate ventilation. PROMO model is applied to analyse the air exchange caused by air infiltration in a house situated near Gothenburg. The model is validated on the basis of the results of measurements obtained for that house.     

Energy consumption and ventilation performance of a naturally ventilated ecological house in a cold climate

In this paper, the thermal and ventilation performance of an ecological house in Helsinki, Finland are presented. The single-family dwelling has a well-insulated, wooden frame construction with no plastic vapour retarder. The measured and simulated results show that the energy consumption of the house is low and that the outdoor ventilation rate is generally satisfactory based on the measured CO₂ concentrations. Extrapolating the measured ventilation data shows that, when the operable windows are closed, the ventilation rate is expected to be about 0.45 air-changes-per-hour (ach) in the winter and about 0.25 ach in the summer. The consumption of total primary energy and space heating energy were measured to be 30% less (162 kWh/(m² a)) and 36% less (76 kWh/(m² a)) than in typical Finnish houses, respectively. The paper also uses a numerical model to investigate the sensitivity of energy consumption to the insulation level, household electricity and domestic hot water consumption, window area, ventilation rate and heat recovery effectiveness.     

Fault-tolerant control for outdoor ventilation air flow rate in buildings based on neural network

This paper describes a supervisory control scheme that adapts to the presence of the measurement faults in outdoor air flow rate control using sensor-based demand-controlled ventilation, maintains an adequate indoor air quality and minimizes the resulting increase in energy consumption. A strategy, which is based on neural network models, is employed to diagnose the measurement faults of outdoor and supply flow sensor, and accomplishes the fault-tolerant control of outdoor air flow when faults occur. The neural network models are trained using the data collected under various normal conditions. The residuals between the measurements of flow sensors and the outputs of the neural network models are used to diagnose the faults. When the fault of outdoor or supply air flow sensor occurs, the recovered estimate of outdoor or supply air flow rate obtained on the basis of the neural network models is used in the feedback control loop to regain the control of outdoor air flow. Tests using dynamic system simulation are conducted to validate the strategy. The control, IAQ and energy performances of the system under fault-tolerant control strategy in the presence of the faults in air flow sensor are also presented.     

Effect of ventilation improvement during a tuberculosis outbreak in underventilated university buildings

The role of ventilation in preventing tuberculosis (TB) transmission has been widely proposed in infection control guidance. However, conclusive evidence is lacking. Modeling suggested the threshold of ventilation rate to reduce effective reproductive ratio (ratio between new secondary infectious cases and source cases) of TB to below 1 is corresponding to a carbon dioxide (CO₂) level of 1000 parts per million (ppm). Here, we measured the effect of improving ventilation rate on a TB outbreak involving 27 TB cases and 1665 contacts in underventilated university buildings. Ventilation engineering decreased the maximum CO₂ levels from 3204 ± 50 ppm to 591-603 ppm. Thereafter, the secondary attack rate of new contacts in university dropped to zero (mean follow-up duration: 5.9 years). Exposure to source TB cases under CO₂ >1000 ppm indoor environment was a significant risk factor for contacts to become new infectious TB cases (P < .001). After adjusting for effects of contact investigation and latent TB infection treatment, improving ventilation rate to levels with CO₂ <1000 ppm was independently associated with a 97% decrease (95% CI: 50%-99.9%) in the incidence of TB among contacts. These results show that maintaining adequate indoor ventilation could be a highly effective strategy for controlling TB outbreaks.