Ventilation systems in residential buildings: requirements to the design of systems and equipment.

Evaluates results of the 'Ventilation in Residential Buildings' research programme of the German Federal Ministry for Research and Technology. It was found that conventional ventilation methods based on infiltration and window opening cannot secure proper air quality and at the same time provide energy conservation and user comfort, nor can intelligent ventilation habits be expected of the average user, for subjective and objective reasons. All ventilation systems evaluated had shortcomings.

Natural ventilation - conditions and means for its improvement in existing buildings.

In new buildings, the requirements for indoor air quality and energy efficiency cannot be met with natural ventilation. In renovations of existing buildings it is, however, often difficult or uneconomic to install a mechanical system. What is often forgotten is that the conditions for natural ventilation will have changed, even if no alterations are made to the ventilation system.

Control of the outdoor air intake by the use of contaminant monitoring.

Reviews the possible indicators for monitoring the indoor air quality and controlling the outdoor air intake. The technical feasibility of the system is also discussed. At present CO2 seems to be the best and most reliable indicator for indoor air quality when occupancy load varies. In future, however, it is likely that measuring devices based on semiconductor technology and measuring devices for particles will be more reliable and inexpensive and so very suitable for controlling the air quality, because they can take into account both occupancy load and tobacco smoke.

Criteria and methods of controlling hospital indoor air quality.

Identifies sources of gaseous, vaporous, particulate (inert and viable) and radioactive contaminants within nine functional categories of a hospital. Preliminary criteria for control purposes are recommended, and available methods of control are reviewed. It is concluded that control of gases, vapours and radionuclides may be as important to occupant well-being as control of viable particulates, and that air distribution patterns within and between rooms are as important to dilution and removal control as the quantity of air supplied to the rooms.

Guidelines for minimum ventilation rates: the IEA Annex IX.

The participating countries of Annex IX "Minimum Ventilation Rates" study emission rates and time dependence for building materials and their dependence on various factors including human behaviour; indoor transfer and interactions; control and air treatment; modelling indoor pollution including economic and social factors; strategies for indoor air pollution control under the restraints of energy conservation. The results of this international programme will be pooled to produce recommendations for guidelines.

Ventilation of sleeping rooms examined with flames which simulate human carbon dioxide emission and heat dissipation.

Person-equivalent flames are used to test the performance of ventilation taking account of human occupancy. The resulting carbon dioxide concentration is measured. Standardised bottle gas burners were found to be the most suitable gas sources. Candles were also examined and standardised for thepurpose. Possible risks are also discussed.

Air quality with use of make-up air.

Direct gas fired heated make-up air is used in industrial buildings to replace exhausted air and to achieve a comfortable temperature while avoiding draughts. This study presents the results of an investigation of the pollution from such a system under different conditions.

Indoor air and human health

Covers indoor pollutant levels and their health effects in humans and animals for five principal classes of pollutant: radon, microorganisms, passive cigarette smoke, combustion products, and organic compounds. They are examined from viewpoints such as measurement and source characterisation habitat studies, health effects, risk analysis, and future needs.

Indoor air pollution due to emissions from unvented gas-fired space heaters.

Operation of an unvented combustion appliance indoors can elevate pollutant concentrations. Under laboratory conditions, oxygen consumption rates and pollutant emission rates of CO, CO2, NO, NO2, HCHO and submicron suspended particles emitted

The atmospheric environment in six energy efficient single family houses.

Air pollution due to volatile compounds in six unoccupied houses with intended low energy consumption was measured. The measurements included air temperature, air humidity, ventilation rate and concentration of organic gases and vapours. On average 14 different compounds were identified in concentrations exceeding 0.005 mg/m3 in the samples, and Toluene and alpha-Pinene were the most frequent compounds. A total concentration of organic gases and vapours averaged for the five periods of measurements 0.46 mg/m3 (0.032 - 5.5 mg/m3).

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