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Antonopoulos C, Dillon HE, Gall E. Experimental and Modeled Assessment of Interventions to Reduce PM2.5 in a Residence during a Wildfire Event. Pollutants 2024; 4:26-41. [PMID: 38356641 PMCID: PMC10863606 DOI: 10.3390/pollutants4010003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Increasingly large and frequent wildfires affect air quality even indoors by emitting and dispersing fine/ultrafine particulate matter known to pose health risks to residents. With this health threat, we are working to help the building science community develop simplified tools that may be used to estimate impacts to large numbers of homes based on high-level housing characteristics. In addition to reviewing literature sources, we performed an experiment to evaluate interventions to mitigate degraded indoor air quality. We instrumented one residence for one week during an extreme wildfire event in the Pacific Northwest. Outdoor ambient concentrations of PM2.5 reached historic levels, sustained at over 200 μg/m3 for multiple days. Outdoor and indoor PM2.5 were monitored, and data regarding building characteristics, infiltration, and mechanical system operation were gathered to be consistent with the type of information commonly known for residential energy models. Two conditions were studied: a high-capture minimum efficiency rated value (MERV 13) filter integrated into a central forced air (CFA) system, and a CFA with MERV 13 filtration operating with a portable air cleaner (PAC). With intermittent CFA operation and no PAC, indoor corrected concentrations of PM2.5 reached 280 μg/m3, and indoor/outdoor (I/O) ratios reached a mean of 0.55. The measured I/O ratio was reduced to a mean of 0.22 when both intermittent CFA and the PAC were in operation. Data gathered from the test home were used in a modeling exercise to assess expected I/O ratios from both interventions. The mean modeled I/O ratio for the CFA with an MERV 13 filter was 0.48, and 0.28 when the PAC was added. The model overpredicted the MERV 13 performance and underpredicted the CFA with an MERV 13 filter plus a PAC, though both conditions were predicted within 0.15 standard deviation. The results illustrate the ways that models can be used to estimate indoor PM2.5 concentrations in residences during extreme wildfire smoke events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chrissi Antonopoulos
- Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Blvd., Richland, WA 99352, USA
| | - H. E. Dillon
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Blvd., Richland, WA 99352, USA
- Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Tacoma, WA 98402, USA
| | - Elliott Gall
- Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
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2
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Laguerre A, Gall ET. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Wildfire Smoke Accumulate on Indoor Materials and Create Postsmoke Event Exposure Pathways. Environ Sci Technol 2024; 58:639-648. [PMID: 38111142 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c05547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
Wildfire smoke contains PAHs that, after infiltrating indoors, accumulate on indoor materials through particle deposition and partitioning from air. We report the magnitude and persistence of select surface associated PAHs on three common indoor materials: glass, cotton, and mechanical air filter media. Materials were loaded with PAHs through both spiking with standards and exposure to a wildfire smoke proxy. Loaded materials were aged indoors over ∼4 months to determine PAH persistence. For materials spiked with standards, total PAH decay rates were 0.010 ± 0.002, 0.025 ± 0.005, and 0.051 ± 0.009 day-1, for mechanical air filter media, glass, and cotton, respectively. PAH decay on smoke-exposed samples is consistent with that predicated by decay constants from spiked materials. Decay curves of smoke loaded samples show that PAH surface concentrations are elevated above background for ∼40 days after the smoke clears. Cleaning processes efficiently remove PAHs, with reductions of 71% and 62% after cleaning smoke-exposed glass with ethanol and a commercial cleaner, respectively. Laundering smoke-exposed cotton in a washing machine and heated drying removed 48% of PAHs. An exposure assessment indicates that both inhalation and dermal PAH exposure pathways may be relevant following wildfire smoke events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurélie Laguerre
- Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon 97201, United States
| | - Elliott T Gall
- Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon 97201, United States
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3
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Liu H, Xu X, Tam VWY, Mao P. What is the "DNA" of healthy buildings? A critical review and future directions. Renew Sustain Energy Rev 2023; 183:113460. [PMID: 37359216 PMCID: PMC10280327 DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2023.113460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, buildings that provide improved performance have aroused extensive discussion. Nowadays, the connotation of healthy building is becoming complex, performance metrics for healthy buildings vary significantly from different regions in the world and there may be information asymmetry among stakeholders. Consequently, building health performance cannot be effectively achieved. However, previous studies have launched extensive reviews on green building, and there remains a lack of comprehensive and systematic reviews on healthy buildings. To address the above issues, therefore, this research aims to (1) conduct a thorough review of healthy building research and reveal its nature; and (2) identify the current research gaps and propose possible future research directions. Content analysis using NVivo were applied to review 238 relevant publications. A DNA framework of healthy buildings, which clarifies the characteristics, triggers, guides and actions, was then constructed for better understanding of the nature of them. Subsequently, the application of DNA framework and the directions of future research were discussed. Six future research directions were finally recommended, including life-cycle thinking, standard systems improvement, policies & regulations, awareness increase, healthy building examination, and multidisciplinary integration. This research differs from previous ones because it painted a panorama of previous healthy building research. Findings of this research contribute to reveal knowledge map of healthy buildings, guide researchers to fill existing knowledge gaps, provide a standardized platform for healthy building stakeholders, and promote high-quality development of healthy buildings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Liu
- School of Civil Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, 159 Long Pan Road, Nanjing, 210037, PR China
| | - Xiaoxiao Xu
- School of Civil Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, 159 Long Pan Road, Nanjing, 210037, PR China
| | - Vivian W Y Tam
- School of Engineering, Design and Built Environment, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
| | - Peng Mao
- School of Civil Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, 159 Long Pan Road, Nanjing, 210037, PR China
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4
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Zuazua-Ros A, de Brito Andrade L, Dorregaray-Oyaregui S, Martín-Gómez C, Ramos González JC, Manzueta R, Sánchez Saiz-Ezquerra B, Ariño AH. Crosscutting of the pollutants and building ventilation systems: a literature review. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2023; 30:66538-66558. [PMID: 37121949 PMCID: PMC10149636 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-27148-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Considering the time spent in enclosed environments, it is essential to study the relationship between pollutants and building ventilation systems to find whether the types and levels of pollutants and greenhouse gasses, which are expected to be exhaled through ventilation systems into the atmosphere, have been adequately evaluated. We propose the hypothesis that the exhaled air from residential buildings contains pollutants that may become another source of contamination affecting urban air quality and potentially contributing to climate drivers. Thus, the main goal of this article is to present a cross-review of the identification of pollutants expected to be exhaled through ventilation systems in residential buildings. This approach has created the concept of "exhalation of buildings" a new concept enclosed within the research project in which this article is included. We analyze the studies related to the most significant pollutants found in buildings and the studies about the relation of buildings' ventilation systems with such pollutants. Our results show that, on the one hand, the increase in the use of mechanical ventilation systems in residential buildings has been demonstrated to enhance the ventilation rate and generally improve the indoor air quality conditions. But no knowledge could be extracted about the corresponding environmental cost of this improvement, as no systematic data were found about the total mass of contaminants exhaled by those ventilation systems. At the same time, no projects were found that showed a quantitative study on exhalation from buildings, contrary to the existence of studies on pollutants in indoor air.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amaia Zuazua-Ros
- Department of Construction, Building Services and Structures, Universidad de Navarra, Campus Universitario, 31009, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Leonardo de Brito Andrade
- Department of Rural Engineering, Center of Agrarian Sciences, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Rodovia Admar Gonzaga 1346, Florianópolis, SC, 88034-000, Brazil.
| | - Sara Dorregaray-Oyaregui
- Department of Construction, Building Services and Structures, Universidad de Navarra, Campus Universitario, 31009, Pamplona, Spain
| | - César Martín-Gómez
- Department of Construction, Building Services and Structures, Universidad de Navarra, Campus Universitario, 31009, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Juan Carlos Ramos González
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials, Thermal and Fluids Engineering Division, Universidad de Navarra, Paseo de Manuel Lardizábal 13, 20018, San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Robiel Manzueta
- Department of Construction, Building Services and Structures, Universidad de Navarra, Campus Universitario, 31009, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Bruno Sánchez Saiz-Ezquerra
- Department of Construction, Building Services and Structures, Universidad de Navarra, Campus Universitario, 31009, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Arturo H Ariño
- Department of Environmental Biology, Universidad de Navarra, Irunlarrea 1, 31008, Pamplona, Spain
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Kramer AL, Liu J, Li L, Connolly R, Barbato M, Zhu Y. Environmental justice analysis of wildfire-related PM 2.5 exposure using low-cost sensors in California. Sci Total Environ 2023; 856:159218. [PMID: 36206902 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The increasing number and severity of wildfires is negatively impacting air quality for millions of California residents each year. Community exposure to PM2.5 in two main population centers (San Francisco Bay area and Los Angeles County area) was assessed using the low-cost PurpleAir sensor network for the record-setting 2020 California wildfire season. Estimated PM2.5 concentrations in each study area were compared to census tract-level environmental justice vulnerability indicators, including environmental, health, and demographic data. Higher PM2.5 concentrations were positively correlated with poverty, cardiovascular emergency department visits, and housing inequities. Sensors within 30 km of actively burning wildfires showed statistically significant increases in indoor (~800 %) and outdoor (~540 %) PM2.5 during the fires. Results indicate that wildfire emissions may exacerbate existing health disparities as well as the burden of pollution in disadvantaged communities, suggesting a need to improve monitoring and adaptive capacity among vulnerable populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber L Kramer
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Jonathan and Karin Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| | - Jonathan Liu
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Jonathan and Karin Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| | - Liqiao Li
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Jonathan and Karin Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| | - Rachel Connolly
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Jonathan and Karin Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| | - Michele Barbato
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, United States
| | - Yifang Zhu
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Jonathan and Karin Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States.
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6
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Fu N, Kim MK, Huang L, Liu J, Chen B, Sharples S. Experimental and numerical analysis of indoor air quality affected by outdoor air particulate levels (PM 1.0, PM 2.5 and PM 10), room infiltration rate, and occupants' behaviour. Sci Total Environ 2022; 851:158026. [PMID: 35973538 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
This study conducted an experimental analysis of how indoor air quality (IAQ) is influenced by the outdoor air pollutants levels, infiltration rate, and occupants' behaviours. The impacts of these factors on IAQ were analyzed using on-site measurements and numerical simulations. The results contribute to a better understanding of how to control the Indoor Particulate Level (IPL) for the specific conditions of the studied building. Results showed that occupant behaviour was the primary factor in determining the IPL, significantly changing the number of outdoor particles introduced to the building. Moreover, it was found that the IPL was exponentially correlated to the Outdoor Particulate Level (OPL). Based on numerical simulations, this study concluded that smaller particles do not always have more chance than larger particles of accessing the indoor environment through the building envelope. Meanwhile, a steady-state indoor particle concentration numerical model was established and verified using the 4-fold cross-validation method. Finally, simulation results identified that the room infiltration rate had a positive linear impact on IAQ if the OPL was under 30 μg/m3. This is because the increased air exchange rate can help to dilute indoor air pollutants when the outdoor air is relatively clean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuodi Fu
- Department of Architecture, Xi'an Jiaotong - Liverpool University, Suzhou 215123, China; School of Architecture, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZX, United Kingdom
| | - Moon Keun Kim
- Department of Civil Engineering and Energy Technology, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo 0130, Norway.
| | - Long Huang
- School of Intelligent Manufacturing Ecosystem, Xi'an Jiaotong - Liverpool University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Jiying Liu
- School of Thermal Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, China
| | - Bing Chen
- Department of Urban Planning and Design, Xi'an Jiaotong - Liverpool University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Stephen Sharples
- School of Architecture, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZX, United Kingdom
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7
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Pongboonkhumlarp N, Jinsart W. Health risk analysis from volatile organic compounds and fine particulate matter in the printing industry. Int J Environ Sci Technol (Tehran) 2022; 19:8633-8644. [PMID: 35287281 PMCID: PMC8907911 DOI: 10.1007/s13762-021-03733-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
The association between the printing activity and the pollutant exposure of the workers was investigated in five consecutive working days, during 8 h work shift per day. Exposure concentrations of the total volatile organic compound and fine particulate matter were measured in the four voluntary printing factories in Thailand. Two types of the printing process, offset and digital printing, were compared. The 8 h average of particulate matter 2.5 in the field blank, Offset A, Offset B, Offset C printing and Digital printing D was 7.46, 21.51, 44.26, 77.92, and 42.08 µgm-3, respectively. The highest particulate matter level in the Offset printing C, 77.92 µgm-3 was due to the surrounded paper dust in the area. The 8 h average of total volatile organic compounds in field blank, Offset A, Offset B, Offset C printing and Digital printing D was 0.12, 2.68, 5.02, 21.86, and 0.67 ppm, respectively. The highest total volatile organic compound was 21.86 ppm in the Offset printing C because of the high production rate and the application of organic solvents in the cleanup process. Worker's exposure to total volatile organic compound and particulate matter 2.5 in the offset printings was higher than in the digital laser printing. From the health risk evaluation, the workers in offset printings were at risk from total volatile organic compound exposure, Hazard quotient > 1. However, workers exposed to particulate matter exposures were not at risk, Hazard quotient < 1.
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Affiliation(s)
- N. Pongboonkhumlarp
- Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - W. Jinsart
- Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
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8
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Tsoulou I, Senick J, Mainelis G, Kim S. Residential indoor air quality interventions through a social-ecological systems lens: A systematic review. Indoor Air 2021; 31:958-976. [PMID: 33858030 DOI: 10.1111/ina.12835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Indoor air quality (IAQ) is an important consideration for health and well-being as people spend most of their time indoors. Multi-disciplinary interest in IAQ is growing, resulting in more empirical research, especially in affordable housing settings, given disproportionate impacts on vulnerable populations. Conceptually, there is little coherency among these case studies; they traverse diverse spatial scales, indoor and outdoor environments, and populations, making it difficult to implement research findings in any given setting. We employ a social-ecological systems (SES) framework to review and categorize existing interventions and other literature findings to elucidate relationships among spatially and otherwise diverse IAQ factors. This perspective is highly attentive to the role of agency, highlighting individual, household, and organizational behaviors and constraints in managing IAQ. When combined with scientific knowledge about the effectiveness of IAQ interventions, this approach favors actionable strategies for reducing the presence of indoor pollutants and personal exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioanna Tsoulou
- Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - Jennifer Senick
- Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersy, USA
| | - Gediminas Mainelis
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersy, USA
| | - Sunyoung Kim
- School of Communication and Information, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersy, USA
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9
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Liang X, Li Z, Zhang H, Hong X. Study of the Characteristics and Comprehensive Fuzzy Assessment of Indoor Air Chemical Contamination in Public Buildings. Front Public Health 2021; 9:579299. [PMID: 34026697 PMCID: PMC8138320 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.579299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Quality-of-life is improving daily with continuous improvements in urban modernization, which necessitates more stringent requirements for indoor air quality. Fuzzy assessment enables us to obtain the grade of the evaluation object by compound calculation with the help of membership function and weight coefficient, overcoming the limitations of traditional methods applied to develop environmental quality indices. First, this study continuously measured SO2, O3, NO2, NO, CO, CO2, PM10, PM2.5, and other chemical pollutants during the daytime operating hours of a library and a canteen. We analyzed the concentration distributions of the particles in the air were discussed based on 31 different particle diameters. Finally, the experimental data in department store and waiting hall were analyzed by fuzzy evaluation, with the following results. (1) The library and canteen PM10 concentrations peaked at 07:45 in the morning and was elevated during the afternoon (48.9 and 59 μg/m3, respectively). (2) The Pearson correlation coefficient of the PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations in the library was 0.98. PM10 and SO2 in the canteen were negatively correlated, with a correlation coefficient of −0.65. PM2.5 and PM1 were always highly positively correlated. (3) The high concentration of particles in the library was associated with the small particle size range (0.25~0.45 μm). (4) By applying the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method, the library grade evaluation was the highest level, and the waiting hall was the lowest. This study enhances our understanding of the indoor chemical contamination relationships for public buildings and highlights the urgent need for improving indoor air quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiguan Liang
- School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhisheng Li
- School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Huagang Zhang
- School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xinru Hong
- School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
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Cheng JCP, Kwok HHL, Li ATY, Tong JCK, Lau AKH. Sensitivity analysis of influence factors on multi-zone indoor airflow CFD simulation. Sci Total Environ 2021; 761:143298. [PMID: 33229090 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 09/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a powerful tool for performing indoor airflow analysis. The simulation results are usually validated with measurement results for accuracy in reflecting reality. When conducting CFD for simulating air flow in a multiple-zone indoor environment with different boundary conditions in different regions, the validation of the CFD model becomes sophisticated. To improve the accuracy of the simulation, boundary conditions need to be adjusted based on how significant the influence factors are affecting the multi-zone CFD model, which few studies have been conducted on. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of influence factors on temperature and carbon dioxide concentration distribution of a validated CFD model of a typical office floor using ANSYS Fluent. This study provides insights on how to fine-tune a complex model to reflect the actual air flow and how the air quality and human comfort in different zones on the same floor could be affected by influence factors. The influence factors investigated are: (1) size of door gaps, (2) solar radiation and (3) number and orientation of occupants. The velocity variations caused by different door gap sizes were studied for improving multi-zone simulation accuracy by adjusting door gap sizes. To study the significant impact of solar heat on multi-zone environment, the sensitivity of different regions of the office floor to solar heat amount and distribution was analyzed by conducting solar analysis under different weather conditions. Impact of occupants on temperature and carbon dioxide concentration distributions in multi-zone environment were investigated by considering different numbers and facing directions of occupants in different regions of the office floor. In addition, this study demonstrates how to modify the influence factors efficiently using building information modeling (BIM).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack C P Cheng
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
| | - Helen H L Kwok
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
| | - Alison T Y Li
- Division of Environment and Sustainability, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
| | - Jimmy C K Tong
- Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Ltd, Level 5 Festival Walk, 80 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
| | - Alexis K H Lau
- Division of Environment and Sustainability, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
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Abstract
Exposure to bushfire smoke is associated with acute and chronic health effects such as respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Residential buildings are important places of refuge from bushfire smoke, however the air quality within these locations can become heavily polluted by smoke infiltration. Consequently, some residential buildings may offer limited protection from exposure to poor air quality, especially during extended smoke events. This paper evaluates the impact of bushfire smoke on indoor air quality within residential buildings and proposes strategies and guidance to reduce indoor levels of particulates and other pollutants. The paper explores the different monitoring techniques used to measure air pollutants and assesses the influence of the building envelope, filtration technologies, and portable air cleaners used to improve indoor air quality. The evaluation found that bushfire smoke can substantially increase the levels of pollutants within residential buildings. Notably, some studies reported indoor levels of PM2.5 of approximately 500µg/m3 during bushfire smoke events. Many Australian homes are very leaky (i.e., >15 ACH) compared to those in countries such as the USA. Strategies such as improving the building envelope will help reduce smoke infiltration, however even in airtight homes pollutant levels will eventually increase over time. Therefore, the appropriate design, selection, and operation of household ventilation systems that include particle filtration will be critical to reduce indoor exposures during prolonged smoke events. Future studies of bushfire smoke intrusion in residences could also focus on filtration technologies that can remove gaseous pollutants.
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Franco A. Balancing User Comfort and Energy Efficiency in Public Buildings through Social Interaction by ICT Systems. Systems 2020; 8:29. [DOI: 10.3390/systems8030029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and comfort in public buildings has received increasing attention in recent years as it can contribute to maintaining safety conditions and to the reduction of conventional fuels consumption, energy costs for building owners, and greenhouse gas emissions. People are an integral part of any building energetic ecosystem as, according to some estimates, they spend a great part of their life in indoor spaces. On one side, occupants are responsible for the energy consumption of the building and for this reason the “psychology of energy saving” has received attention since the 70s up to recent results. On the other hand, strategies for energy efficiency should not jeopardize occupants’ health and quality of life. While general awareness of the value of environmental variables has increased in the last few years, this interest has recently been further exacerbated by the spreading of the well-known COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, as most countries have started planning post-lock-down activities, there is a growing concern regarding how social distancing measures can be enforced in shared buildings and strict indoor air quality control can prevent airborne virus transmission in crowded spaces. The paper discusses the perspectives of increasing the level of social interaction of building users through the systematic use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), and in particular, some specific platforms. The ICT system, taking information from the occupants in a concerted way, can be an important instrument to collect data, coming both from physical sensors and from people to develop a multi-objective control strategy for the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Cooling (HVAC) systems in order to obtain energy savings whilst balancing user comfort and healthy conditions.
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13
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Fantozzi F, Rocca M. An Extensive Collection of Evaluation Indicators to Assess Occupants’ Health and Comfort in Indoor Environment. Atmosphere 2020; 11:90. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos11010090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Today, the effects of the indoor environment on occupants’ health and comfort represent a very important topic and requires a holistic approach in which the four main environmental factors (thermal comfort, air quality, acoustics, and lighting) should be simultaneously assessed. The present paper shows the results of a literature survey that aimed to collect the indicators for the evaluation of occupants’ health and comfort in indoor environmental quality evaluations. A broad number of papers that propose the indicators of a specific environmental factor is available in the scientific literature, but a review that collects the indicators of all four factors is lacking. In this review paper, the difference between indicators for the evaluation of risk for human health and for comfort evaluation is clarified. For each environmental factor, the risk for human health indicators are proposed with the relative threshold values, and the human comfort indicators are grouped into categories according to the number of parameters included, or the specific field of application for which they are proposed. Furthermore, the differences between human health and comfort indicators are highlighted.
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