bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The effect of changing surface emissivity on the natural ventilation rate of a narrow air cavity integrated in a transparent insulation façade
Authors: Čekon M , Čurpek J , Slávik R 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
A transparent insulation material (TIM) can be incorporated in a building element in order to improve its thermal performance, including solar heat gain. However, some overheating protection needs to be implemented. The provision of natural ventilation in a façade cavity to avoid overheating, along with other potential techniques, could require a completely different approach to TIM integration in solar façade concepts. This paper concerns an analysis of the effect of different absorber emissivity behind a transparent insulation system. The emissivity changes are primarily studied in order to determine their effects on the overall radiation - natural convection heat transfer through a narrow façade air cavity. A comparative investigation was conducted using experimental full-scale dynamic outdoor tests and the building energy simulation (BES) approach. The thermodynamic response affected by the radiation - natural convection transfer is identified, specifically during the summer peak period, that corresponds to overheating. Depending on the ventilation regime, a low emissivity solar absorber inside a narrow air façade cavity may increase the cooling energy load and temperature response of a façade by 25 and 36%, respectively, in comparison with a high emissivity absorber. When the emissivity of the zone inside the cavity was changed, significant limitations were identified in the BES calculation methods for both vented and unvented cases.
Passive systems in traditional houses in Middle East areas: solutions and effects of natural ventilation
Authors: Mousli Kindah , Semprini Giovanni 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
The Middle East area, has a specific culture and habits, enhanced by adaptation to the environment and local climate through the traditional building constructions where typical design, structures and materials represent the basis for passive strategies. In these hot-dry regions, many traditional houses consist of compact design structures with internal courtyard where the effects of thermal inertia and natural ventilation can be well exploited. This paper focuses on the analysis of passive techniques used in some houses located in Damascus old city, which are renowned for their distinctive adaptability. These traditional houses have a unique structure consisting of two levels: the first floor built with heavy mass stones, while the second has light mass (timber and mud). The presence of an internal courtyard on which several rooms of different size overlook, give rise to an appreciable natural ventilation (single side or cross ventilation) through a proper opening of windows. Based on experimental data (air temperature, air velocity) acquired during a summer period in a traditional house, dynamic simulation for different type of structures and opening are performed in order to investigate the influence of natural ventilation on reducing internal temperature and evaluate comfort conditions using ASHRAE standard. Results also suggest strategies to optimize passive techniques to reduce energy needs.
Development of new analytical and measurement methods for characterizing the emission of phthalates from building and consumer materials into indoor air
Authors: Braish Tamara , Nicolas Mélanie , Maupetit François , Desauziers Valérie 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
Phthalates are ubiquitous indoor organic pollutants that are found in different building and consumer materials and are known to cause severe human health problems. In this paper, the emission of these compounds from vinyl floorings (VF) into indoor air has been studied using Automated Thermal Desorption-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (ATD-GC-MS) and a special device known as micro-chamber or thermal extractor (μ-CTE™). So a robust analytical ATD-GC-MS method has been developed and validated to analyse eight selected phthalates. Calibration curves were linear (R2 > 0.99), limit of detection (LOD) was down to 0.004 μg/m3, and the values of relative standard deviation (RSD) were less than 15% for all chosen phthalates. Then, a new micro-chamber measurement method based on diffusion has been developed for studying the emission of Diisononyl phthalate (DiNP) and Di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP) from VF at different temperatures and estimating y0 (gas-phase concentration of phthalates on the surface of the material). This method was quite repeatable with 11% RSD for DiNP and 8% for DnOP.
The risk of radon induced lung cancer in rental accommodation
Authors: Rasmussen T V 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
The radon concentration in the indoor air was measured in 221 rental accommodations located in 53 buildings, including 28 multi-occupant houses and 25 single-family terraced houses constructed between 1850 and 2010. The overall annual mean value of the concentration of radon in the indoor air was 30.7 Bq/m3. The annual mean value of the concentration of radon in the indoor air exceeded 100 Bq/m3 in 5.9% of the accommodations, all located in single-family terraced houses. For single-family terraced houses the annual mean value of the concentration of radon in the indoor air exceeded 100 Bq/m3 in 52% of the houses and 12% exceeded 200 Bq/m3. Approx. 77% of the accommodations exceeding 100 Bq/m3 for the concentration of radon in the indoor air had a content between 100 and 200 Bq/m3 and 23% had a content exceeding 200 Bq/m3. Significant differences in the concentration of radon in the indoor were found in accommodations located in multi-occupant houses. Additionally, the risk of the concentration of radon in the indoor air exceeding 100 Bq/m3 in accommodations in multi-occupant houses was found to be very low, but if any the risk was highest in accommodations on the ground floor in a building constructed with slab on ground.
Numerical Simulation of a UV-PCO Plate Reactor
Authors: Luo Hao , Zhang Guangxin , Zhong Lexuan , Hashisho Zaher 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
Ultraviolet photocatalytic oxidation (UV-PCO) system has gained increasing attention in indoor air treatments, of which the PCO reaction kinetics mainly depend on the radiation and airflow (contaminants) fields. It is recognized that the airflow rate has a significant influence on the PCO kinetics with the balance of the VOC mass transfer process. However, there are few discussion for the airflow rate dependency in the PCO kinetic reaction model. In addition, most of the studies in the literature assumed the incident surface irradiance was the energy participating in PCO reactions, which is not accurate. Hence, a 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model, including catalyst photon absorption coefficient, the conservation of mass, momentum, energy, and species, as well as PCO reaction kinetics, was introduced in this study. The determined model parameters were verified by the experimental data for a plate reactor challenged with 10 ppm acetone. The airflow rate dependency was examined in conjunction with CFD providing local flow field information, and the catalyst absorbed light intensity was quantified by a validated radiation model. It was found that the PCO removal efficiency predictions from the developed mathematical model agree with experimental data.
Daylighting availability, glare and insolation occupant’s exposure in side-lit room and internal shading devices use
Authors: Garcia D L R , Pereira F O R 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
This study aimed to compare building performance indicators regarding daylight glare probability, insolation and daylighting availability Further analysed the potential for glare mitigation through internal shading devices’ uses: roller shades and blinds. Through modelling and dynamic buildings’ simulation (climate-based), an occupant was considered in three positions along with the room’s depth (1.5 m, 3.5 m and 6.0 m). The weather data from Florianópolis, Brazil, was used as environmental conditions. Hourly data of daylight glare indexes, horizontal and vertical illuminances and direct incident solar radiation were transformed into annual frequencies. Regarding the insolation, it was identified occupation commitment at 1.5 m from the window, until 19% of the time occupied. Daylighting availability metrics reached antagonistic levels of suitability. The variations in view directions and positions from the window showed drastic reductions in the intolerable and uncomfortable glare levels, but the second change did not solve the problem. Through internal shading devices’ uses, the glare mitigation was evidenced, according to the solar orientation, the optical properties considered (reflectance and transmittance) and 04 operations proposed. Recommendations were made to protect occupants from glare and insolation but taking advantage of daylighting availability.
Experimental and numerical investigation of submicron particle deposition enhancement by patterned surface
Authors: Xu Haolun , Wai Lai Tsz , Chung Fu Sau , Wu Chili , Qiu Huihe , Chao Christopher Y.H. 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
Exposure to inhaling airborne particles in indoor and outdoor environments is a threat to public health. Indoor air passes through ventilation ducts and continuously circulates with the air outdoors, resulting in a higher concentration of suspended particles in indoor environments when compared to outdoor environments. Thus removing airborne particles in ventilation ducts becomes essential, especially in large buildings. Repeated surface ribs have been reported to greatly enhance the particle collection efficiency while it also causes a significant pressure drop, leading to higher energy consumption. In this study, an overall efficiency ratio is defined, taking into consideration the particle removal rate and the associated pressure drop, to evaluate the overall performance of different surface patterns in a ventilation duct. After the design and optimization processes, the semi-circular patterns are shown to have the best overall efficiency, i.e. a 1137 times increase when compared with having no patterned surface. The deposition velocity on the semi-circular surface found in simulation results were validated with a fully-developed wind tunnel experiment. This study shows that semi-circular surface patterns with a pitch-to-height ratio of 4 are recommended for the overall enhancement in the ventilation duct, especially for capturing submicron particles.
Investigation of indoor air quality in a low energy high school building combining micro gas sensors and unsupervised learning
Authors: Hanoune B , Caron A , Redon N , Coddeville P 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
Because of their size and price, miniature gas sensors are good candidates for long-term, large-scale, continuous monitoring of the air quality in confined environments, even in the presence of occupants. In spite of their still somewhat limited metrological performances, these tools are able to provide relevant information on the pollutants spatial and temporal evolution. They can therefore be used to identify pollution sources and automatically control ventilation and remediation systems, provided they are associated with adequate data treatment procedures. In the present study, four sensors for the detection of CO2, NO, NO2 and O3 have been deployed, without previous calibration, inside a classroom of a low energy high school building, together with standard analytical instruments. The data are analyzed with a procedure based on the bisecting K-means algorithm. This unsupervised classification allows the identification of similar measurements, which can be merged into clusters. An excellent agreement has been found between the classification results provided by the analyzers and by the sensors, even if the latter were not calibrated before deployment. These results validate the data treatment methodology proposed in this work, and demonstrate the potential of using commercial micro sensors in real conditions.
Bayesian inference of thermal comfort: evaluating the effect of “well-being” on perceived thermal comfort in open plan offices
Authors: Crosby Sarah , Newsham Guy , Veitch Jennifer , Rogak Steven , Rysanek Adam 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
The judgment of thermal comfort is a cognitive process which is influenced by physical, psychological and other factors. Prior studies have shown that occupants, who are generally satisfied with many non-thermal conditions of indoor environmental quality, are more likely to be satisfied with thermal conditions as well. This paper presents a novel approach that considers the effect of non-thermal building environmental design conditions, such as indoor air quality and noise levels, on perceived thermal comfort in open-plan offices. The methodology involves the use of Bayesian inference to relate the occupant’s thermal dissatisfaction in a building not only to thermal conditions and occupant metabolic factors (i.e., parameters of the original Fanger model), but also to measurable non-thermal metrics of indoor environmental quality. A Bayesian logistic regression approach is presented in this paper. The experimental context regards a prior indoor environmental quality measurement and evaluation study of 779 occupants of open-plan offices throughout Canada and the US. We present revised PMV-PPD curves for real-world offices that take into account both thermal and wellbeing IEQ parameters. The Bayesian inference analysis reveals that the occupant’s thermal dissatisfaction is influenced by many non-thermal IEQ conditions, such as indoor CO2 concentrations and the satisfaction with the office lighting intensity.
A study on the evaluation of indoor air quality in small scale apartment house in South Korea
Authors: Kim Tae-woo , Kim Hyun-tae 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
The purpose of this study is to measure and evaluate indoor air quality in small-scale apartment houses which are not included in construction standard of Clean-Healthy house in Korea. This study is measured the formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene and styrene included in the indoor air quality guideline of Korea. As a result, high concentrations of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde were detected in some of the houses measured, and in particular, there were some homes that exceeded the guidelines of the World Health Organization by more than six times the guideline of acetaldehyde. Some of the measured houses were found to contain volatile organic compounds such as toluene, styrene, and xylene at a high concentration and exceeded the indoor air quality in Korea guidelines. Therefore, the construction standards of Clean-Healthy house should be applied not only to large-scale apartment of 1,000 or more, but also to single-family houses and small-scale apartment houses.
Investigation of Indoor Air Quality in six office buildings in Chengdu, China based on continuous monitoring data
Authors: Qiu Yang , Tang Ya 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
Indoor air pollution is of a growing concern in China. The nation’s growing urban work force spends prolonged periods in office, thus office indoor air quality (IAQ) can be a key determinant of worker’s wellbeing, yet, IAQ literature on China’s office space remains scarce. To address such knowledge gap, this study conducted continuous monitoring in six office towers in Chengdu, China to investigate two major indoor pollutants: PM2.5 and CO2. The participating office buildings were Grade-A certified and fully occupied. Indoor concentration for PM2.5 and CO2 ranged between 1-459 μg/m3 and 375-1102 ppm respectively, with considerable intra-building and inter-building variability. Time-series analysis suggests diurnal and weekly pattern for indoor CO2, and temporal association between indoor and ambient PM2.5. Filtration and ventilation efficiencies varied across buildings, and these buildings experienced various degrees of penetration by outdoor PM2.5 and indoor accumulation of CO2 on a daily basis. On days with ambient pollution, indoor pollution persisted. Multivariate model predicts an average of 0.6 μg/m3 increase in indoor PM2.5 for every 1 μg/m3 increase in ambient PM2.5. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic study of office buildings in China with findings potentially inform future IAQ management strategies.
Numerical prediction of surface radiation effect on thermal comfort and indoor air quality in a ventilated cavity heated from below
Authors: Koufi L , Ginestet S , Younsi Z 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
This paper presents an investigation of the influence of surface radiation on indoor environmental parameters such as thermal comfort and indoor air quality. To achieve this objective, coupled heat transfer by mixed convection and radiation was numerically carried out inside a ventilated cavity. Air-CO2 mixture was considered as the working fluid. Uniform heat and CO2-concentration were applied at the bottom wall of the cavity. The boundary conditions of other walls were fixed at the external conditions. The same emissivity value was considered for all interior surfaces. An external fresh air enters at the cavity through an opening located on the top of the left vertical wall and exits from another one located at the bottom of the opposite wall. The mass, momentum, energy and chemical specie equations, coupled with the RNG k-ε turbulence model were solved via finite volume method. The obtained results indicate that the surface radiation presents slight effect on thermal comfort indexes, while the increasing of Rayleigh number enhances them. A good indoor air quality is insured inside the studied cavity.
An experimental study of spray foam insulation products-evidence of 1,2-dichloropropane and 1,4-dioxane emissions
Authors: Naldzhiev Dzhordzhio , Mumovic Dejan , Strlic Matija 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
An experimental study was conducted using SPME-GC-MS and TD-GC-MS to analyse VOC emissions from three spray foam insulation products. Two closed cell and one open cell materials were tested using SPME-GC-MS passive sampling and a range of VOCs were found with 1,2-dichloropropane (1,2-DCP) found in all products. TD-GC-MS analysis of Product 1 (a closed cell foam) and the raw material used for its production (B-side) showed that 1,4-dioxane and 1,2-DCP were both present in the raw material and emitted from the cured foam product. Our findings are currently limited and preliminary, but do seem to indicate that industrial contamination of raw chemicals could be the likely source of these compounds. This could raise the issue of Class 1 and 2B carcinogen VOCs being present in raw polyurethane spray foam insulation (SPF) materials should systematic evidence is provided. As per WHO guidance, it would be a better strategy to remove pollutants at the source. Further research will aim to quantify emission concentrations during application and examine the impact of application strategies.
An extensive study on the relationship between energy use, indoor thermal comfort, and health in social housing: the case of the New South Wales, Australia
Authors: Haddad S , Pignatta G , Paolini R , Synnefa A , Santamouris M 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
Over three million people live below the poverty line in Australia. Low-income households suffer from overheated or cold homes and experience problems associated with energy inefficiency and poor indoor environmental quality (IEQ), which ultimately affect residents’ quality of life, comfort, well-being, physical and mental health. These circumstances are the main drivers of a social challenge known as Energy Poverty (EP) when residents have difficulties in paying the electricity bills. EP needs to be addressed by i) implementing energy efficiency measures in social housing, ii) educating low-income families about energy saving practices and behaviours, iii) developing new energy policies. We investigated the level of EP in social housing located in New South Wales, Australia. Indoor thermal environment and air quality were monitored in 106 low-income households over the winter and summer periods 2018/2019. Questionnaire responses informed the real living conditions of participating families, including their medical history and behaviours concerning energy use. The information presented here will be used to investigate the possible evolution of IEQ and EP as a function of climate change and extreme weather events on housing and suggest countermeasures and target policies to benefit the vulnerable households and alleviating the EP level of the region.
Reviewing MnOx-based catalysts for decomposition of indoor ozone
Authors: Namdari M , Lee C S , Haghighat F , Bahloul A , Huard M 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
Ozone is a highly reactive gas and one of important air pollutants for both indoor and outdoor environments. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guideline for the ozone level limit at workplaces is 100 ppb for 8-hour exposure and the Health Canada guideline for the residential buildings is 20 ppb for 8 hour exposure. Therefore, applying an ozone removal technology in indoor environments is crucial when outdoor ozone concentration is high and/or where strong ozone emission sources exist. Activated carbon-based filters, thermal oxidation, catalytic oxidation, and photocatalytic oxidation are air treatment technologies that have been applied for ozone removal. Among these technologies, the catalytic oxidation approach showed better results, particularly manganese oxide (MnOx) based catalysts, which can decompose ozone to oxygen at room temperature. The low cost as well as high catalytic activity are among the advantages of MnOx-based catalysts. High specific surface area, high density of oxygen vacancy, high reducibility, low average oxidation state, and low relative humidity are beneficial for ozone decomposition over the catalyst. This review presents the importance of ozone removal from the indoor environments, its exposure issues, and the recent studies on MnOx-based catalyst for ozone decomposition.
Infiltration of fine particles in urban buildings
Authors: Zuraimi MS , Pantelic Jovan 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
Singapore is a tropical country that can be affected by outdoor fine particle air pollution. Little information is available on the penetration of outdoor fine particles into daycare environments. Our study attempted to address the following objectives: to measure indoor infiltration factor (Finf
of PM2.5 from outdoor fine particles and to determine the building parameters that modifies the indoor PM2.5. We collected indoor/outdoor 1-min PM2.5. from 50 daycare environments. We noted high indoor and outdoor concentrations of fine particles due to the presence of regional haze pollution. Indoor and outdoor fine particle concentrations are significantly highest for daycares located near highways while indoor to outdoor ratios were significantly lower for air-conditioning use in daycares. Mean Finf
±SD of 0.65±0.19 in daycare rooms which are naturally ventilated and lower Finf
±SD values of 0.46±0.22 for those that are air-conditioned. The penetration coefficients and air exchange rates were higher in naturally ventilated daycares (0.78 vs 0.61 and 1.47 vs 0.86 h−1 respectively). Our findings show that children remaining indoor in daycares where air conditioning is used can reduce PM2.5 exposures during outdoor pollution episodes.