Indoor air quality modeling: Compartmental approach with reactive chemistry

Abstract

Data on indoor/outdoor pollutant and tracer concentrations were collected during different periods in 1981 at a residence in Newton, MA. Special studies within the kitchen were conducted to determine the vertical and horizontal variability of pollutant and tracer gas concentrations. A reactive chemistry model incorporating simplified NO x chemistry was developed to simulate pollutant concentrations indoors. Multicompartmental mathematical modeling tools were also developed and tested to estimate efficiently the effective, emission, ventilation, and removal rates, as well as the intercompartmental pollutant exchange coefficients. Model studies utilizing two- and three-compartment systems and tracer measurements proved that the dynamics of pollutant mixing inside a kitchen is not only complex but may be quite important in controlling spatial and temporal variability of reactive species. Further monitoring and modeling studies to investigate the critical aspects of the short-term dynamics of the reactive pollutants inside homes with gas cooking stoves are recommended.