Ventilation Control for the Concentration of Fine Suspended Particulate (PM2.5) by Worship Incense

Abstract

This study analyzed indoor fine particles generated by incense burning. The case study was conducted in a small family chapel. Three different designs of the exhaust system were proposed, including the non-control, the overall ventilation, and the local exhaust scenario. We also took into account the actual human behavior to simulate the concentration changes for various situations. The results showed that the scenario with no fine suspended particles (PM2.5) control had the maximum PM2.5 concentration, exceeding the indoor air quality standards in Taiwan. Although the overall ventilation strategy may reduce the concentration, it may also agitate the environment and disperse the pollutants to the entire room, resulting in a hazy smog condition. This might pose additional threat to people spending time indoor. Finally, using local exhaust plan showed the best PM2.5 controlling efficiency among the three scenarios, while its energy consumption was also the most economical. Nevertheless, different forms of the smoke require different designs of ventilation strategy to obtain the highest efficiency, which was also compared and analyzed in this paper.