Fluctuating airflow may strongly influence the real air exchange rate when using natural ventilation, resulting in a larger "effective" air exchange rate than the "mean" air exchange rate calculated by conventional methods (i.e., the network method). To study the effective air exchange rate during natural ventilation under conditions of actual use, this study proposes a simple model that accounts for fluctuating airflow. The model assumes that the airflow near a building opening fluctuates regularly and velocity is assumed to have either a square or sine wave pattern. Our analysis shows that the effective air exchange rate is larger when accounting for fluctuating airflow. This suggests that the mean air exchange rate should not be calculated without consideration of real airflow fluctuations.
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