NIST multizone modeling website
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Multizone Modeling of Three Residential Indoor Air Quality Control Options
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) performed a preliminary study of the use of central forced-air heating and cooling system modifications to control indoor air quality (IAW) in residential buildings. The objective of the effort was to provide insight into the use of state-of-the-art multizone airflow and IAQ models to evaluate such modifications, the potential of these modifications to mitigate residential IAW problems, the pollutant sources they are most likely to impact, and their potential limitations. The multizone airflow and pollutant transport program CONTAM93 was used to simulate the pollutant concentrations due to a variety of sources in eight buildings with typical HVAC systems under different weather conditions. Three indoor air quality control technologies were incorporated into the house models to determine their effectiveness in controlling the modeled pollutant sources. The technologies include the following: electrostatic particulate filtration, heat recovery ventilation, and an outdoor air intake damper on the forced-air system return.
Selecting representative climate stations for use in a building energy model
An energy impacts model is being refined to support ongoing development of major energy conservation standards for US commercial buildings. When completed, the model will be used to evaluate potential impacts (energy savings and associated costs) of implementing the proposed standards. To work as intended, the model must contain a set of climate stations to represent the wide range of climatic conditions that occur across the United States. Researchers developed a procedure that employs a user-selectable climate database (1) to objectively identify, using a clustering technique, a unique set of climate zones for a specified geographical area, and (2) to specify the single most representative station for each climate zone. The process provides a more objective, technically sound basis for selecting climate zones and stations, thereby minimizing researcher bias. The procedure and its application to US energy conservation standards development activities are described in this paper.