Numerical simulation of ventilation strategies to improve indoor air quality at affordable nursing homes in severe cold regions

Abstract

The transformation of family structure in China has resulted in a surge in the demand for elderly care, as seniors are always frail and unable to tend to their own needs. Consequently, it is imperative that nursing homes provide a secure indoor environment. To this end, sophisticated instruments or national standard methods had been employed to measure indoor environmental parameters, while objective questionnaire interviews targeting the elderly had been conducted during the winter of 2021. The findings revealed a temperature differential of 3.5°C between north- and south-facing rooms. An average indoor concentration of formaldehyde (HCHO) of 0.025 mg/m³ with PM_2.5 and CO₂ concentrations remaining within acceptable limits. Furthermore, senior citizens expressed greater concern regarding indoor temperature, humidity levels, sunlight exposure and ventilation quality. Based on the research findings, computational fluid dynamics tools were employed to simulate and optimize ventilation in an existing nursing home. Natural ventilation and simple mechanical ventilation were proposed as practical approaches to fulfil the health and comfort requirements of elderly residents. The outcomes offer programmatic and data support for comprehending indoor environments in nursing homes located in severely cold regions, as well as for retrofitting indoor ventilation systems in economically viable existing nursing facilities.