basement

The comparison of four methods for the calculation of deep-basement heat loss is presented along with measured data for three basement types. The Mitalas method was found to give results in best agreement with measured data followed by the finite element method (FEM) program, the European Standard and the ASHRAE Fundamentals method. The studied methods, with the exception of the European Standard of which the physical background was unknown, were chosen because each of them is also representative of a particular physical model of decreasing complexity in the above order.

In certain parts of the United Kingdom where radon gas seeps from the ground into the basement of domestic housing, normal methods of removing this gas by using under floor extract ventilation is not appropriate. In this situation the radon gas enters the basement through the side walls of the cellar and hence into the house. Using mechanical ventilation to either pressurise or de-pressurise the cellar may be an appropriate solution to this problem, however before installing such a system in a house a ventilation strategy must be established.

The aim of this study was to unravel the occupational exposure to radon among underground workers. The possibility for radon mitigation by improving ventilation or by sealing was also investigated. 65 workrooms in 19 workplaces has been investigated in the ground floor, in basements and in underground spaces in southern Finland and in middle Finland. Radon concentration varied from 15 to 1636 Bq/m³du ring working hours resulting in annual dose of 0.09 to 10.3 mSv.

Some radon mitigation systems draw air with a high radon concentration from under the basement floors of houses and exhaust it outdoors. The objective of this project was to measure the reentry rates of radon released at roof level and at ground level near a house to determine whether exhaust above the roof is necessary. This was done by using a portable mockup of a radon mitigation system exhaust, with sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) as a tracer gas.

There are many unanswered questions about the typical effects of duct system operation on the infiltration rates and energy usage of single-family residences with HVAC systems in their basements. In this paper, results from preliminary field studies and computer simulations are used to examine the potential for improvements in efficiency of air distribution systems in such houses. The field studies comprise thermal and flow measurements on four houses in Maryland. The houses were found to have significant envelope leakage, duct leakage, and duct conduction losses.