A grey model approach to indoor air quality management in rooms based on real-time sensing of particles and volatile organic compounds

Abstract

The study presents an attempt to develop a model for the management of indoor air quality based on real-time sensing of particulate matter (nano and micro particles) and volatile organic compounds. The development of the model used a grey box approach where the initial data on pollutant variation was collected during the experimental phase, and further applied to the pollutant mass balance model. The pollution sources have been analyzed in a controlled environment to obtain patterns of temporal variation, which have been approximated by mathematical functions. Approximations allowed the employment of pollutant mass balance model for determining the variation of pollutant source and further to modeling variation of pollutant concentration with changing air change rate. The proposed management approach can be applied to control indoor air quality in homes, assuring optimal utilization of the air handling unit in order to achieve the acceptable indoor air quality in the lowest time span and optimal energy use.