Implementing volatile organic compounds in CONTAM for assessment purposes : a review

Today’s common demand controlled ventilation systems lower the ventilation airflow rate based on real-time CO2 and H2O measurements. Both ventilation system design and the Belgian assessment method for such systems, based on Monte-Carlo simulations, only consider these two comfort parameters. The health aspect of indoor air quality is thereby overlooked. A first step towards adding this aspect is the addition of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). As part of this research, eight different methods to model VOC emission and behavior in the airflow simulation software CONTAM are discussed: two methods to model event-based emissions, five methods to model continuous VOC emissions and one additional method to model sorption behavior. The overview illustrates the lack of an adequate, ready-to-use method that can be used to update the simulation based assessment method. Two methods (.CVF and TCP/IP) hold the potential to be used for this purpose but need to be further investigated.Today’s common demand controlled ventilation systems lower the ventilation airflow rate based on real-time CO2 and H2O measurements. Both ventilation system design and the Belgian assessment method for such systems, based on Monte-Carlo simulations, only consider these two comfort parameters. The health aspect of indoor air quality is thereby overlooked. A first step towards adding this aspect is the addition of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). As part of this research, eight different methods to model VOC emission and behavior in the airflow simulation software CONTAM are discussed: two methods to model event-based emissions, five methods to model continuous VOC emissions and one additional method to model sorption behavior. The overview illustrates the lack of an adequate, ready-to-use method that can be used to update the simulation based assessment method. Two methods (.CVF and TCP/IP) hold the potential to be used for this purpose but need to be further investigated.P