Researchers involved in studying problems concerning the built-up environment face an objective complexity, of easy instrumental evaluation, and a subjective complexity which is psycho-physiological concerning human beings with different individual reactions to the same exposure conditions.
In this paper, a part of the results of a study realised in Chambéry to develop the use of solar energy in small and medium European cities is presented. This analysis is based on the evaluation of the solar potential of the city, then a balance of saved
The influence of air humidification in aircraft, on perception of cabin air quality among airline crew was investigated in that study. In-flight investigations were performed on eight intercontinental flights with a Boeing 767 : four of them were performed with the air humidification device turned on when going and turned off in the opposite direction. The other four flight had the inverse humidification sequence. The results of measurements are presented along with the analysis of the questionnaires submitted to the crew.
For that study, a subsample of 396 Chinese rural households were monitored. The results of the measurements showed that for nearly all household stoves or fuel groupings, PM4 levels were much higher than the national PM10 standard for indoor air. It relies on unprocessed solid fuels that emit substantial pollution into the household environment.
Improved stoves exist but are still not at levels that meet standards, and very often other unimproved stoves are present in the kitchen.
For that paper, the flow field and the emission field of VOCs from the surface of building materials in a FLEC (Field and Laboratory Emission Cell) cavity are investigated by 3D CFD analysis. Emission phenomena controlled by internal diffusion, or by external diffusion, or by mixed diffusion are studied. The results and conclusions are presented.
This paper demonstrates how to use the inverse CFD model with the quasi-reversability equation and numerical scheme for the identification of gaseous contaminant sources in a two-dimensional aircraft cabin and in a three-dimensional office. That method is very useful to find where, what and how contamination has happened. The results are presented.
For the building project of the skilled nursing facility at the Washington veterans home in Washington state, natural ventilation with a complementary mechanical system has been chosen. The mechanical system features, energy efficiency, indoor air quality and thermal comfort, additional sustainable features are presented along with effective solutions. For the design team, staying focused on sustainability and quality of life issues was vital.
For that study, two tests were conducted to study the effects of HVAC system operation on contaminant uptake and distribution : two scenarios of tracer gas experiments were performed on an existing building simulating an external release. For the first experiment there was no action by the building controls. For the second one the outside air-handling unit was shut off along with the closing of the outside air damper, simultaneously with the beginning of release. The results are presented. Several additional operational issues should be addressed.
In this paper, the costs of asthma are analyzed ( the direct medical costs, the absenteism) and home environmental interventions to reduce asthma triggers are presented : mechanical methods that are effective both in reducing allergen loads and educational methods for asthmatic children and their parents. The combination of interventions has proven cost effective in studies that have employed them.
This article deals with the perception of locally applied airflow from personalized ventilation air terminal devices by tropically acclimatized people. During the experiments, 24 subjects (male and female) were exposed to local airflow from the front and towards the face at six air velocities (from 0.15 up to 0.9 m/s), at ambient temperatures of 26 C and 23.5 C and local air temperatures of
26 C, 23.5 C and 21 C. During each combination that was maintained during 15 minutes, the subjects responded to questionnaires on their thermal and draft sensations.
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