Transient Characteristics of VOCs Removal by an Air Cleaner in Association with a Humidifier Combined with Different Ventilation Strategies in an Office

Abstract

This paper investigated the effects of an air cleaner and ventilation strategies on the removal of VOCs in an office in association with the influence of moisture on the air cleaner performance. Here, a transient three dimensional air flow field and concentration distribution of VOCs emitted from a desk were considered. Commercial software FLUENT 6 was utilised to solve the continuity and momentum equations together with the low Reynolds number k-ε turbulence model. Numerical results showed that both the moisture and ventilation strategies have notable impacts on the VOCs concentration distribution. Cases under stronger ventilation take less time for the VOCs concentration to reach the steady state. But, in the cases with the function of the air cleaner, VOCs could be removed more considerably. The combination of the use of the air cleaner and enhanced ventilation strategies could yield more desirable indoor air quality within a relatively short time. The results showed that moisture can have a slight effect on the performance of the air cleaner, but lower moisture would be helpful to the effectiveness of the air cleaner. Thus, based on this work, suitable concentrations of indoor moisture, together with appropriate ventilation strategies have been recommended for control of indoor air quality.

Keywords

Volatile organic compounds Air cleaner CFD Numerical Model Humidity

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