English

Reviews ventilation criteria for occupied buildings. Considers minimum ventilation for the control of carbon dioxide, odours, cigarette smoke, moisture and radon. Discusses future work to improve ventilation routes.

Reports results of a project to assess energy conservation measures in a group of typical three-storey, naturally ventilated, blocks of flats, built in 1940 in Stockholm. The measures were:< 1) Improvement of boiler efficiency< 2) Weatherproofing of windows and doors< 3) Adjustment of the heating system and reduction of indoor temperature< 4) Additional insulation of attic floor<5) Additional insulation of external walls< Discusses the energy conservation effect and profitability of each measure.

Reports experimental measurements carried out in a boundary layer wind tunnel at the University of Western Ontario. Both external and internal pressures on two different models were measured with different porosities for the walls. Discusses results and concludes that mean internal pressures measured in thewind tunnel agree well with analytically predicted values that accurate evaluation of internal pressures is necessary to calculate building air infiltration.

Presents the results of a series of wind tunnel tests in which the surface pressure fields of low-rise buildings have been studied. These tests start with an examination of how the body shape influences the surface pressures for a range of isolated bodies. The test results then go on to describe how theparameters which describe an array of such model buildings influence the surface pressures.

This sixteen-page digest provides a guide to why condensation occurs in buildings and how to avoid it. Outlines causes of condensation problems in buildings.Gives 9 case studies. Discusses physical principles of moisture transfer. Describes vapour sources in buildings. Outlines ways of reducing thecondensation risk in buildings. Gives methods for predicting when condensation will occur.

The reduction of ventilation in buildings as an energy saving measure may result in a deterioration in indoor air quality. Suggests use of contaminant control devices and summarises devices available. These are filters, electrostatic precipitators, mechanical dust collectors, scrubbers, and contaminant combustors Suggests five areas where further research is necessary.

States condensation caused by high humidity is a major problem in British homes. Describes a conventional heat pump dehumidifier for removing moisture from the air. Describes the advanced dehumidifier developed by the Electricity Council Research Centre which is designed to work in cold damp conditions typical of British winters. Gives details of the design and reports that tests of a prototype show that the design is more than twice as effective in terms of litres of water extracted per unit energy than conventional designs.

Energy lost through ventilation becomes increasingly important as building insulation levels improve. Describes application to this problem of heat pump dehumidifier which transduces latent heat of moisture in cool damp air into sensible heat of warm drier air. Describes laboratory prototypes which combine sensible heat from counter flow heat exchangers with heat transfer properties of a heat pump. Claims such systems perform twice as effectively as conventional equipment and offer a new approach to ventilation losses.

Reports tests of the effect of various air treatment devices on the radon daughter concentrations within a room. Test were carried out using an electrostatic precipitator, a humidifier and a dehumidifier. The ventilation rate of the room was measured using Krypton 85 as a tracer gas.< Finds that the use of a humidifier, dehumidifier or carbon filter gave no significant alteration to the radon concentrations in the room, but that the electrostatic precipitator reduced the concentration considerably and was equally effective when operated with or without the carbon filter.

This is a short guide to mastics and sealants used to seal the joint between an aluminium window and a structure. Gives table of materials available, and their properties. Gives detailed instructions for applying sealants to window joints.