Abstract
Several methods for appropriate control of the hygrothermal environment in museums to prevent the deterioration of cultural artifacts were presented in previous studies. However, few detailed hygrothermal simulation models have been used considering the hygrothermal performance of building components and airflow through gaps. Furthermore, hygrothermal properties of a type of storage facility with buffer spaces prevailing in Japan have not been quantitatively evaluated. The objectives of this study were to develop a detailed numerical model of a museum storage room with buffer spaces exhibiting high humidity during summer and to quantitatively evaluate the potential factors causing it; the inflow of humid outdoor air and indirect cooling caused by the air-conditioning system of a surrounding room. We analyzed the simulated temperature and humidity for various cases in which each influencing factor was suppressed. The humidity was reduced when the exhaust fan for the surrounding rooms was stopped or the windows were made airtight, but it hardly changed when the cooling ducts and the reinforced concrete beams were insulated. Thus, the high humidity in the room was attributed to the inflow of humid outdoor air accelerated by the ventilation of surrounding rooms. Although indirect cooling had a small impact on high humidity, its impact on energy loss could still be significant.
Highlights
Accepted: 1 June 2021Museums and galleries store and exhibit cultural artifacts such as paintings, old documents, and antique metalware
We developed a hygrothermal simulation model of the storage room with buffer spaces, and we quantitatively evaluated factors that can lead to the high relative humidity (RH) in the storage room using the developed numerical model
In order to control the hygrothermal environment of the storage room with buffer spaces used for metal cultural artifacts storage and ensure low humidity for their conservation, this study developed a numerical model of the storage room hygrothermal environment and evaluated potential factors contributing to the high humidity measured in the storage room
Summary
Accepted: 1 June 2021Museums and galleries store and exhibit cultural artifacts such as paintings, old documents, and antique metalware. There are various causes of deterioration of these cultural artifacts, for example, deformations caused by rapid changes in temperature and humidity, chemical reactions such as metal corrosion and paper hydrolysis, and biological damage because of mold and insects. The causes of deterioration differ depending on the type of cultural artifacts; several of these causes originate and are accelerated because of inappropriate surrounding air temperature and relative humidity (RH) [1,2,3]. In locations where cultural artifacts are placed, such as museum storage rooms and exhibition halls, maintaining a suitable environment for the artifacts is essential by suppressing changes in temperature and humidity caused by the outdoor air or by visitors. Improper hygrothermal building performance, air-conditioning (AC) and ventilation systems, and facility operations can produce an inappropriate environment for the conservation of cultural artifacts. In museums located in historic buildings, architectural renovations and Published: 4 June 2021
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