Using trickle ventilators coupled to fan extractors to achieve a suitable airflow rate in an Australian apartment: a CFD modelling approach

The level of airtightness is increasing in newly built Australian apartments. An appropriate ventilation rate is needed to provide occupants with a healthy environment. In 2022, a significant proposed change in the Australian National Construction Code (NCC) would require building tested as achieving less than five air changes per hour at 50Pa to have a continuous flow exhaust. As occupants tend to not open windows, there is a need to inform about the potential benefit of using standard or innovative trickle ventilators (opening variation with real-time conditions) to assist occupants in ventilating their apartment. Due to the COVID pandemic, restrictions have forced many people to work from home. Under these circumstances, it is crucial to ensure that occupants are exposed to a healthy environment when spending more time at home. The airflow in a Melbourne apartment occupied by two adults and a child over three hours was modelled using a computational fluid dynamic approach and following the proposed NCC requirements. The results showed some local effects, which depend on temperature gradients, and source locations in the airflow.