United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Air and Energy Engineering
Research Laboratory
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
Research and Development
EPA/600/SR-94/180 November 1994
EPA Project Summary
Ventilation Research:
A Review of Recent
Indoor Air Quality Literature
Douglas W. VanOsdell
The objective of this literature review
was to survey and summarize recent
and ongoing research into indoor air
quality (lAQ)-related ventilation topics.
This Project Summary was developed
by EPA's Air and Energy Engineering
Research Laboratory, Research Triangle
Park, NC, to announce key findings of
the research project that is fully docu-
mented in a separate report of the same
title (see Project Report ordering infor-
mation at back).
Purpose
This review was undertaken for two rea-
sons:
1. to investigate and evaluate the pos-
sibilities, capabilities, and limitations
of ventilation and ventilation sys-
tems as a means to improve IAQ,
and
2. to recommend for consideration
those areas of ventilation research
that might prove helpful in solving
the IAQ problem in commercial and
other buildings.
General Description
The review showed that there are three
general types of IAQ research activities
currently under way:
1. basic laboratory investigations into
the characteristics of sources and
processes that influence IAQ,
2. applied engineering research into
transport, dispersion, control de-
vices, control strategies, and costs,
and
3. surveys and evaluations of the en-
ergy/economic impact of IAQ and
communication of research results
to users.
The ventilation research encompassed
by the scope of this review largely falls in
the second category. This broad category
of IAQ applied engineering research is
reviewed within the following framework:
1. Pollutant Transport—from source to
building envelope boundary (disper-
sion/wind transport) to entry into
the envelope (heating, ventilation,
and air conditioning (HVAC), infil-
tration, and doors/windows),
2. Air Cleaner Research—in-duct air
cleaners, in-room air cleaners, and
radon control by particle capture,
3. Diffuser Research—room airflow
and pollutant dispersion, fundamen-
tal source/sink transport, and jet/
diffuser flow,
4. Single-Room Flow and Dispersion—
single rooms and macromodels,
5. Building HVAC Flow and Disper-
sion—multizone buildings and
macromodels, schools, hospitals,
and other special buildings,
6. HVAC/Building Design, Operation,
and Control— HVAC system design
and selection, innovative ventilation
delivery designs such as ventilated
workstations, personally controlled
ventilation systems, displacement
ventilation, demand-controlled ven-
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tilation, and energy recovery sys-
tems,
7. Applied Biocontaminant Research—
principles of microbiological reduc-
tion and control,
8. Building Performance—evaluation
and measurement of air exchange
rate, ventilation effectiveness, and
interzonal transfers.
The review included appropriate litera-
ture citations for the past 5 years. It also
captured current information from research
programs from the American Society of
Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Condition-
ing Engineers (ASHRAE), the Department
of Energy (DOE), and the National Insti-
tute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Review Findings and
Reccommendations
The review led to the following research
recommendations:
1. Pollutant Transport—there are
many important areas of concern in
the pollutant transport research
topic; however.the area of building
infiltration seems to be understud-
ied.
The need arises from the fact that infil-
tration air can become contaminated by
building materials or by materials of mi-
crobiological origin. Little research has
been conducted in this area.
Another area of concern is the effect of
wind pressure fields on building ventila-
tion in general and outdoor air exchange
rates.
2. Air Cleaner Research—the perfor-
mance of air cleaners should be
evaluated with tests that provide
HVAC system designers the
needed information to specify air
cleaners and reliably predict their
performance.
Standard air cleaner test methods for
both particle and gas-phase contaminants
need to be developed.
3. Diffuser Research—development of
improved models of diffuser flow
(particularly for cold-air distribution
systems) and the impact of diffuser
design on ventilation effectiveness
is a very useful research topic.
4. Single-Room Flow and Dispersion—
a primary knowledge gap that ex-
ists appears to be experimental
measurements that can be used to
evaluate the many available com-
putational flow dynamics (CFD)
models.
5. Building HVAC Flow and Disper-
sion—the most important need ap-
pears to be improved measurement
techniques, including the develop-
ment of standardized methods.
Development of such methods
would encourage their use, ensure
a supply of consistent data for
model development, and increase
the overall amount of performance
data available. These data could
be used to validate and improve
CFD computer models.
6. HVAC/Building Design, Operation,
and Control— an important need ap-
pears to be in gathering and orga-
nizing what is known about design-
ing buildings and choosing HVAC
systems to ensure good IAQ.
This information would then be commu-
nicated to the building industry. A good
approach would be to use a cost and
energy modeling simulation program to
determine the best energy/cost/IAQ de-
sign for HVAC systems used in different
types of buildings located in various cli-
mates and with varying space usage.
A systematic investigation of the perfor-
mance, costs, and benefits (including en-
ergy impact) of standard and innovative
ventilation schemes would allow design-
ers to make early use of these technolo-
gies if they prove worthy.
7. Applied Biocontamination Re-
search—there are two areas of con-
cern with this topic: strengthened
HVAC maintenance practices, need
to be strengthened, possibly
through education or maintenance
standards, and basic research into
the conditions and materials that
affect microbial growth in HVAC
systems.
8. Building Performance—as with the
air distribution category, the primary
research needs for building perfor-
mance evaluation are for improved
sensors and measurement tech-
niques, and a standardized evalua-
tion protocol.
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D.W. VanOsdell is with Research Triangle Institute, P.O. Box 12194, Research
Triangle Park, NC 27709-2194.
Russell N. Kulp is the EPA Project Officer (see below).
The complete report, entitled "Ventilation Research: A Review of Recent Indoor Air
Quality Literature," (Order No. PB95-129086/AS; Cost: $19.50; subject to
change) will be available only from:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Telephone: 703-487-4650
The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at:
Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
Center for Environmental Research Information
Cincinnati, OH 45268
Official Business
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EPA/600/SR-94/180
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