Toward an Understanding and Prediction of Air Flow in Buildings
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Toward an Understanding and Prediction of Air Flow in Buildings by Joseph William Lstiburek A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Graduate Studies University of Toronto © Copyright by Joseph William Lstiburek, 2000 Toward an Understanding and Prediction of Air Flow in Buildings Abstract Toward an Understanding and Prediction of Air Flow in Buildings Doctor of Philosophy, 2000 Joseph William Lstiburek Civil Engineering University of Toronto This thesis makes two fundamental arguments in the analysis of air flow in buildings: • buildings are complex three dimensional air flow networks driven by complex air pressure relationships; and • the key to understanding air flow in buildings is the building air pressure field. Under standard building analysis, interstitial air flow and interstitial air pressure fields are not often considered and exterior and interior walls, floors, and roof assemblies are either considered as monolithic or having openings resulting in flow across the specific assemblies. Buildings comprise multi-layer envelope assemblies with numerous air gaps or void spaces that are often connected to service chases. As a result, complex three dimensional flow paths and intricate air pressure relationships must be considered. The standard approaches to analysis concentrate on difficult or impossible to measure parameters – air flows and component leakage areas. This typically results in large inaccuracies in the prediction of building performance. This thesis shows that the building air pressure field is readily measurable, the building air flow field is not. This thesis argues that the building air flow field should be developed from the building air pressure field – not the other way around as in standard building analysis. By developing the flow field, the leakage areas and the flow relationships from the measured building pressure field, interstitial air pressure fields and resulting interstitial air flows are accounted for. In addition, this approach provides a powerful diagnostic tool for identifying many of the problems related to direct and indirect effects of air flows. ii Toward an Understanding and Prediction of Air Flow in Buildings The measured building air pressure field can be used with network analysis to solve the building flow and leakage regime as an alternative to using estimated or measured leakage areas and measured air flows to solve the building air pressure and flow regime. This inverse method of using pressures as inputs rather than leakage areas is calibrated by perturbing both the building and analytical model. The perturbation results in a pressure response unique to the building. This pressure response is used to apportion flows and leakage areas in the network analytical model thereby increasing the accuracy and the range of applicability of the model. iii Toward an Understanding and Prediction of Air Flow in Buildings Acknowledgements I would like to thank my advisors Professor John Timusk and Professor Kim Pressnail for their advice and support. I would also like to thank Neil Moyer and John Tooley – professionally for wrestling with the same questions I faced and personally for their friendship, unselfish help, advice and criticism. I would also like to thank Dr. Colin Olsen, Armin Rudd, Michael Blasnik, David Pennebaker, and Gary Nelson for their tireless assistance in taking field measurements and their helpful review. I particularly would like to thank Dr. Mark Bomberg for his encouragement and support throughout this process. Without Dr. Bomberg’s unbounded enthusiasm it is likely that I would not have completed this work. I would also like to thank Kohta Ueno for his help with the modeling portion of this thesis and for his patience with my computer skills. I would also like to thank Stephanie Menegus for the wonderful graphics in this document. Finally, I would like to thank Gustav Handegord for being a mentor and a role model — you cast a long shadow, my friend. iv Toward an Understanding and Prediction of Air Flow in Buildings Table of Contents Abstract................................................................................................................ii Acknowledgements...............................................................................................iv Table of Contents...................................................................................................v List of Tables and List of Photographs.................................................................vi List of Figures .....................................................................................................vii List of Appendices................................................................................................ix Nomenclature.........................................................................................................x Outline of Thesis ..................................................................................................xi I Introduction Context of the Work to Building Physics..............................................................2 Basis of the Research.............................................................................................4 II Air Flow in Buildings Critical Review of the Literature.............................................................................7 Problem Statement...............................................................................................23 III Air Pressures in Buildings Building Air Pressure Field .................................................................................25 Dynamic Interaction of Component Fields ..........................................................29 HVAC System Effects.........................................................................................39 Relational and Analytic Models for Air Flow in Buildings ..................................50 IV Air Pressure Response Measuring the Air Pressure Fields.......................................................................58 Application of Analytical Models Using New Boundary Conditions...................69 Single Family Residence – Minneapolis House...................................................70 School Facility – Westford Academy ................................................................111 Boundary Conditions for Analytical Macro and Micro Models.........................134 V Practical Applications of the Work Diagnostics and Design.....................................................................................137 Indoor Air Quality .............................................................................................138 Smoke and Fire Spread......................................................................................145 Durability (moisture) .........................................................................................154 Comfort .............................................................................................................160 Operating Cost (energy) ....................................................................................175 VI Conclusions Air Pressure Control..........................................................................................180 Design ...............................................................................................................182 Diagnostics........................................................................................................183 Analysis.............................................................................................................184 Further Research................................................................................................186 References Appendices v Toward an Understanding and Prediction of Air Flow in Buildings List of Tables Table 4.1 Minneapolis House Measured Differential Pressures vs. Calculated Differential Pressures Table 4.2 Minneapolis House Measured Pressures vs. Calculated Pressures Resulting From Imposed Flows Table 4.3 Minneapolis House Dynamic Pressure Response From Imposed Leakage Areas Table 4.4 Minneapolis House Dynamic Pressure Response of Tuned CONTAM96 Analytical Model Table 4.5 Differences in Pressure Response Between Minneapolis House and Tuned CONTAM96 Analytical Model Table 4.6 Minneapolis House Comparisons of Measured Differential Pressures With Calculated Differential Pressures for a Tuned Model and a Standard Model Table 4.7 Minneapolis House Tracer Gas Comparisons Actual vs. Analytical Models • HVAC System Off/Doors Closed Table 4.8 Minneapolis House Tracer Gas Comparisons Actual vs. Analytical Models – HVAC System On/Doors Closed Table 4.9 Westford Academy Measured Differential Pressures vs. Calculated Differential Pressures Table 4.10 Westford Academy Measured Pressures vs. Calculated Pressures Resulting From Imposed Flows Table 4.11 Westford Academy Comparisons of Measured Differential Pressures With Calculated Differential Pressures for a Tuned Model and a Standard Model List of Photographs Photograph 1 Mold Contamination in Hotel Room Photograph 2 Digital Electronic Micromanometer Photograph 3 Multi Channel Digital Micromanometer Photograph 4 Minneapolis House Photograph 5 Westford Academy vi Toward an Understanding and Prediction of Air Flow in Buildings List of Figures Figure 2.1 Two Dimensional Solid Analogue Figure 2.2 Three Dimensional Solid Analogue Figure 2.3 Two Dimensional Single Cell Analogue Figure 2.4 Three Dimensional