Predicted and Measured Air Exchange Rates PDF

Reports measurements of air exchange rates in 10 Kuwait residential buildings according to US ASTM E741-83 standard, which is a tracer gas technique. SF6 was used as the tracer gas. Air exchange rates were predicted based on the characteristics of the HVAC system, openings (such as windows), leakage areas, pertaining average wind speed, average indoor/outdoor temperature difference and wind and stack coefficients. Finds that when coefficients recommended in the literature were used, predicted air exchange rates consistently exceeded those obtained from tracer measurements by about 34%. In the light of this, notes the need for a modified procedure to predict accurately the air exchange rate of tightly controlled residential buildings in this region.