Optimization of COVID-19 prevention and control with low building energy consumption

Hu, Tingrui; Jin, Ying; Fei, Fan; Zhu, Min; Jin, Tianyi; Xue, Peng; Zhang, Nan

doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.109233

Cited by 17 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…The traditional Wells-Riley equation was widely used to assess the infection risks of RIDs with limitations (Pang et al 2022). Therefore, a modified version with the addition of a time attenuation factor was applied (Hu et al 2022b) in this study, and the number of secondary infections, R 0 , can be estimated by Eq. ( 7),…”

Section: Objective 2: Mitigating the Infection Risk In The Rid Scenariomentioning

confidence: 99%

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Multi-objective optimization of mechanical ventilation with the aid of purifiers in two scenarios: Regular operation and mitigating the spread of respiratory infectious diseases

Fan

Zhi

et al. 2023

Build. Simul.

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COVID-19 and its impact on society have raised concerns about scaling up mechanical ventilation (MV) systems and the energy consequences. This paper attempted to combine MV and portable air cleaners (PACs) to achieve acceptable indoor air quality (IAQ) and energy reduction in two scenarios: regular operation and mitigating the spread of respiratory infectious diseases (RIDs). We proposed a multi-objective optimization method that combined the NSGA-II and TOPSIS techniques to determine the total equivalent ventilation rate of the MV-PAC system in both scenarios. The concentrations of PM 2.5 and CO 2 were primary indicators for IAQ. The modified Wells-Riley equation was adopted to predict RID transmissions. An open office with an MV-PAC system was used to demonstrate the method’s applicability. Meanwhile, a field study was conducted to validate the method and evaluate occupants’ perceptions of the MV-PAC system. Results showed that optimal solutions of the combined system can be obtained based on various IAQ requirements, seasons, outdoor conditions, etc. For regular operation, PACs were generally prioritized to maintain IAQ while reducing energy consumption even when outdoor PM 2.5 concentration was high. MV can remain constant or be reduced at low occupancies. In RID scenarios, it is possible to mitigate transmissions when the quanta were < 48 h −1 . No significant difference was found in the subjective perception of the MV and PACs. Moreover, the effects of infiltration on the optimal solution can be substantial. Nonetheless, our results suggested that an MV-PAC system can replace the MV system for offices for daily use and RID mitigation. Electronic Supplementary Material (ESM) The Appendix is available in the online version of this article at 10.1007/s12273-023-0999-z.

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Section: Objective 2: Mitigating the Infection Risk In The Rid Scenariomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(1) heating and cooling energy consumption for introducing fresh air, E AC , consumed by the air conditioning (AC) system (Zhao et al 2018); (2) power consumption of the MV system, E MV , which was estimated based on Hu et al (2022b);…”

Section: Objective 3: Reducing Operational Consumption In Both Scenariosmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-objective optimization of mechanical ventilation with the aid of purifiers in two scenarios: Regular operation and mitigating the spread of respiratory infectious diseases

Fan

Zhi

et al. 2023

Build. Simul.

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“…In [39], the authors assess the energy, economic, and environmental impacts of enhanced ventilation strategies in railway coaches using the Wells-Riley model on a real train as a case study. The work in [40] analyses optimization strategies to reduce energy consumption while meeting the demands of epidemic prevention, also using the Wells-Riley model, in several reference-building typologies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving the Indoor Air Quality of Office Buildings in the Post-Pandemic Era—Impact on Energy Consumption and Costs

D’Agostino,

Minelli,

Minichiello

et al. 2024

Energies

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Before the COVID-19 pandemic, ventilation in buildings was not always given its due importance. The World Health Organization has highlighted the important role of air exchange with the outdoors in improving the air quality in buildings; buildings should, therefore, be equipped with mechanical ventilation or adequate air conditioning systems. This paper aims to investigate different retrofit solutions for air conditioning, evaluating them in terms of energy consumption and cost and the impact of increased outdoor air exchange rates on countering the propagation of COVID-19; the latter is the main novelty of the paper. As a case study, we take an existing office building located in Central Italy that was previously not equipped with a mechanical ventilation system (a system with primary air was introduced during the study). The energy analysis was conducted using dynamic simulation software after validation through energy bills; energy and economic analyses were conducted considering different external-air exchange rates. An optimal number of outdoor air changes was found to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 infection, a finding in line with the international literature. The increase in air changes with outdoor air leads to a rise in energy consumption and costs. These values were evaluated for different air conditioning systems and operational schedules. These drawbacks can be made less significant by combining interventions in the system with energy-efficiency measures applied to the building envelope.

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“…[ [5] , [6] , [7] ]. However, its impact on the buildings’ energy demand is remarkable [ 8 ]. For such a reason, a trade-off is usually made, when designing HVAC systems, between outdoor air ventilation rates (and thus Indoor Air Quality level – IAQ) and energy consumption.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New ventilation design criteria for energy sustainability and indoor air quality in a post Covid-19 scenario

Buonomano

Forzano

Giuzio

et al. 2023

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

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Optimization of COVID-19 prevention and control with low building energy consumption

Cited by 17 publications

References 44 publications

Multi-objective optimization of mechanical ventilation with the aid of purifiers in two scenarios: Regular operation and mitigating the spread of respiratory infectious diseases

Multi-objective optimization of mechanical ventilation with the aid of purifiers in two scenarios: Regular operation and mitigating the spread of respiratory infectious diseases

Improving the Indoor Air Quality of Office Buildings in the Post-Pandemic Era—Impact on Energy Consumption and Costs

New ventilation design criteria for energy sustainability and indoor air quality in a post Covid-19 scenario

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