Indoor Air Quality Evaluation of Isolation Room for Hospital in Thailand

Abstract

The increased awareness of building energy consumption and environmental friendly has resulted to the development of various rating system for evaluate performance and sustainability. The indoor air quality is a significant was applied to assessment. This research was to study guidelines to improve indoor air quality of isolation room for hospital in Thailand in order to develop appropriate green building assessment system in the future. The study was conducted the indoor air quality inside single patient room of the government hospitals with 250 beds or more of 11 hospitals in the northeast of Thailand. The analysis of carbon dioxide (CO2) carbon monoxide (CO) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), relative humidity (RH), temperature (ºC) and wind speeds showed the concentrations of carbon dioxide in the air does not exceed of the ASHRAE standard, with an average of 609.81 ppm but some case was found to exceed with an average at 1,022.92 ppm. In addition, the measurement of the concentration of volatile organic compounds in the air and the concentration of carbon monoxide in the air that is not greater than the standard, with the average at 0.40 ppm and 0.99 ppm respectively. Moreover, the measurement of air temperature in the room alone for patients with a mean of 25.59 ºC, the relative humidity of the air averages as 53.11%, but some has a relative humidity over the EIT standard is an average of 64.43 % and the wind speed found that an average of 0.09 m/s. The results of the indoor air quality monitoring within the isolation room which CO2 exceed 1,000 ppm found the relative humidity that over the standard and low velocity is an average of 0.05 m/s. The guideline is installing a fan for improve the ventilation in one hospital from eleven case study which CO2 exceed the standard. The ventilation rate required is 29.54 cubic meters per hour. The cooling load increases due to additional ventilation, the volume of 0.033 kW, resulting in costs of electricity rise at 3.50 baht per day.