Air change rates in multi-family residential buildings in northern Portugal

Existing technical recommendations and standards regarding natural ventilation in Portugalestablish one air change rate, ACH, in main rooms (bedrooms and living rooms) and fourACH in service rooms (kitchens and bathrooms).

Post-occupancy monitoring of windcatchers for summer ventilation in the UK

A combined windcatcher and light pipe (SunCatcher) was installed in the building of theSchool of Construction Management and Engineering in the MSc Seminar Room (2N09).Monitoring of indoor environment in real weather conditions was conducted to evaluate theperformance of windcatchers in the room and to conduct occupant survey. External weatherconditions and internal indoor environment and air quality indicators were recorded. Thetracer gas decay method using SF6 was used to establish the air change rate for variousconditions.

The variation of ventilation performance in relation to change in workstation location in a ventilated room

This paper considers the predictions obtained using a recently developed ventilation parameter (VP) for evaluating the ventilation performance which combines the indices for indoor air quality and thermal comfort. This ventilation parameter is used to analyse the changes in ventilation performance with changes in the position of workstation in a room ventilated using mixing ventilation.

Development and application of an indoor air quality audit to an air-conditioned tertiary institutional building in the tropics

This paper is the presentation of the development and application of an IAQ audit methodology applied in tertiary institutional buildings in the tropics. For that study, a staff room and a typical lecture theatre have been selected.The IAQ audit consisted in monitoring thermal comfort parameters. In parallel the staff and students have answered a questionnaire to give a subjective assessment of the indoor air quality.The IAQ results will be then used to develop an IAQ database for institutional buildings in Singapore.

Influence of air diffuser layout on the ventilation of workstations

Seven air supply and return diffusion layouts were tested to determine their effects on air distribution, air change efficiency and ventilation efficiency for workstations in an open-plan office. This document describes and comments the results of these measurements.

Predicting volatile organic compounds concentration in residential buildings (Part 2 : application of model)

Using the model developed in part 1 of this paper, the influence of material kinds, ventilation and air-cleaning device on VOC concentration in room is studied. The conclusion is that ventilation rate plays a very important role on VOCs concentration, but it affects little on VOCs emission rate.

Indoor climate and air quality in new offices: effects of a reduced air-exchange rate.

Describes an evaluation made of employee health complaints at a credit bank. A self-administered questionnaire determined the symptoms. The authors looked at ventilation effectiveness, contaminant concentrations and microclimate in relation to employee discomfort and health problems. Relatively high levels of carbon dioxide and bioaerosols were found, although temperature and humidity were normal. The authors suggest that an ineffective rate of room air exchange may be a significant factor.

Measurement and simulation of air exchange in the existing building.

This paper is based upon the results of measuring and simulating the air change in the single apartment of 5-storey multi-family dwelling. The technique of tracer gas concentration decay was applied to be able to assess the rate of air change. The building was used as normal by occupants so the results should be very accurate. The main aim of the research was to validate simulation methods used to predict infiltration. Multiven -the authors own program - was used to achieve this aim.

Development and field test of a demand guided coordination of heating and ventilation control systems in reconstructed blocks of flats.

Intelligent coordination of the thermodynamical and air ventilation processes can achieve the necessary compromise between comfort demands, necessary air exchange and low heating costs. A new user demand guided field bus based coordination of single room control and air change rate control is developed and tested for a commercial building automation system. A reconstructed block of 65 flats was used in the field test to show that the control strategy ensures the necessary air exchange in an energy-efficient manner.

New ventilation systems at select schools in Sweden - effects on asthma and exposure.

States that schools often have a low air change rate. The study attempted to find out if an improvement in school ventilation would lead to improved health in pupils. A questionnaire was set for 1476 primary and secondary school pupils in 39 schools. 100 classrooms were monitored. New ventilation systems were installed in 12% of the classrooms over the survey period, increasing air change rate and reducing relative humidity and occurrence of a number of airborne pollutants. The study found that reporting of asthmatic symptoms decreased in the schools with new ventilation systems.

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