Particle transport in low-energy ventilation systems. Part 2: Transients and experiments.

UNLABELLED: Providing adequate indoor air quality while reducing energy consumption is a must for efficient ventilation system design. In this work, we study the transport of particulate contaminants in a displacement-ventilated space, using the idealized 'emptying filling box' model (P.F. Linden, G.F. Lane-serff and D.A. Smeed (1990) Emptying filling boxes: the fluid mechanics of natural ventilation, J. fluid Mech., 212, 309-335.). In this paper, we focused on transient contaminant transport by modeling three transient contamination scenarios, namely the so called 'step-up', 'step-down', and point source cases. Using analytical integral models and numerical models we studied the transient behavior of each of these three cases. We found that, on average, traditional and low-energy systems can be similar in overall pollutant removal efficiency, although quite different vertical gradients can exist. This plays an important role in estimating occupant exposure to contaminant. A series of laboratory experiments were conducted to validate the developed models. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The results presented here illustrate that the source location plays a very important role in the distribution of contaminant concentration for spaces ventilated by low energy displacement-ventilation systems. With these results and the knowledge of typical contaminant sources for a given type of space practitioners can design or select more effective systems for the purpose at hand.

Particle transport in low-energy ventilation systems. Part 1: theory of steady states.

UNLABELLED: Many modern low-energy ventilation schemes, such as displacement or natural ventilation, take advantage of temperature stratification in a space, extracting the warmest air from the top of the room. The adoption of these energy-efficient ventilation systems still requires the provision of acceptable indoor air quality. In this work we study the steady state transport of particulate contaminants in a displacement-ventilated space. Representing heat sources as ideal sources of buoyancy, analytical models are developed that allow us to compare the average efficiency of contaminant removal between traditional and modern low-energy systems. We found that on average traditional and low-energy systems are similar in overall pollutant removal efficiency, although quite different vertical distributions of contaminant can exist, thus affecting individual exposure. While the main focus of this work is on particles where the dominant mode of deposition is by gravitational settling, we also discuss additional deposition mechanisms and show that the qualitative observations we make carry over to cases where such mechanisms must be included. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: We illustrate that while average concentration of particles for traditional mixing systems and low energy displacement systems are similar, local concentrations can vary significantly with displacement systems. Depending on the source of the particles this can be better or worse in terms of occupant exposure and engineers should take due diligence accordingly when designing ventilation systems.

Probabilistic risk analysis of building contamination.

UNLABELLED: We present a general framework for probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) of building contamination. PRA provides a powerful tool for the rigorous quantification of risk in contamination of building spaces. A typical PRA starts by identifying relevant components of a system (e.g. ventilation system components, potential sources of contaminants, remediation methods) and proceeds by using available information and statistical inference to estimate the probabilities of their failure. These probabilities are then combined by means of fault-tree analyses to yield probabilistic estimates of the risk of system failure (e.g. building contamination). A sensitivity study of PRAs can identify features and potential problems that need to be addressed with the most urgency. Often PRAs are amenable to approximations, which can significantly simplify the approach. All these features of PRA are presented in this paper via a simple illustrative example, which can be built upon in further studies. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The tool presented here can be used to design and maintain adequate ventilation systems to minimize exposure of occupants to contaminants.