Protecting valuable records.

Providing safe storage for documents and documentary records within new and existing buildings is a problem faced by many building designers and owners/managers. This Bulletin sets out the common causes of damage and the specific storage criteria for commonly used documents and documentary records, as well as outlining methods to satisfy these criteria.      

Low frequency noise assessment metrics - what do we know?

The issue of sound quality in offices and other occupied spaces has been of continuing interest since the 1950s. Existing assessment methods do not adequately account for the Low-frequency background sound ( < 250 Hz) produced by operating heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, in particular, Low-frequency rumble. This paper discusses the results of ASHRAE-sponsored research in which more than 75 HVAC noise samples were collected, normalized, and categorized in terms of sound quality.

Fan and ventilation duct noise in submarines.

Fans and their associated ventilation ducts are amongst the major sources of airborne noise encountered within a submarine. Health & Safety Standards require that the ship's crew are not exposed to unnecessary high levels of noise and have a suitable environment free from intrusive noise in order to work and rest. The problem with noise emitted from fans and ducts in submarines can be categorised as follows:

Sound attenuation in long enclosures.

An intensive review indicates that among the existing formulae on the sound attenuation in long enclosures, only the geometrical reflection model seems relatively practical. Computations with this model show the following for rectangular long enclosures: with a larger cross-sectional size the relative attenuation from a given section is less but the absolute attenuation with reference to the source power is greater; the efficiency of absorbers is higher when there is less absorption; and obtain a higher attenuation, the absorbers should be evenly arranged in a section.

Designing HVAC systems for optimum indoor air quality.

HVAC system designs must address both high indoor air quality as well as energy efficiency as the awareness of and demand for proper air quality increases. Economic considerations such as installation and operating costs have impaired many conventional system designs to the point of compromised indoor air quality. This paper discusses many HVAC design parameters that arc critical to achieving adequate indoor air quality.

Regional and national estimates of the potential energy use, energy cost and CO2 emissions associated with radon mitigation by sub-slab depressurization.

Active sub-slab depressurization (SSD) systems are an effective means of reducing indoor radon concentrations in residential buildings. However, energy is required to operate the system fan and to heat or cool the resulting increased building ventilation. We present  regional and national estimates of the energy requirements, operating expenses and C02 emissions associated with using SSD systems at saturation (i.e. in all US homes with radon concentrations above the EPA remediation guideline and either basement or slab-on-grade construction) .

Sensory pollution and microbial contamination of ventilation filters.

The sensory pollution load and microbial contamination of glass-fibre filters at high and low relative humidity were investigated in an experimental set-up in the laboratory. Dust and particles from the outdoor air were collected in two EU7 glass-fibre filters for a pre-conditioning period of 16-18 weeks during which there was a constant airflow with a velocity of 1.9 m/s through the filters. One of the filters was exposed to outdoor air of approximately 40% relative humidity and 10°C, the other to outdoor air of approximately 80% relative humidity and S0 C.

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