Abstract
Validated by a large-scale experimental investigation on moisture buffering (MB) effect, a whole building Heat, Air and Moisture (HAM) simulation tool, BSim, is applied to evaluate the impact of a number of parameters on the moisture buffering potential of a full-scale test room finished with hygroscopic materials. The Maximum Accumulated Moisture Buffering Value (MAMBV), developed from the moisture balance analyses in the experimental study, is used in the BSim simulation result analyses to evaluate the impact of various parameters. The parameters investigated include ventilation rates (0.5–5 ACH), types of materials (uncoated gypsum board, wood paneling, orientated strand board, aerated cellular concrete, and telephone book paper), humidity conditions of supply air, volume rates, and steady-state outdoor conditions. It is found that all these parameters have a significant impact on the moisture buffering potential except for the steady-state outdoor conditions. Two material properties, the moisture capacity and vapor permeability, determine the moisture buffering capacities of materials under different moisture generation regimes.
Highlights
Moisture buffering effect is the capacity of interior finishing or furnishing materials to moderate indoor humidity in buildings
The impact of different parameters on moisture buffering potential of the hygroscopic materials is evaluated using the Maximum Accumulated Moisture Buffering Value (MAMBV) calculated for each case using simulation results
It is found that the moisture buffering potential of uncoated gypsum board and wood paneling under long (10/14 h) or short (2/22 h) moisture generation loads are determined by their differences in the moisture capacity and vapor permeability [12,18,19]
Summary
Moisture buffering effect is the capacity of interior finishing or furnishing materials to moderate indoor humidity in buildings. This approach is typically approximate and sometimes hard to be applied when comparisons are made between cases tested under different test conditions, such as different air supply rates and moisture generation protocols For this reason, the Maximum Accumulated Moisture Buffering Value (MAMBV), a value similar to the Moisture Buffer Value (MBV) at the material level, was developed and used to quantify the moisture buffering potential of test rooms under a full-scale experimental investigation [12]. To provide a systematic evaluation of the effect of influencing parameters on the moisture buffering potential of full-scale rooms, a whole building Heat, Air and Moisture (HAM) simulation tool, BSim, is firstly validated against measurements obtained from cases tested in the large-scale environmental chamber and applied to study additional scenarios. Sufficient outputs including the original setting of simulation conditions allow users to track and correct mistakes
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