Indoor-outdoor Temperature Difference Research Articles

Potential for free-cooling by ventilation

Natural ventilation is one of the most effective techniques for cooling. Its potential for cooling may be assessed by using a method based on the indoor–outdoor temperature difference of the free-running building, the adaptive comfort criteria and the outdoor temperature. It is demonstrated that the free-running temperature may be used instead of the balance temperature in energy estimation methods. The indoor–outdoor temperature difference of the free-running building becomes a characteristic of the thermal behavior of the building which is decoupled from comfort range and outdoor temperature. A measure related to the energy saved and the applicability of free-cooling is given by the probabilistic distribution of the degree-hours as a function of the outdoor temperature and time. Weather data for this method are available in public domain from satellite investigation. The method can be applied when buildings similar to existing ones are constructed in a new location, when existing buildings are retrofitted or when completely new buildings are designed. The method may be used to interpret the results of building simulation software or of the field measurements.

差圧センサーにより制御されるハイブリッド換気システムを導入した戸建て住宅における性能評価実験(環境工学)

The basic concept of a hybrid ventilation system is to provide an acceptable indoor air quality by alternationg the passive ventilation mode and the mechanical ventilation mode for minimizing the energy consumption. Therefore, the control strategy for the supplemental fan and the damper of hybrid ventilation system is very important for the system performance. The hybrid ventilation system using a pressure difference sensor for monitoring the exhaust airflow rate as the control strategy was installed in a detached test house. Performance of this ventilation system was evaluated through the field measurement. The results of the measurements showed that the exhaust airflow rate was relatively stable while the indoor-outdoor temperature difference varied and the wind velocity changed. But when the wind velocity was strong from the west, the airflow rate was far from the target airflow rate. Totally, the airflow rate met almost the target airflow rate in 75% of the measuring period.

The RAGENA dynamic model of radon generation, entry and accumulation indoors

The complexity generated by the existence of a great number of parameters and processes affecting the generation of radon in the source, its transport in the source medium, its entry into a dwelling and its accumulation in the different rooms of a dwelling has led to the development of partial models and experimental studies that are focused on a given aspect. However, in order to model radon levels and dynamics in real houses, it is necessary to take into account all the parameters and processes affecting radon levels. This is the objective of the dynamic RAGENA model of radon generation, entry and accumulation indoors. The model has been adapted to a Mediterranean climate house under dynamic conditions, and the indoor radon and soil radon dynamics have been compared to experimental results. It has been found (i) that the model gives a soil radon dynamics similar to that obtained experimentally, (ii) a remarkable model-experiment agreement indoors and (iii) that the indoor radon dynamics is given by a permanent radon entry from building materials and a dynamic removal through ventilation, which is driven by indoor–outdoor temperature differences and wind speed.

Continuous measurements of air change rates in an occupied house for 1 year: the effect of temperature, wind, fans, and windows.

A year-long investigation of air change rates in an occupied house was undertaken to establish the effects of temperature, wind velocity, use of exhaust fans, and window-opening behavior. Air change rates were calculated by periodically injecting a tracer gas (SF(6)) into the return air duct and measuring the concentration in 10 indoor locations sequentially every minute by a gas chromatograph equipped with an electron capture detector. Temperatures were also measured outdoors and in the 10 indoor locations. Relative humidity (RH) was measured outdoors and in five indoor locations every 5 min. Wind speed and direction in the horizontal plane were measured using a portable meteorological station mounted on the rooftop. Use of the thermostat-controlled attic fan was recorded automatically. Indoor temperatures increased from 21 degrees C in winter to 27 degrees C in summer. Indoor RH increased from 20% to 70% in the same time period. Windows were open only a few percent of the time in winter but more than half the time in summer. About 4600 hour-long average air change rates were calculated from the measured tracer gas decay rates. The mean (SD) rate was 0.65 (0.56) h(-1). Tracer gas decay rates in different rooms were very similar, ranging only from 0.62 to 0.67 h(-1), suggesting that conditions were well mixed throughout the year. The strongest influence on air change rates was opening windows, which could increase the rate to as much as 2 h(-1) for extended periods, and up to 3 h(-1) for short periods of a few hours. The use of the attic fan also increased air change rates by amounts up to 1 h(-1). Use of the furnace fan had no effect on air change rates. Although a clear effect of indoor-outdoor temperature difference could be discerned, its magnitude was relatively small, with a very large temperature difference of 30 degrees C (54 degrees F) accounting for an increase in the air change rate of about 0.6 h(-1). Wind speed and direction were found to have very little influence on air change rates at this house.

Experimental Study on Performance Evaluation of Ventilation Systems in a Test House

Ventilation is one of the most important measures to dilute indoor air pollutants. In order to maintain a clean indoor air environment, not only the total ventilation rate of the building but also the distribution of outdoor air to each area must be taken into consideration. A performance evaluation of various ventilation systems, which have different air supply and exhaust equipment, has been made. This investigation was undertaken over a heating period, in a full-scale test house. The ventilation rate and distribution to each room of the test house were measured by the constant concentration method. The influence of indoor-outdoor temperature difference on ventilation rate was also analysed. The measurement results revealed the performance of these ventilation systems.

Overall heat loss coefficient and domestic energy gain factor for single-family buildings

In this work we introduce a method for estimating the variation of the overall heat loss coefficient and the domestic energy gain factor. Based on a neural network model, these parameters were extracted from analyzing the model by indirect methods. The used model parameters were: the supplied heating demand, the domestic electrical demand and the indoor–outdoor temperature difference. A feed-forward back propagation neural network was used as modeling tool. The proposed method has been found accurate, based on an analysis of artificially generated data. Additionally, measured data of inhabited single family buildings were examined and the model was found to generate reliable results, in parity with results obtained by comparable methods and estimations.

Single-Zone Stack-Dominated Infiltration Modeling

Simplified, physical models for calculating infiltration in a single zone, usually calculate the air flows from the natural driving forces separately and then combine them. For most purposes -- especially minimum ventilation or energy considerations -- the stack effect dominates and total ventilation can be calculated by treating other effects (i.e., wind and small fans) as perturbations, using superposition techniques. The stack effect is caused by differences in density between indoor and outdoor air, normally attributable to the indoor-outdoor temperature difference. This report derives an exact, but practical, expression for calculating the stack effect from the air densities and leakage distribution using the power law formulation of envelope leakage. The neutral height -- the height at which there is no stack-related indoor-outdoor pressure difference -- is a key intermediate in stack modeling. This report defines a computable parameter called stack height, which contains all of the leakage distribution information necessary for estimating stack flows, thus freeing the model from specific assumptions (e.g., that the leakage is separable into evenly distributed floor, wall, and ceiling components). Example calculations including comparisons with other models, as well as validations using measured data from dwellings, are also presented. The dimensionless neutral level, which ismore » related to the neutral height, is often used as an indicator of leakage distribution and in superposition. Its definition and role in these regards are discussed in detail. The more exact formulation is then used to analyze the simple box cases normally assumed in infiltration modeling and other approximations. Measured ventilation data will be used to infer leakage distributions and neutral levels as well as for example calculations.« less

Sheltering effectiveness against plutonium provided by buildings

Air exchange rates for residences and office buildings under sheltering conditions only, that is, with doors and windows closed and fans off, are selected from the literature and correlated with wind speed and indoor-outdoor temperature difference. These exchange rates are found to be substantially less than those used previously in calculating the protection offered by sheltering. Graphed values of the ratio of interior:outside, time-integrated concentrations (the Dose Reduction Factor, DRF) are presented as a function of time. These apply to both gases and particulates. Especially for plumes of short duration, the resultant DRFs make sheltering a highly competitive protective action against the inhalation pathway. The inhalation DRFs are the most favorable for depositing materials. Example DRFs are calculated and graphed for 2 μm aerodynamic diameter particles, as representing respirable plutonium (Pu).

Characterizing the Occurrence, Sources, and Variability of Radon in Pacific Northwest Homes

A compilation of data from earlier studies of 172 homes in the Pacific Northwest indicated that approximately 65 percent of the 46 homes tested in the Spokane River Valley/Rathdrum Prairie region of eastern Washington/northern Idaho had heating season indoor radon (222Rn) concentrations above the U. S. EPA guideline of 148 Bq m-3 (4 pCi L-1). A subset of 35 homes was selected for additional study. The primary source of indoor radon in the Spokane River Valley/Rathdrum Prairie was pressure-driven flow of soil gas containing moderate radon concentrations (geometric mean concentration of 16,000 Bq m-3) from the highly permeable soils (geometric mean permeability of 5 x 10(-11) m2) surrounding the house substructures. Estimated soil gas entry rates ranged from 0.4 to 39 m3h-1 and 1 percent to 21 percent of total building air infiltration. Radon from other sources, including domestic water supplies and building materials was negligible. In high radon homes, winter indoor levels averaged 13 times higher than summer concentrations, while in low radon homes winter levels averaged only 2.5 times higher. Short-term variations in indoor radon were observed to be dependent upon indoor-outdoor temperature differences, wind speed, and operation of forced-air furnace fans. Forced-air furnace operation, along with leaky return ducts and plenums, and openings between the substructure and upper floors enhanced mixing of radon-laden substructure air throughout the rest of the building.

Gravity driven counterflow through an open door in a sealed room

Flow measurements using tracer gas techniques were made on the exterior doorway of a test house for indoor-outdoor temperature differences of 0.5–45 K. The time for door opening and closing was constant at 3.75 s, and fully open hold time varied from 0.5 s to 120 s. Predictions of a variable density steady flow model were in good agreement with the measurements when adjustments were made for the time-varying size of the opening and for the effect of cross-stream mixing between the incoming and outgoing air streams. The flow rate is shown to be governed by an effective density very close to the average of inflow and outflow densities, and the control condition at the doorway is fixed by the jet-like behavior of the inflow stream. Dependence of cross-stream mixing on interfacial stability caused the orifice and coefficient to increase from 0.4 to 0.6 as temperature difference increased. This varying orifice coefficient is well represented by the combination of a discharge coefficient for streamline contraction combined with a mixing coefficient which accounts for mixing between the inflow and outflow.

Radon entry into houses having a crawl space.

The transport of 222Rn from soil, through a vented crawl space, and into the living space of single-family residences was studied. Two houses were monitored in detail for periods of 5 and 7 weeks. With crawl space vents open, the average indoor 222Rn concentrations were 1.2 and 0.6 pCi 1.-1 (44 and 22 Bq m-3); with the vents sealed the averages rose to 2.2 and 1.0 pCi 1.-1 (81 and 37 Bq m-3). The data suggest that, of the Rn released into the crawl space from the soil beneath the house, a significant fraction, perhaps 50% or more, enters the living space. The effect of 3 meteorological parameters--wind speed, indoor-outdoor temperature difference, and rate of barometric pressure change--on Rn concentration and entry rate were examined. In 1 of the houses a higher temperature difference corresponded to a higher indoor concentration, suggesting that the increased infiltration rate is more than compensated by an increase in the Rn entry rate. On the other hand, a high wind speed tended to reduce the indoor concentration, presumably by increasing both cross-ventilation of the crawl space and the infiltration rate of the living space. Results suggest that Rn transport into the crawl space of at least 1 of the houses occurred by pressure-driven flow, rather than solely by molecular diffusion. The diffusion coefficient of 222Rn through polyethylene sheeting, such as was present on the ground beneath this house, was measured in the laboratory and found to range from 0.65 X 10(-7) cm2 s-1 at 11 degrees C to 1.6 X 10(-7) cm2 s-1 at 25 degrees C, implying that the maximum diffusive flux through the sheet was many times smaller than that necessary to account for the rate of Rn entry into the house. A third house was studied using a tracer gas injected into the crawl space at a controlled rate. The fraction of air leaving the crawl space that entered the living space ranged from 0.3 to 0.65, in good agreement with results for Rn transmission in the other 2 houses, assuming that the 222Rn flux into the crawl space was comparable to that which would have resulted from molecular diffusion from soil having a 222Rn diffusion length of 1.0 m. By sealing leaks in the floor of this house, the average infiltration rate was reduced by 25%, but the indoor concentration of the tracer gas remained constant.

Field studies of dependence of air infiltration on outside temperature and wind

The air infiltration rate, measured in two similar townhouses, is parametrized in terms of wind speed, wind direction, indoor-outdoor temperature difference ( DT), average rate of furnace firing, and fraction of time that doors are open. An increase of 0.1 exchange per hour is associated with each of the following: (1) an increase in DT by 12°F (7°C) at low wind speeds, (2) an increase in normally incident wind by 2 mph (3 km/h) at low DT; (3) ten minutes per hour of increased front-door opening; (4) the basement door open instead of closed. The wind-temperature interaction is non-linear, which confounds the modeling. The DT effect is nearly half due to increased furnace firing, which induces an air flow three times larger than that required for stoichiometric combustion.