Whole year simulation of humidity based demand controlled hybrid ventilation in multiapartment building

The paper presents the whole year simulation of humidity based demand controlled hybrid ventilation in multiapartment building. The simulation was performed for NAPE (National Energy Conservation Agency) multifamily residential reference building. This allowed the authors to compare obtained results with earlier investigated behaviour of the NAPE building with passive stack ventilation and mechanical exhaust ventilation.
Simulations were performed using computer programme CONTAM (developed by NIST). In CONTAM environment the building together with analysed ventilation system has been idealized as 127 zones and 884 flow paths. Simulations were performed with 5 min time step (results were stored with 1 h time step). Huge set of results allow the authors to compare behaviour of the analysed ventilation systems depending on the number of storey, size of the apartment, type of space etc. CONTAM does not allow users to perform thermal analysis of the buildings, but thermal and energetic analyses can be performed separately at second step (using airflows calculated by CONTAM). The 6R1C model developed at Warsaw University of Technology was used for this purpose.
Performed simulations presented the possibilities of utilisation computer programme CONTAM for modelling behaviour of humid air in buildings, even when they are huge and complex. Additionally obtained results indicated once again that humidity based demand controlled hybrid ventilation systems can reduce substantially amount of energy in residential buildings.