Airbase publication

The current development in building energy efficiency towards nearly-zero energy buildings (nZEB) represents a number of new challenges to design and construction. One of the major new challenges is the increased need for cooling arising in these highly insulated and airtight buildings. The cooling demand depends less on the outdoor temperature, and more on solar radiation and internal heat gains. This naturally gives better potential for the use of ventilative cooling technologies, because the cooling need is not only in summer, but actually all year round. 

This project deals with reviewing EBC's Annex 5: "Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre" activities & contributions on the occasion of the project's 40^th year of operation. 

The objective of this project is to disseminate information on the activities & key work delivered in the framework of the AIVC over the last 40 years.

Approach:

The Proceedings of the 39th AIVC Conference "Smart Ventilation for Buildings", held in Antibes Juan-Les-Pins, France, on 18-19 September 2018.

The Presentations at the 39th AIVC Conference "Smart Ventilation for Buildings", held in Antibes Juan-Les-Pins, France, on 18-19 September 2018.

In the design of a commercial kitchen ventilation system, it is very important to maintain the capture efficiency of exhaust hoods and ensure smooth removal of heat, moisture, and odor. The capture efficiency is affected by the kitchen ventilation system and the cooking appliance usage condition. To identify an appropriate ventilation system design method for commercial kitchens in Japan, surveys were conducted as follows. 

Use of Demand Controlled ventilation (DCV) can potentially save more than 50% of energy use for ventilation purposes compared to constant air volume (CAV) ventilation. Correct and updated calculation of preset minimum (Vmin) and maximum (Vmax) airflow rates are important to maximize energy saving and to ensure good indoor quality. Furthermore, earlier studies have shown that controlling units' ability to actually handle V min is lacking and causes instability in the DCV systems 

The European Commission’s Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME)  manages parts of the Horizon 2020 framework programme for research, innovation and market uptake (2014-2020), including for energy efficiency in the buildings sector. The Agency supports projects under this programme and ensures that their results are fed to policymaking teams within the European Commission.  

Exposures to elevated concentrations of airborne fine particulate matter with diameter ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5) have been linked to multiple negative health effects. Investigations into PM2.5 exposures primarily focus on external concentrations, which are easier to monitor. However, there is a growing interest in indoor exposures, as people spend up to 70% of their time at home, concentrations in dwellings may have a greater influence on personal exposures.

Cooking can be a major source of exposure to particulate matter. Range hoods can be used to reduce odours, moisture and contaminants resulting from cooking. The capture efficiency with regard to these contaminants is determined by the thermal plume and the aerodynamic properties of the range hood. There is a new ASTM (an international standards organization) test method: ASTM E3087. It measures capture efficiency under specific conditions that permits standardized comparison of range hoods under controlled laboratory conditions.

Cooking is one of the most substantial sources of indoor air pollution in most residences.  This is mitigated most often by exhaust devices located near cooking surfaces.  In this study, we measured the efficacy of one type of kitchen ventilation device: an island overhead kitchen exhaust.  Laboratory tests using tracer gas capture were performed on a full-scale mock-up of a kitchen with a cooktop in an island. The results show that the Capture Efficiency (CE) varies greatly from about 10% to nearly 100%.