Measurement of building leakage by unsteady pressurisation

The paper describes the development of unsteady pulse pressurisation techniques for measuring the leakage of buildings. The original version of the technique (the UP technique) has been investigated experimentally and theoretically in a single cell test space. The initial results are very promising, with a good degree of repeatability and similar sensitivity to changes in leakage levels as the conventional steady (DC) technique. An interesting outcome of these early tests was the observation that quasi-steady flow could be established in a short time.

The impact of energy efficient refurbishment on the airtightness in english dwellings

Fan-pressurisation method was used to test the air infiltration rate of 191 dwellings in England. All tested homes were either pre or post the introduction of energy efficient retrofit measures such as cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, draught stripping and energy efficient heating system. Results show that the average air infiltration rate of the post dwellings is only marginally lower by 4% compared to the pre dwellings.

Testing a method for the evaluation of the airtightness of ventilation systems in existing buildings

The airtightness of ventilation ductwork is an important element of the global performance of ventilation systems.

Predicting indoor temperature and humidity conditions including hygrothermal interactions with the building envelope

The hygrothermal behavior of the building envelope affects the overall performance of a building. There are numerous tools for the simulation of the heat and moisture transfer in the building envelope and also whole building simulation tools for energy calculations.

Moderating indoor conditions with hygroscopic building materials and outdoor ventilation

This paper contains a numerical study of the indoor temperature, humidity, and comfort and indoor air quality conditions in a bedroom located in Saint Hubert, Belgium. The performance of the bedroom is presented for a range of constant outdoor ventilation rates (0.1 ach to 1 ach) with and

Evaluation of moisture buffer effects by performing whole-building simulations

The humidity of rooms and the moisture conditions of materials in the enclosure of buildings depend much on each other because of the moisture exchange that takes place over the interior surfaces. These moisture influences also depend strongly on the thermal conditions of indoor spaces and enclosure elements of buildings. In turn, the moisture and humidity conditions have significant impact on how buildings are operated.

Validating and improving the delta-Q duct leakage test

The Delta-Q duct leakage test has been developed over the past several years as an improvement to existing duct pressurization tests. It focuses on measuring the air leakage flows to outside at operating conditions that are required for energy loss calculations for duct systems, and infiltration impacts. The Delta-Q test builds on the standard envelope tightness measurement technique of a blower door by repeating the tests with the system air handler off and on. This study uses detailed

Evaluation of two new duct leakage measurement methods in 51 homes

Duct leakage in forced-air distribution systems has been recognized for years as a major source of energy losses in residential buildings. Unfortunately, the distribution of leakage across homes is far from uniform, and measuring duct leakage under normal operating conditions has proven to be difficult.

Characterization of airflows at the exit of registers using laser doppler velocimetry (LDV)

This paper reports the results of fluid flow measurements carried out at the exit of sidewall registers. Time-averaged mean velocity and turbulence (local root mean square velocity fluctuation) profiles were measured at the exit plane of two commonly used 8 in. 4 in. (203 mm 102 mm) sidewall registers.

Field observations of room air distribution performance in a high performance home

The objective of the current investigation was to evaluate the field performance of room air distribution in two rooms of a high-performance (low heating and cooling load) home. Thetwo rooms had similar exterior exposures but had different supply register locations (high sidewall and floor). The impact of normal equipment cycling on the room air distribution performance was also investigated. The performance was evaluated based on room air temperature measurements andthe requirements of ASHRAE Standard 55 (ASHRAE 1992).

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