Evaluating the Effects of Sealing Quality on Gas Leakage Rates During Structural Fumigation by Pressurization Testing and CFD Simulations
In this study, pressurization tests were conducted to quantify gas-tightness of the Hal Ross Flour Mill at Kansas State University, which was sealed at three sealing qualities, i.e., fully sealed, partially sealed, and non-sealed. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of the mill was then constructed. Based on the building gas-tightness levels obtained from the pressurization tests, several sulfuryl fluoride fumigations were simulated to study sensitivities of the half-loss time (HLT) and concentration × time (Ct) product of the mill as affected by sealing quality, and wind and buoyancy forces. The HLT of the fully sealed simulation case was at least two to three times greater than that of the partially and non-sealed cases, respectively. The Ct product results followed a similar trend. The results of this study emphasized the importance of the pressurization test as a useful tool for quantification of building gas-tightness and for prediction of expected HLT and Ct product of a subsequent structural fumigation.