Measurement of Air Exchange Rates in Residential and Commercial Buildings in the Northwest: Techniques and Results

摘要

In a study of air exchange rates in commercial and residential buildings, several techniques were employed to measure the air exchange: analysis of sulfur hexafluoride tracer gas decay using a portable gas chromatograph; analysis of carbon monoxide decay using a continuous infrared analyzer; analysis of nitrogen oxides decay using a continuous oxides of nitrogen analyzer; and analysis of perfluorocarbon tracer (PFT) gas using a programmable automatic sampler, and a passive capillary tube sampler. Using sulfur hexafluoride tracer gas with real-time chromatography was the most labor-intensive method, requiring constant attention for several hours; whereas, analyzing the decay of PFT tracer gas using small capillary tubes required little setup time and virtually no attention. However, the analysis of tracer gas captured by the capillary tubes was difficult and was performed using special analysis equipment. The air exchange rate measured in the commercial buildings ranged from 5 to 0.04 air changes per hour (ACH) depending on the type of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Air exchange in the residential structures ranged from about 1 ACH to about 0.3 ACH. 6 refs., 5 tabs., 3 figs. (ERA citation 10:037014)