Impact of Typical Faults Occurring in Demand-controlled Ventilation on Energy and Indoor Environment in a Nordic Climate

Abstract

This study evaluates typical faults occurring in demand-controlled ventilation (DCV) system and the impact on three output results: energy use, thermal comfort, and indoor air quality. The methodologies used in this study were qualitative interviews of selected Norwegian Heating Ventilation Air Condition (HVAC) system experts and numerical modeling using the building performance simulation tool IDA ICE. The faults deduced from the qualitative interviews were modeled as the fault's different consequences to account for a large variety of faults. With a Norwegian school classroom as a case study, a local approach applying a one-at-a-time (OAT) simulation was used to perform an analysis of the extreme fault conditions that can occur. The results from the fault modeling demonstrated that greater attention is needed to avoid faults in the HVAC systems due to its impact on the indoor environment quality and energy efficiency of buildings.

Effect of demand-controlled ventilation strategies on indoor air pollutants in a classroom: A Norwegian case study

“…When CO2 exceeds 500 ppm and/or room temperature exceeds 23 °C, ventilation rates are increased above Vmin by opening dampers. An optimizer system adjusts the fan power to achieve demanded airflow rates with as low duct pressure as possible [12].…”