Continuous air renewal measurements in different inhabited buildings.

A Compact Equipment for Survey of Air Renewal (CESAR) was developed at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland. Controlled by a microcomputer, this apparatus uses tracer gas methods ( decay, continuous flow or constant concentration). Up to ten different locations in inhabited rooms can be monitored simultaneously over extended periods of time, using mainly the "constant concentration" technique. Several air renewal surveys were carried out on different inhabited buildings. During 1983/1984 and 1984/1985 heating seasons the following three main objects were investigated: - an inhabited passive solar office building (LESO building) - a three storey one fanrily Swiss dwelling - a low energy test greenhouse at the European Nuclear Research Center ( CERN ) . Following significant results were obtained: - Air renewal measurements surveys were carried out indifferent inhabited dwellings over several weeks. - Determination of actual outdoor-to-room and building-to-rooms flowrates were obtained in multi-chamber house configuration. - Influence of inhabitants on the various air flowrates were determined. Results of these surveys as well as a short descritpion of the developed apparatus are reported in this communication.