Assessing the Energy, Indoor Air Quality, and Moisture Performance for a Three-Story Building Using an Integrated Model, Part Two: Integrating the Indoor Air Quality, Moisture, and Thermal Comfort

Seyedmohammadreza Heibati, Wahid Maref and Hamed H. Saber
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Seyedmohammadreza Heibati: Department of Construction Engineering, École de Technologie Supérieure (ÉTS), University of Québec, Montréal, QC H3C 1K3, Canada
Wahid Maref: Department of Construction Engineering, École de Technologie Supérieure (ÉTS), University of Québec, Montréal, QC H3C 1K3, Canada
Hamed H. Saber: Prince Saud Bin Thuniyan Research Center, Mechanical Engineering Department, Jubail University College, Al Jubail 35716, Saudi Arabia

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 16, 1-40

Abstract: In this paper, an integrated model that coupled CONTAM and WUFI was developed to assess the indoor air quality (IAQ), moisture, and thermal comfort performance. The coupling method of CONTAM and WUFI is described based on the exchange of airflow rate control variables as infiltration, natural and mechanical ventilation parameters between heat and moisture flow balance equations in WUFI and contaminant flow balances equations in CONTAM. To evaluate the predictions of the integrated model compared to single models of CONTAM and WUFI, four scenarios were used. These scenarios are airtight-fan off, airtight-fan on, leaky-fan off, and leaky-fan on, and were defined for a three-story house subjected to three different climate conditions of Montreal, Vancouver, and Miami. The measures of the simulated indoor CO 2 , PM 2.5 , and VOCs obtained by CONTAM; the simulated indoor relative humidity (RH), predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PPD), and predicted mean vote (PMV) obtained by WUFI; and those obtained by the integrated model are compared separately for all scenarios in Montreal, Vancouver, and Miami. Finally, the optimal scenarios are selected. The simulated results of the optimal scenarios with the integrated model method (?28.88% to 46.39%) are different from those obtained with the single models. This is due to the inability of the single models to correct the airflow variables.

Keywords: integrated model; CONTAM; WUFI; indoor air quality performance; moisture performance; thermal comfort performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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