This work investigated the impact of the HVAC filtration system and indoor particle sources on the relationship between indoor and outdoor airborne particle size and concentrations in an operating room. Filters with efficiency between 65% and 99.97% were used in the investigation and indoor and outdoor particle size and concentrations were measured. A balance mass model was used for the simulation of the impact of the surgical team, deposition rate, HVAC exhaust and air change rates on indoor particle concentration. The experimental results showed that high efficiency filters would not be expected to decrease the risk associated with indoor particles larger than approximately 1 mm in size because normal filters are relatively efficient for these large particles. A good fraction of outdoor particles were removed by deposition on the HVAC system surfaces and this deposition increased with particle size. For particles of 0.3-0.5 mm in diameter, particle reduction was about 23%, while for particles 410 mm the loss was about 78%. The modelling results showed that depending on the type of filter used, the surgical team generated between 93% and 99% of total particles, while the outdoor air contributed only 1-6%.
Thermal comfort conditions may vary substantially within an air-conditioned room equipped by split-type systems. In this work, the comfort conditions in a classroom were evaluated experimentally based on the PMV index, according to ISO 7730 Standard that defines the thermal satisfaction in occupied environments. The experiment was carried out at three different supply airflows (high, medium and low) and three set-point temperatures (23, 24 and 25°C). The results showed that there is a considerable variation in the air velocity field in the room as well as in the PMV values for three different supply airflows, consequently significant changes of thermal comfort indices can be noticed. Several curves were adjusted aiming to express the values of PMV, deriving a simplified comfort index for rooms conditioned by split-type systems based on dry-bulb air temperature and air speed. The purpose of this adjustment is to obtain an equation that provides the value of the comfort index for cooling purposes. Thus, for a certain condition of use, one can predict what will be the value of PMV in an occupied environment, enabling the implementation of a control system of the comfort according to this new index (ICS). The variables considered in obtaining the curve were the air temperature (Tar) and the air velocity (Var), since these two variables can be controlled directly by the split-type system. The general purpose of this work is to provide experimental data for the development of a low-cost device to automatically control ICS-based thermal comfort in a space conditioned by a split-type system through a single and representative point within the classroom.
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