In-situ measurements of indoor dust deposition in Sistan region, Iran–the effect of windcatcher orientation

Abstract

Windcatcher is a climatic design element of buildings used for cooling in Sistan of Iran. Siatan has become a dust hotspot, and thus windcatcher should be designed with respect to dust storms for utilizing wind for cooling, on the one hand, and deal with harsh conditions (such as dust particles) on the other hand. In this paper, two identical spaces, consisting of two interconnected rooms (collectively four rooms namely R1, R2, R3, and R4), were examined to assess the dust movement and deposition in the buildings. Rooms R1 and R2 had two windcatchers facing the prevailing wind of the region, and R3 and R4 had windcatchers in the opposite direction of the prevailing wind. Air velocities in the rooms were measured in the centre and adjacent to the left and right sidewalls at heights of 10, 50, 80, 150, 180, and 200 cm. The dust deposition density was measured using 288 samplers which were placed on floors of the rooms. Most dust particles were silt, and the patterns of particle size distribution were similar in the two interconnected rooms (Rooms R1&R2 and rooms R3&R4). Results showed that the airflow enters and leaves rooms R1 & R2 and rooms R3 & R4, respectively. Rooms R2 and R4 had the highest (206.08 g m−2) and the lowest (14.98 g m-2) dust deposition density, respectively. Different spatial patterns of the dust deposition were observed between the studied rooms and were consistent with the orientation of the Kolaks.