Mould-Growth Study in Building Materials Exposed to Warm and Humid Climate Using Heat and Mass Transfer (HAMT) EnergyPlus Simulation Method

Shoumik Desai, Naga Venkata Sai Kumar Manapragada, Anoop Kumar Shukla and Gloria Pignatta
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Shoumik Desai: NITTE Institute of Architecture, Mangalore (NITTE DU), Mangaluru 575018, Karnataka, India
Naga Venkata Sai Kumar Manapragada: Manipal School of Architecture and Planning, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal 576104, Karnataka, India
Anoop Kumar Shukla: Manipal School of Architecture and Planning, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal 576104, Karnataka, India
Gloria Pignatta: School of Built Environment, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 14, 1-28

Abstract: Commercial energy consumption currently accounts for 8.6% of the total national energy consumption in India and it is predicted to surge in upcoming years. To tackle this issue, building envelope insulation is being promoted through codes and standards to reduce the cooling and heating demand and hence reduce the overall energy demand. However, with prolonged exposure to humid ambient conditions in warm-humid locations, building materials undergo decay in their hygrothermal properties, which induces mould growth and increases the energy that is needed to tackle the latent cooling load. Mould growth, in turn, harms the occupant and building health. Therefore, this study attempts to evaluate the mould-growth index (MGI) in the coastal city of Mangalore, Karnataka, India using the heat and mass transfer (HAMT) model. The MGI for one autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) wall assembly in a representative commercial building has been studied by integrating EnergyPlus through the Python plugin. The simulated results suggest that the annual mean MGI for the AAC assembly is 3.5 and that mould growth will cover about 30–70% of the surface area. Furthermore, it was concluded that surface temperature, surface humidity, and solar radiation are key parameters for mould growth on the surface of a material.

Keywords: HAMT model; mould-growth index (MGI); commercial buildings; numerical simulations; indoor dampness; water content; hygrothermal properties; insulation; building materials; Mangalore (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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