Simulation of ventilation effects on indoor radon in a detached house

• CFD is widely used in indoor air quality, air flow pattern, indoor pollutant distribution and thermal comfort as a cost effective and powerful tool and it can be used to predict, estimate and visualize the indoor radon level. The intention of this article is to use computational fluid dynamics (CFD), as a standalone tool to simulate indoor radon distribution and ventilation effects. This technique can be used to predict and visualize radon content and indoor air quality throughout a one family detached house in Stockholm. In this study a mechanical balanced ventilation system and a continuous radon monitor (CRM) were also used to measure the indoor ventilation rate and radon levels. In numerical approach the FLUENT, CFD package was used to simulate radon entry into the building and ventilation effects. Results of numerical study indicated that indoor pressure made by means of ventilation systems and infiltration through door or window has significant effects on indoor radon content. It is observed that the location of vents can affect the indoor radon level, particularly in breathing (seating) zone. The analytic solution is used to validate numeric results at 3 distinct air change rates. The comparison amongst analytical, numerical and measurement results shows close agreement.

Keyword

Balanced Ventilation

CFD

Numerical modeling

Radon mitigation

Residential buildings

Simulation

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)