Impact of the Inlet Flow Angle and Outlet Placement on the Indoor Air Quality

This study aims to optimize the influence of the inlet inclination angle on the Indoor Air Quality(IAQ),heat,and temperature distribution in mixed convection within a two-dimensional square cavityfilled with an air-CO_(2)mixture.The air-CO_(2)mixture enters the cavity through two inlet openings positioned at the top wall,which is set at the ambient temperature(TC).Three values of the Reynolds numbers,ranging from 1000 to 2000,are considered,while the Prandtl number is kept constant(Pr=0.71).The temperature distribution and streamlines are shown for Rayleigh number(Ra)equal to 104,three inlet inclination anglesϕ(0,π/6 andπ/4)and three CO_(2)concentrations values(1500,2500,3500 ppm)applied at both hot vertical walls(maintained at a constant temperature TH).Afinite volume method is used under the assumption of two-dimensional laminarflow to solve the NavierStokes and energy equations.The results indicate that inlet inclination angle has an impact on the indoor air quality(IAQ),which,in turn,affects the heat transfer distribution and thermal comfort within the cavity.

Investigation and analysis on indoor air quality of large commercial office building in summer

To study the indoor air qualities（IAQ）of large commercial office buildings in Hunan province of China and the corresponding improvement methods,the IAQ of a large commercial office building in Changsha in July,2008,is investigated.A questionnaire survey and field tests are used to collect data.According to the data of twelve rooms in this building,objective evaluation and the subjective evaluation of the IAQ are obtained.Almost all of the environmental parameters in these rooms basically meet the standards of the objective evaluation.But the average concentration of carbon dioxide in most rooms cannot reach the value of the cleanliness standards,1 255 mg/m^3.The average acceptability of the IAQ in these rooms is 71%,which is lower than the value of the ASHRAE 55—1992 standards,80%.The proper increase in the wind speed and the indoor fresh air supply can greatly improve the objective evaluation and the subjective evaluation of the IAQ.

Indoor air quality risk assessment on the Canadian campus by a multilevel integrated weighted average method

Increasing incidents of indoor air quality(IAQ) related complaints lead us to the fact that IAQ has become a significant occupational health and environmental issue. However, how to effectively evaluate IAQ under different scale of multiple indicators is still a challenge. The traditional single-indicator method is subjected to uncertainties in assessing IAQ due to different subjectivity on good or bad quality and scalar differences of data set. In this study, a multilevel integrated weighted average IAQ method including initial walking through assessment(IWA) and two-layers weighted average method are developed and applied to evaluate IAQ of the laboratory building at the University of Regina in Canada. Some important chemical parameters related to IAQ in terms of volatile organic compounds(VOCs), methanol(HCHO), carbon dioxide(CO2), and carbon monoxide(CO) are evaluated based on 5 months continuous monitoring data. The new integrated assessment result can not only indicates the risk of an individual parameter, but also able to quantify the overall IAQ risk on the sampling site. Finally, some recommendations based on the result are proposed to address sustainable IAQ practices in the sampling area.

Monitoring and Prediction of Indoor Air Quality for Enhanced Occupational Health

The amount of moisture in the air is represented by relative humidity(RH);an ideal level of humidity in the interior environment is between 40%and 60%at temperatures between 18°and 20°Celsius.When the RH falls below this level,the environment becomes dry,which can cause skin dryness,irritation,and discomfort at low temperatures.When the humidity level rises above 60%,a wet atmosphere develops,which encourages the growth of mold and mites.Asthma and allergy symptoms may occur as a result.Human health is harmed by excessive humidity or a lack thereof.Dehumidifiers can be used to provide an optimal level of humidity and a stable and pleasant atmosphere;certain models disinfect and purify the water,reducing the spread of bacteria.The design and implementation of a client-server indoor and outdoor air quality monitoring application are presented in this paper.The Netatmo station was used to acquire the data needed in the application.The client is an Android application that allows the user to monitor air quality over a period of their choosing.For a good monitoring process,the Netatmo modules were used to collect data from both environments(indoor:temperature(T),RH,carbon dioxide(CO_(2)),atmospheric pressure(Pa),noise and outdoor:T and RH).The data is stored in a database,using MySQL.The Android application allows the user to view the evolution of the measured parameters in the form of graphs.Also,the paper presents a prediction model of RH using Azure Machine Learning Studio(Azure ML Studio).The model is evaluated using metrics:Mean Absolute Error(MAE),Root Mean Squared Error(RMSE),Relative Absolute Error(RAE),Relative Squared Error(RSE)and Coefficient of Determination(CoD).

Energy Efficiency, Indoor Air Quality and Thermal Comfort Studies at the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, University Kebangsaan Malaysia

The study was conducted to identify indoor air quality and the level of thermal comfort in various selected locations in Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment （FKAB）, University Kebangsaan Malaysia （UKM） with built-up area of 250,936 fie. The indoor air quality and thermal comfort were measured at various selected locations by using indoor air quality equipment （Thermal Comfort SERI）. The thermal comfort assessments are based on Malaysian Code of Practice Indoor Air Quality 2005 and Moderate Thermal Environments-Determination of the PMV and PPD indices specification of the condition for thermal comfort （ISO7730：1994） From the data analysis, the FKAB building is considered inadequately vented space. The concentration of CO2 for all sampling area evaluated exceeds the recommended concentration （〉 1000 ppm）. The ventilation system used in FKAB building is designed by delivering fix amount of fresh air into building from external building without consideration on the number of occupants. This common ventilation design will increase the amount of CO2 dramatically all day long and these reflect the inefficiency of energy used. The faculty needs to be equipped with a comprehensive energy management system that can allow detailed documentation of continuous performance of all energy system and consumption in the building.

Indoor Air Quality and Thermal Comfort Evaluation in Latvian Daycare Centers with Carbon Dioxide, Temperature and Humidity as Indicators

Latvian children under the age of 7 can spend up to 60 hours per week in daycare centers and therefore it is very important to establish a healthy and comfortable daycare environment that children will find pleasant and stimulating to stay in. This study investigates indoor air quality and thermal comfort within six daycare centers （old, renovated and new-built） in moderate climate zone of Latvia. Measurements of carbon dioxide, air temperature and relative humidity were carried out, and data regarding daycare center characteristics and maintenance activities was collected via combination of field visits, record analysis and interviews. It was found that carbon dioxide concentrations exceeded 1000 ppm in 75% of daycare centers studied, with the highest （1356 ppm） measured in a renovated facility with the natural ventilation system. Thus installation of more efficient ventilation system （mechanical） is recommended to provide acceptable indoor air quality, since opening of windows itself cannot provide the optimal conditions indoors. In all facilities the temperature was kept above 20℃ and the average relative humidity was 40±35%, creating comfortable thermal environment for children.

INDOOR AIR QUALITY ASSESSMENT FOR A MULTI-STOREY UNIVERSITY OFFICE BUILDING IN MALAYSIA

The indoor air quality(IAQ)in office buildings should be assessed for public health concerns as it relates to work performance and productivity.Therefore,this paper aims to assess the IAQ in a university office building.From this investigation,the level of contaminated indoor air is examined,the significant causes and contributing factors of contaminated indoor air are determined and a recommendation to improve the existing condition has been proposed.The physical parameters measured include air temperature,air velocity,relative humidity,and concentrations of carbon dioxide(CO_(2)),carbon monoxide(CO),sulphur dioxide(SO_(2)),and also air particles.It was found that the number of air particles of 0.5μm in diameter is about 197,748 particles/m^(3),while air particles of 5.0μm in diameter is around 534 particles/m^(3).The collected data were then compared with a questionnaire and IAQ standards.In conclusion,the indoor air quality within the multi-storey central office building of Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia(UTHM)is acceptable and suitable for occupation even though there were countable symptoms of Sick Building Syndrome(SBS)among its occupants.

Indoor Air Quality(IAQ)Evaluation of Higher Education Learning Environments

2022 Indoor Air Quality(IAQ),particularly in educational facilities,is gaining considerable interest and is a synonymous indicator towards evaluating human comfort.Factors such as CO_(2) concentration,temperature,and humidity play crucial parts in determining an acceptable level of IAQ.Many studies have also demonstrated that the indoor air quality of classrooms affects students’concentration and performance.Today with the threat of a global pandemic,the demand of clean&fresh indoor air quality in education buildings is extremely intensive.This study focuses on investigating IAQ situations and changes in different typical functional spaces of a higher education building in the UK.CO_(2),temperature,and humidity data in various learning environment were monitored via data loggers during the winter.Associated with data monitoring,a set of questionnaires surveys were carried out to evaluate the user’s experience.The results of this study show that temperature and CO_(2) concentration in the classrooms was constantly higher than the government guidance on a daily basis.The analysis also shows that temperature and humidity increased with CO_(2) levels,but at a much lower rate.This study has revealed poor and concerning IAQ in higher education buildings in the UK,particularly in larger rooms with high occupancy.Along with the findings,this paper also identifies possible impact or factors and proposes solutions to overcome these issues.

Design of Multi-gas Monitoring Device for Indoor Air Quality

Besides the need for low-cost instruments for air pollution measurement and detection,nowadays there are many concerns about air pollution due to the fast changes and used technologies.This research was applied using an MQ2 gas detector,and microcontroller/Arduino-Uno.The design steps included bonding and connecting readymade sensors,coding,and finally testing the device.Testing has been conducted in Environment and Pollution Engineering Department laboratories,at the Technical Engineering College of Kirkuk.This study proposed the use of an MQ2 sensor for multi-gas rate detection which can exist indoors.The system uses also a DHT22 sensor for measuring environment temperature and humidity.The sensors are connected to Arduino and LCD to present data on LCD by powering the system with external power.Overall,the testing was conducted,and the device served as a measuring tool for indoor air as an accurate multi-gas rate detector.

INDOOR AIR QUALITY(IAQ)IMPROVEMENTS USING BIOFILTRATION IN A HIGHLY EFFICIENT RESIDENTIAL HOME

INTRODUCTION Americans spend the majority of their time indoors where levels of pollutants may run two to five times-and occasionally more than 100 times-higher than outdoor levels[1].Many of these pollutants can cause adverse health reactions in building occupants,which can contribute to lower worker productivity and increased sick leave.Traditional methods of indoor pollutant control in sealed buildings involve the use of outdoor ventilation.Outdoor ventilation requires the intake of outdoor air,which must be heated or cooled to meet indoor temperature and humidity requirements.This represents between 10-20%of the total energy consumption of a building[2].

TAKING THE“LEED”IN INDOOR AIR QUALITY:DOES CERTIFICATION RESULT IN HEALTHIER BUILDINGS?

Indoor Air Quality(IAQ)has been an area of growing concern with the increasing knowledge of health hazards associated with contaminants,particularly in high occupancy buildings where residents may be exposed to high levels of nuisance dust and other contaminants.Leadership and Energy in Environmental Design(LEED®)certification,which is awarded to buildings that prioritize sustainability and efficient resource use,has been increasingly sought in new construction.As LEED-certified buildings become more commonplace,it is worthwhile to consider whether these new building practices improve IAQ for its occupants.This study compares particulate matter(PM)concentrations in 12 LEED-certified buildings to 12 analogous non-LEED certified buildings on the University of Utah campus.Real-time air sampling was conducted in each building for PM measurements and a Wilcoxon signed rank test was conducted to compare PM levels.A statistically significant difference was found between LEED certification and PM concentrations,with LEED-certified buildings containing,on average,approximately half the PM of their non-LEED counterparts.These findings suggest that LEED certification is worth the financial investment,as it may lead to improved IAQ for residents.However,further research on other contaminants is warranted,including the characterization and comparison of formaldehyde and carbon dioxide levels.

FRAMEWORK FOR INTEGRATING INDOOR AIR QUALITY IMPACTS INTO LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENTS OF BUILDINGS AND BUILDING REL ATED PRODUCTS

Products used during construction and operation of a building can contribute to Indoor Air Quality(IAQ)problems that affect occupants’well-being.However,IAQ is conventionally not addressed in the life cycle assessments(LCAs)of buildings and building related products even though IAQ leads to one of the areas of protection under LCA-human health impacts.In this study,we proposed an overall framework for integrating IAQ into LCA using the standard steps of LCA.The framework focused on IAQ and LCA modeling from two categories of building related products:i)passive products that realize their function through initial installation and have long-term decayed emissions,and ii)active equipment that realize their function and cause emissions through daily operation.Dynamic and static life cycle inventory modeling approaches were proposed for passive products and active equipment,respectively.An indoor intake fraction equation and USEtox model effect factors were incorporated into the life cycle impact assessment.Three hypothetical examples were presented to illustrate the calculation procedure of the framework.We concluded that it was feasible to integrate IAQ into building related LCA studies.Development of IAQ related impact assessment methodologies can improve upon the limitations of this study.Further studies need to be carried out to compare the health impacts from IAQ related sources to other life cycle stages of building related products.

A novel deep learning framework with variational auto-encoder for indoor air quality prediction

Exposure to poor indoor air conditions poses significant risks to human health, increasing morbidity and mortality rates. Soft measurement modeling is suitable for stable and accurate monitoring of air pollutants and improving air quality. Based on partial least squares (PLS), we propose an indoor air quality prediction model that utilizes variational auto-encoder regression (VAER) algorithm. To reduce the negative effects of noise, latent variables in the original data are extracted by PLS in the first step. Then, the extracted variables are used as inputs to VAER, which improve the accuracy and robustness of the model. Through comparative analysis with traditional methods, we demonstrate the superior performance of our PLS-VAER model, which exhibits improved prediction performance and stability. The root mean square error (RMSE) of PLS-VAER is reduced by 14.71%, 26.47%, and 12.50% compared to single VAER, PLS-SVR, and PLS-ANN, respectively. Additionally, the coefficient of determination (R2) of PLS-VAER improves by 13.70%, 30.09%, and 11.25% compared to single VAER, PLS-SVR, and PLS-ANN, respectively. This research offers an innovative and environmentally-friendly approach to monitor and improve indoor air quality.

Optimising multi-vent module-based adaptive ventilation using a novel parameter for improved indoor air quality and health protection

As infectious respiratory diseases are highly transmissible through the air,researchers have improved traditional total volume air distribution systems to reduce infection risk.Multi-vent module-based adaptive ventilation(MAV)is a novel ventilation type that facilitates the switching of inlets and outlets to suit different indoor scenarios without changing ductwork layout.However,little research has evaluated MAV module sizing and air velocity selection,both related to MAV system efficiency in removing contaminants and the corresponding level of protection for occupants in the ventilated room.Therefore,the module-source offset ratio(MSOR)is proposed,based on the MAV module size and its distance from an infected occupant,to inform selection of optimal MAV module parameters.Computational fluid dynamics simulations illustrated contaminant distribution in a two-person MAV equipped office.Discrete phase particles modelled respiratory contaminants from the infected occupant,and contaminant concentration distributions were compared under four MAV air distribution layouts,three air velocities,and three module sizes considered using the MsOR.Results indicate that lower air velocities favour rising contaminant levels,provided the ventilation rate is met.Optimal contaminant discharge can be achieved when the line of outlets is located directly above the infected occupant.Using this parameter to guide MAV system design,85.7% of contaminants may be rendered harmless to the human body within 120 s using the default air vent layout.A more appropriate supply air velocity and air vent layout increases this value to 91.4%.These results are expected to inform the deployment of MAV systems to reduce airborne infection risk.

Nationwide evaluation of energy and indoor air quality predictive control and impact on infection risk for cooling season

Since the coronavirus disease 2019,the extended time indoors makes people more concerned about indoor air quality,while the increased ventilation in seeks of reducing infection probability has increased the energy usage from heating,ventilation,and air-conditioning systems.In this study,to represent the dynamics of indoor temperature and air quality,a coupled grey-box model is developed.The model is identified and validated using a data-driven approach and real-time measured data of a campus office.To manage building energy usage and indoor air quality,a model predictive control strategy is proposed and developed.The simulation study demonstrated 18.92%energy saving while maintaining good indoor air quality at the testing site.Two nationwide simulation studies assessed the overall energy saving potential and the impact on the infection probability of the proposed strategy in different climate zones.The results showed 20%–40%energy saving in general while maintaining a predetermined indoor air quality setpoint.Although the infection risk is increased due to the reduced ventilation rate,it is still less than the suggested threshold(2%)in general.

Field measurement of the impact of natural ventilation and portable air cleaners on indoor air quality in three occupant states

Natural ventilation(NV)has been considered a simple and effective method of ventilation.However,the intro-duction of NV does not achieve better indoor air quality(IAQ)when the outdoor atmospheric environment is polluted.Therefore,portable air cleaners(PACs)are increasing in use in recent years,but their effectiveness is highly dependent on the residents’habits.A typical residence in Xi’an,China was selected to examine the effects of the use of NV alone and the use of NV and PACs together on IAQ in the three occupant states,i.e.,unoc-cupied,sleeping and leisure.Parameters,such as temperature,relative humidity,CO_(2),and PM_(2.5)concentration were measured when changing the window opening and the position of the PAC.The results showed that in the unoccupied state,opening the inner door can promote a more uniform thermal and humid environment.In the sleeping state,the I/O ratio of the PM_(2.5)concentration was the lowest when the window opening of the bedroom was 1/2 or 3/4,with a mean value of 0.3.In the leisure state,only using NV,when the purification rate reaches 90%,the mean purification time of each window opening in the living room is 87.5 min.The mean purification time was reduced to 25 min when both NV and PAC were used.The on-site purification efficiencies were 91.0%and 94.5%,when the window opening was 1/2(i.e.,the PAC was placed in the center of the room)and 3/4(i.e.,the PAC was placed away from the outer window),respectively.

New and innovative wind catcher designs to improve indoor air quality in buildings

Wind catchers used in various countries in Middle East and North Africa in order to improve indoor air environ-ment and to reduce reliance on cooling load.However,nowadays they are used across the globe with modern shapes and advanced techniques.The study focuses on investigating new and innovative shapes of wind catch-ers to improve air speed indoors which will elevate indoor comfort and air quality in buildings.The study used computer modeling CFD and a real model experiment to conduct the study.The study highlighted that curved shapes have highest pattern of wind speed driven,especially curved shape with double inlets.In addition,the study showed that octagon shape has the lowest pattern of wind speed driven because of its various sides which prevent air to flow easily inside the tunnel.

Efficacy of coupling heat recovery ventilation and fan coil systems in improving the indoor air quality and thermal comfort condition

Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery(MVHR)systems are gaining increasing interest in buildings with low energy demand,for improvement of the Indoor Air Quality(IAQ)and reduction of the ventilation energy loss.In retrofitted buildings,MVHRs are often integrated with an additional air heater to cover space heating demand.Hence,evaluation of the interactions between MVHR and heat emitter,and their effects on indoor airflow characteristics is of significant importance.The present study aims to investigate effects of a combined MVHR-fan-coil system in heating mode on IAQ and thermal comfort parameters inside a retrofitted room,by means of a computational fluid dynamic(CFD)code.The proposed CFD model is validated by comparing the numerical results with experimental data.The results yielded by numerical simulations allow evaluating the indoor environmental quality characteristics as well as addressing the MVHR and fan coil interactions.The results indicate that the airflow discharged from the fan coil could have a significant impact on the age of the air;while it provides a desirable thermal comfort condition within the room,it may hinder to some extent delivery of the fresh air to the occupied zone due to creation of counterflow fields.Furthermore,it is shown that although increasing the fan speed(ON mode)would slightly enhance the air change efficiency,the OFF mode yields not only a better distribution of the fresh air but also a higher ventilation efficiency than when fan coil operates.

Comprehensive characterization of indoor airborne bacterial profile

This is the first detailed characterization of the airborne bacterial profiles in indoor environments. Two restaurants were selected for this study. Fifteen genera of bacteria were isolated from each restaurant and identified by three different bacterial identification systems including MIDI, Biolog and Riboprinter. The dominant bacteria of both restaurants were Gram-positive bacteria in which Micrococcus and Bacillus species were the most abundant. Most bacteria identified were representative species of skin and respiratory tract of human, and soil. Although the bacterial levels in these two restaurants were below the limit of the Hong Kong Indoor Air Quality Objective （HKIAQO） Level 1 standard （i.e., 〈 500 cfu/m^3）, the majority of these bacteria were opportunistic pathogens. These results suggested that the identity of airborne bacteria should also be included in the IAQ to ensure there is a safety guideline for the public.

Indoor Air Mycological Survey and Occupational Exposure in Libraries in Mato Grosso-Central Region—Brazil

Background: Indoor air quality in environments where there is great circulation of people, posing risks to the health of its occupants, including allergic problems, infections and contaminations, can be aided by climatic factors, chemicals and biological agents housed in these environments, influencing the location and providing favorable conditions for the degradation of bibliographic collections. The present study investigated the presence of fungi in indoor environments in seven public and private libraries in the central region of Brazil, Mato Grosso, and verified the impact on occupational health. Results: A total of 26,194 fungal specimens were isolated from 342 dust samples collected using three techniques: Andersen’s sampler (12.3%), exposure plate dish (25.1%) and sterile swab (62.6%). A total of 184 fungal species were identified: 156 (84.8%) mycelial fungi and 28 (15.2%) yeast fungi, belonging 54 fungal genera, 43 (79.6%) mycelial fungi and 11 (20.4%) yeast fungi. The genus Aspergillus (40.6%) was one of the main fungi present in indoor air. Aspergillus niger (12.3%) was identified as the most prevalent species in literary environments, followed by Cryptococcus spp. (7.1%) and Cladosporium cladosporioides (7.0%). In relation to seasonal distribution, there was a greater fungal isolation in the dry season (54%);followed by the rainy season (46%). Conclusion: These results suggest the substrates researched in the evaluated environments presented in the form of documents, books and papers associated with dust and air humidity become suitable for microbiological proliferation. These findings highlight the importance of minimizing the risk of exposure to fungal agents, identified in pathogenic and toxigenic microenvironments in library collections.