RII Track-4: Event Based Approach to Model Indoor Airflow Patterns

Clemson University, Clemson SC

Investigators

Abstract

Nontechnical Description Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a major environmental health issue, as we spend up to 90% of our time indoors. Experimental assessment of IAQ is not always feasible and is very expensive. As a result, engineers and building scientists employ computer simulations to model the movement of indoor air and contaminants. These simulations, however, are severely limited by their computational intensity. This fellowship will enable the PI to develop a new approximation methodology for modeling indoor air patterns. This approach is called Event Based Modeling (EBM). The PI will collaborate with colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) to develop and validate the EBM approach in the Building Science Lab at UC Berkeley, which is among the largest university laboratories in the world. A successful development of EBM will result in method to optimize building energy consumption while improving air quality. Providing clean air in hospitals is crucial as pathogens can be transported through air, leading to healthcare associated infection (HAI). In the United States, HAIs cost between $35- $45 billion and claim 90,000 lives each year. EBM will be a new tool for designing hospitals that are safe and efficient. This research will support dissemination of this new knowledge in the classroom, where the future generation of designers is educated. Technical Description The goal of this project is to develop a new and innovative methodology called the event-based modeling (EBM) approach to simulate airflow patterns for realistic human-environment interactions. EBM can provide a path to simulate complex, random human-environment interactions that are pragmatically impossible to solve using current approaches. The PI will investigate the validity, characterize a range of applicability, and determine the practical limitations of EBM. The fellowship will take place in the Center for the Built Environment (CBE) at the University of California, Berkeley in collaboration with internationally recognized building scientists. The fellowship will provide an opportunity for the PI to conduct experiments in an environmental chamber that allows control over the levels of temperature, humidity, and ventilation. This project will advance the knowledge of indoor air modeling by: (1) developing a new approximation approach (i.e., EBM) to air movement in the indoor environment; (2) testing the accuracy and validity of the approach; and (3) characterizing circumstances under which this approach may be utilized. This work has the potential to transform the future of research on transient indoor airflow patterns. An accurate assessment of indoor air quality improves our quality of life. EBM will transform the current approach to building ventilation design by enabling just enough air to be conditioned and distributed to where it is needed, thus saving energy. A promising application of the proposed work is in hospitals where controlling airborne disease transmission is critical. Using the event-based modeling approach, smart air control systems could be designed to improve healthcare outcomes. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.