Acute indoor concentrations of benzene and ethanol were evaluated in the California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo’s pilot winery workroom. Air samples were collected during four different wine-making activities: fermentation, fermentation with Brix content testing, post-alcoholic fermentation pressing, and storage/finishing. Average workroom benzene concentrations ranged from 0.05 to 0.12 mg/m3. Ethanol concentrations in the winery workroom varied with the activity, ranging from 0.9 to 12 mg/m3. Pressing and fermentation with Brix content testing both led to higher indoor ethanol concentrations than fermentation without Brix content testing and storage/finishing. Tracer gas decay air exchange tests were conducted to determine the air exchange rate of the winery workroom. A single-space mass-balance model was used to estimate the air exchange rate for the entire workroom. The calculated air exchange rates were correlated with wind speeds and wind direction to create a linear model estimating air exchange rates based on wind speed. These air exchange rates and the indoor concentrations of ethanol were used with the single-space mass-balance model to calculate an ethanol emission rate for each activity. Total estimated ethanol emissions for the four activities were 3.1 lbs. ethanol per 1000 gallons of wine produced.

[pt] O tema qualidade do ar em ambientes internos é de suma importância para a sociedade devido ao seu impacto na saúde humana, e pela maior permanência de indivíduos em ambientes sem circulação de ar natural. Este trabalho descreve o desenvolvimento de um sistema portátil e de baixo custo para monitoramento de grandezas atmosféricas ligadas à qualidade do ar em ambientes internos, composto por sensores integrados a unidades locais, incluindo um sistema remoto hospedado na nuvem para armazenar os resultados das medições desses sensores. Apresentam-se as diretrizes e documentos normativos e regulatórios relacionados ao tema, além das tecnologias para sensoriamento utilizadas. Após o desenvolvimento e caracterização dos sensores, as unidades foram distribuídas em ambientes universitários com distintas dinâmicas de uso, onde o gradiente espacial das grandezas atmosféricas foi avaliado e analisado segundo os requisitos para qualidade do ar publicados na regulamentação vigente. Com o monitoramento multiparamétrico identificou-se a heterogeneidade da distribuição dos valores das grandezas, dependente da dinâmica de ocupação e das condições de ventilação, especialmente para as concentrações de CO2. Este parâmetro superou os valores recomendados pela agência reguladora em todos os ensaios realizados em sala de aula, e maiores valores mostraram-se fortemente associados à região do espaço mais próxima das vias aéreas superiores dos ocupantes. Os resultados apontam para a importância de monitoramento contínuo e em vários pontos de um plano posicionado a uma distância estratégica do piso, conforme a dinâmica de ocupação e posição média da emissão de gases pelo processo respiratório. / [en] The topic of indoor air quality is of paramount importance to society due to its impact on human health and the increasing number of individuals staying in environments with no natural air circulation. This work describes the development of the system, low-cost and portable, for monitoring atmospheric quantities linked to indoor air quality, composed of sensors integrated into local units, including a remote system hosted in the cloud to store the results of measurements of these sensors. The normative and regulatory guidelines and documents related to the theme are presented, in addition to the sensing technologies used. After the development and characterization of the sensors, the units were distributed in university environments with different dynamics of use, where the spatial gradient of the atmospheric quantities was evaluated and analyzed according to the requirements for air quality published in the current regulation. With multiparametric monitoring, the heterogeneity of the distribution of the values of the quantities was identified, depending on the dynamics of occupation and ventilation conditions, especially for CO2 concentrations. This parameter exceeded the values recommended by the regulatory agency in all tests performed in the classroom, and higher values were shown to be strongly associated with the region of space closest to the occupants upper airways. The results point to the importance of continuous monitoring and at various points in a plane positioned at a strategic distance from the floor, according to the dynamics of occupation and the average position of the emission of gases by the respiratory process.

More than 50 % of EU’s yearly energy demand is spent on heating and cooling systems with which most of its source is generated from non-renewable fossil fuel [1]. Furthermore, half of the EU buildings are heated with a non-efficient boiler of about 60% or less efficiency [1]. The report released by EU from 1990 to 2007 revealed that fuel combustion and fugitive emission contribute to about 79.3% of total greenhouse gas emissions in CO2 equivalents [1]. The EU-EBPD long-term renovation strategy is to improve the energy performance of all residential and non-residential buildings in its member countries through supporting the renovation of the existing buildings into highly energy efficient and decarbonised buildings [2]. Despite all these EU policies and efforts to replace these non-efficient heating systems, the main challenge is price comparison of different solutions and their efficiency in retrofitting of the heating old systems together with the lack of information about the functioning of those old systems [1]. Thus, the development of an easy to install heating system in retrofitting with low exergy heat supply is a significant contribution to a sustainable solution in minimizing energy resources depletion and environmental emission. Furthermore, efficient system control of these easy to install heating systems, hybrids combinations solution for retrofitting building could be a sustainable solution for the preservation of the existing building. The main objective of this work was to design an easy to install hybrid low-temperature floor heating system in retrofitting buildings and compare its results on energy performance, thermal comfort and indoor air quality with other conventional heating mainly used in the Mediterranean climate. This study was performed in two existing radiators heated buildings located in Sant Cugat del vallès in Catalonia, Spain.The results showed that the hybrid low-temperature heating system has the highest energy performance and energy saving of 48 % and 52% compared to that of existing radiator heating and all air heating, respectively. However, hybrid low-temperature floor heating showed a slow heating response, and consequently, it showed lower operative temperature compared to others even though it was within the recommended standards limits. The hybrid low-temperature heating system with demand-controlled ventilation also showed a better indoor air quality, while as existing radiator with its natural ventilation showed the worst indoor air quality. All three compared heating systems showed a better coefficient of performance with low-temperature heat supply and were able to operate with low-temperature heat supply. / Mer än 50% av EU:s årliga energibehov spenderas på värme- och kylsystem där de flesta av deras källor genereras från icke-förnybart fossilt bränsle [1]. Dessutom värms hälften av EU:s byggnader upp med en ineffektiv panna med cirka 60% eller mindre effektivitet [1]. EU:s rapport från 1990 till 2007 avslöjade att bränsleförbränning och flyktiga utsläpp bidrar till cirka 79% av de totala utsläppen av växthusgaser i koldioxidekvivalenter [1]. EU:s och EBPD:s långsiktiga renoveringsstrategi är att förbättra energiprestanda för alla bostäder och andra byggnader i dess medlemsländer genom att stödja renovering av befintliga byggnader till mycket energieffektiva byggnader [2].Trots alla dessa EU-policyer och ansträngningar för att ersätta dessa ineffektiva värmesystem, är den största utmaningen prisjämförelse av olika lösningar och deras effektivitet i renovering av de gamla värmesystemen tillsammans med bristen på information om hur de gamla systemen fungerar [1]. Därför är utvecklingen av ett installationsenkelt värmesystem med låg värmeförsörjning av exergi ett viktigt bidrag till en hållbar lösning för att minimera energiresurser och miljöutsläpp. Dessutom kan effektiv systemkontroll av dessa värmesystem med olika kombinationslösningar för renovering av byggnaden vara en hållbar lösning för att bevara den befintliga byggnaden.Huvudsyftet med detta arbete var att utforma ett lågtemperaturgolvvärmesystem att använda vid renovering av byggnader och jämföra dess resultat på energiprestanda, termisk komfort och inomhusluftkvalitet med annan konventionell uppvärmning som huvudsakligen används i medelhavsklimat. Denna studie utfördes i två befintliga radiatoruppvärmda byggnadet i Sant Cugat del vallès i Katalonien, Spanien. Resultaten visade att hybridsystemet med låg temperatur har den högsta energiprestandan och energibesparingen på 48% och 52% för den befintliga radiatorvärme respektive luftvärme. Emellertid visade lågtemperaturgolvvärme ett långsamt uppvärmningssvar, och följaktligen visade det lägre driftstemperatur jämfört med de andra systemen trots att det låg inom de rekommenderade standardgränserna. Lågtemperaturvärmesystem med efterfrågningsstyrd ventilation visade också en bättre inomhusluftkvalitet, medan befintliga radiatorer med sin naturliga ventilation visade den sämsta inomhusluftkvaliteten. Alla tre jämförda värmesystemen visade bättre prestanda med lågtemperaturvärmeförsörjning och kunde fungera med lågtemperaturvärmeförsörjning.

Chemical compounds in indoor air can adversely affect our comfort and health. However, in most cases there is only a limited amount of information available that can be used to assess their health risk. Instead the precautionary principle is often applied, i.e. efforts are made to ensure that the concentrations of pollutants are kept at a minimum when constructing new buildings or conducting renovations by using low-emitting building materials. Today, when investigating buildings in order to solve indoor air quality problems, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are sampled in the air within rooms. The chemical composition of indoor air is complex and there are many sources for the chemicals present. The potential for emissions from sources in hidden spaces such as wall cavities is poorly understood and little information exists on the toxic potential of chemical releases resulting from moisture-related degradation of building materials. Most of the non-reactive VOCs that have been detected in indoor air in field studies and from building products are not believed to cause health problems. However, reactive compounds and chemical reaction products have the potential to negatively influence our comfort and health even at low concentrations. Even though the impact of chemical compounds on health is unclear in many cases, they can be used to identify technical problems in buildings. When a building is investigated, the air inside building structures could be sampled. This method would eliminate emissions from sources other than the construction materials and the samples would contain higher levels of individual compounds. The aims of this work was to identify emissions profiles for different types of building structures, to see if the emission profiles for moisture damaged and undamaged structures differed, and to determine whether any of the emissions profiles for specific structures also could be found in indoor air. Technical investigations and VOC sampling were performed in 21 different buildings with and without previous moisture damage. Seven of the buildings were investigated in the years 2005-2006 (study 1) and fourteen in the years 2009-2010 (study 2). In study 1, sixty samples were analyzed by PCA at the chemical group level (18 chemical groups, i.e. aldehydes, ketones etc). 41 % of all identified chemical compounds belonged to the hydrocarbon chemical group. The second largest chemical groups, each of which accounted for 5-10 % of all identified compounds, were alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and terpenes. The results indicated that one of the main factors that determined the emissions profile of a building structure was the materials used in its construction. Notably, concrete and wooden structures were found to have different emissions profiles. The sum of VOC (TVOC) concentrations for all 241 samples from both study 1 and study 2 was used to compare total emissions between different building elements (ground and higher floors, external walls and roof spaces). Most building elements exhibited relatively low emissions compared to concrete ground floors, which generally had higher TVOC emissions. Emissions from both polystyrene insulation and PVC flooring could be identified in concrete ground floors and were the main cause for the higher emissions found in these structures. Profiles for wood preservatives such as creosote and pentachlorophenol were also identified in external walls. The emission profiles found in the structures could not be identified in the indoor air in the adjacent rooms, although individual compounds were sometimes detected at low concentrations. Our results showed that the main factors influencing emissions in building structures were the construction materials and the nature of the building element in question. Because of difficulties with finding active water damage at the times of sampling and because of sampling inside closed building structures with old dried-out moisture damages, the field method used in this work was unsuitable for identifying differences in emission profiles between moisture damaged and undamaged structures. It will thus be necessary to investigate this difference in a laboratory where the precise composition of all tested structures is known, a range of RH values can be tested and the accumulation of emissions can be followed. / Kompetenscentrum Byggnad - Luftkvalitet - Hälsa 2 (KLUCK 2)

In recent years the focus and application of sustainability in buildings has risen. Both for environmental and human well-being reasons. The quality of the indoor environment affects the well-being, productivity and work performance, but it can also affect the occupants negatively, like increasing risks of different diseases and health issues. A good indoor environment alongside with sustainable materials, proper HVAC (Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) installations and building code regulations contribute to a sustainable solution with low environmental impact and reduced energy consumption. Since buildings alone are responsible for 38% of all human GHG (Greenhouse gas) emissions (Wikipedia, 2017), most countries recommend new more sustainable solutions to reduce that percentage. For example, in the EU, the 2020 climate and energy package targets to: cut 20% in greenhouse gas emissions, 20% of EU energy from renewables and 20% improvement in energy efficiency (European Comission, n.d.). In addition to the positive aspect of low environmental impact new constructions have, they also create a good living or working environment for the users. Studies have shown that a better indoor quality increases the productivity and work performance, but most of all the occupants feel comfortable and satisfied with their environment. A great number of papers have reviewed the acoustic, visual, thermal comfort and indoor air quality, which are main aspects of the indoor climate. Most papers focus on the users’ perception of these four aspects as well as other parameters that influence the indoor environment (architectural geometry, materials, etc.). Similarly, in this study case I focus on two different methods of obtaining the results, the objective method that contains the indoor environment measurements and the subjective method which includes a questionnaire created specifically for this research project. By obtaining these two sets of data, key focus points are developed, such as if the building’s certification meets the recommendations of Miljöbyggnad, what aspects influence the students’ perception the most, and whether there are any distinct connections between measured and calculated data. This study case was developed in a university building in Stockholm, where the four main aspects of the indoor environment were evaluated. The physical parameters such as temperature, air velocity, relative humidity, CO2 concentration and acoustics were measured in five different classrooms. In addition, a survey was developed for this study which included perception questions of the thermal, visual, acoustic comfort and indoor air quality. As found in other studies, gender and climate zone origin affected the overall indoor environmental perception. Even though the majority of both genders voted for “no change”, the remaining females answered that they preferred the conditions warmer. Also, the majority of answers from all climate zones were “no change”. However, the second highest opinion for students from warmer climate zones was “warmer”, which has also been found in other studies. Significant negative correlations were found between the acoustics and the satisfaction level of the acoustic comfort. Similarly, high correlations were observed between the visual comfort satisfaction level and the three aspects influencing it. Furthermore, the results showed that all physical measurements influenced the students’ thermal comfort and indoor air quality perception. All measurements obtained indicated a good indoor environment in all classrooms, and all values were between the Swedish Standards recommendations. Low correlation was found between the measured PVM and the AMV from the questionnaires even though all the values were among the limitations. Lastly, this study reviews methods that could be applied to similar future studies and, discusses what kind of errors to avoid in the future. There is still a lot of research that can be developed in order to gain a deeper understanding of the indoor environment and how humans perceive it. / Under senare år har fokus och tillämpning av hållbarhet i byggnader ökat, både för miljö och mänskligt välbefinnande. Kvaliteten på inomhusmiljön påverkar välbefinnandet, produktiviteten och arbetsprestandan. Tyvärr kan det också påverka de anställda negativt, som ökad risk för olika sjukdomar och hälsoproblem. En bra inomhusmiljö tillsammans med applikationer av hållbara material, ordentliga HVAC-installationer och byggregler bidrar till en hållbar lösning med låg miljöpåverkan och minskad energiförbrukning. Eftersom byggnader ensamma svarar för 38% av alla mänskliga växthusgasutsläpp (Wikipedia, 2017), rekommenderar de flesta länder nya mer hållbara lösningar för att minska den procentuella andelen. I EU strävar EUs klimat- och energipaket 2020 till att; minska 20% av växthusgasutsläppen, 20% av EUs energi från förnybara energikällor och 20% förbättrad energieffektivitet (European Commission, n.d.). Förutom den positiva aspekten av låg miljöpåverkan har nya konstruktioner skapat en bra levnads- och arbetsmiljö för användarna. Studier har visat att en bättre inomhuskvalitet ökar produktiviteten och arbetsprestandan men framförallt känner sig brukarna bekväma och nöjda med sin miljö. Ett stort antal rapporter har granskats enligt akustisk, visuell, termisk komfort och inomhusluftkvalitet, som är huvudaspekterna av inomhusklimatet. De flesta rapporter fokuserar på användarnas uppfattning om dessa fyra aspekter samt andra parametrar som påverkar inomhusmiljön (arkitektonisk geometri, material osv.). På samma sätt fokuserar jag på två olika metoder för att erhålla resultaten. Den objektiva metoden som innehåller innemiljömätningar och den subjektiva metoden som innehåller ett frågeformulär som skapats specifikt för detta forskningsprojekt. Genom att erhålla dessa två uppsättningar data utvecklas viktiga fokuspunkter, till exempel om byggnadens certifiering uppfyller Miljöbyggnads rekommendationer, vilka aspekter som i huvudsak påverkar elevernas uppfattning och om det finns några tydliga samband mellan uppmätta och beräknade data. Studiefallet utvecklades i en universitetsbyggnad i Stockholm, där de fyra huvudaspekterna av inomhusmiljön utvärderades. De fysiska parametrarna mättes såsom temperatur, lufthastighet, relativ fuktighet, CO2-koncentration och akustiken i fem olika klassrum. Dessutom har en undersökning utvecklats för detta studieprojekt som inkluderade uppfattningsfrågor inom termisk, visuell, akustisk komfort och inomhusluftkvalitet. Kön och klimatzonens ursprung var två andra parametrar som påverkade den övergripande inomhusmiljöuppfattningen, enligt andra studier. Även om majoriteten av båda könen röstade för "ingen förändring" svarade restrerande kvinnor att de föredrog klasrummet varmare. Dessutom svarade flertalet från alla klimatzoner "ingen förändring", även om den näst högsta åsikten för studenter från varmare klimatzoner var "varmare", vilket också har hittats i andra studier. Höga negativa korrelationer hittades mellan akustiken och tillfredsställningsnivån för den akustiska komforten. På samma sätt observerades höga korrelationer mellan den visuella komfortnöjdhetsnivån och de tre aspekter som påverkar den. Vidare visade resultaten att alla fysiska mätningar påverkade elevernas termiska komfort och upplevelse av inomhusluftkvalitet. Alla erhållna mätningar indikerade en bra inomhusmiljö i alla klassrum och att alla värden var inom svensk standards rekommendationer. Låg korrelation hittades mellan den uppmätta PVM (predicted mean vote) och AMV (actual mean vote) från frågeformulären även om alla värden var inom gränserna. Dessutom granskar studien metoder som kan tillämpas på liknande framtida studier liksom vilka slags fel som bör undvikas i framtiden. Det finns fortfarande mycket forskning som kan utvecklas för att förstå mer om inomhusmiljön och hur människor uppfattar den.

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EU har enats om att minska energianvändningen med minst 11,7 % jämfört med prognosen för den förväntade energianvändningen till 2030. Nära hälften av Sveriges energianvändning går bland annat till uppvärmning i bostads- och servicesektorn. I Sverige kan energieffektivisering, genom ventilation, vara lönsamt ur ett ekonomiskt perspektiv men även för att nå klimat- och energimål. Genom att använda behovsstyrd ventilation och från- och tilluftssystem med värmeväxling kan energiförbrukningen minska betydligt. Att använda behovsstyrd ventilation går bara att göra om inte människans hälsa påverkas eller den upplevda luftkvaliteten försämras. Studien fokuserar på hur olika ventilationsflöden nattetid i studentlägenheter påverkar både energiförbrukningen och luftkvalitén under vinterhalvåret. Målet är att minska ventilationsflödet utan att påverka luftkvalitet, upplevd luftkvalitet och sömnkvalitet negativt samtidigt som energi kan sparas.  Studien genomfördes i studentboendet Bifrost som är en fastighet i Borås som Bostäder i Borås AB förvaltar. Fastigheten består av fem våningar med totalt 40 studentlägenheter. Genom att mäta koldioxid, temperatur och relativa fuktighet samt att de boende får svara på morgonenkäter om den upplevda luftkvaliteten. Vilket gör att luftkvaliteten och sömnkvaliteten kan analyseras. En utförlig arbetsgång inkluderade förberedelser, kalibrering av mätare, installation av mätarna och enkätutskick. Mätperioden pågick under två veckor med fyra olika ventilationsflöden som reglerades klockan 22:00 på kvällen och sedan tillbaka igen till det normala flödet klockan 10:00 på morgonen. Den långa mätperioden gjorde att alla ventilationsflöden kunde prövas två gånger var och jämföras. Flödena som testades utgick från fastigheten Bifrosts normala flöde (1200 l/s) som är fördelat på de 40 lägenheterna. Förutom det normala flödet testades även mycket lågt flöde (360 l/s), lågt flöde (700 l/s) och ett mycket högt flöde (1350 l/s). Energibesparingen utvärderades efter mätperioden genom beräkningar i jämförelse med det normala flödet.  Beräkningarna visade att genom att göra nattsänkning av ventilationsflödet blev det en energibesparing jämfört med normala flödet. Vid det mycket låga flödet sänktes energiförbrukningen 22 474 kWh/år, vid det låga flödet sänktes energiförbrukningen 13 377 kWh/år medan det höga flödet ökar energiförbrukningen med 4013 kWh/år.  Sammanfattningsvis påverkade inte de olika flödena signifikant de boendes upplevelse av luftkvalitet eller deras sömn. Detta även om det vid det mycket låga ventilationsflödet visade sig ha en koldioxidhalt över 1000 ppm, vilket kan vara en indikation på att ventilationen inte är tillräcklig för att ventilera ut föroreningar. De tre andra ventilationsflödena har koldioxidhalter under 1000 ppm vilket tyder på att ventilationen är tillräcklig. Även om ett lägre ventilationsflöde under myndighetskraven inte påverkar människans hälsa negativt eller försämrar luftkvaliteten är det inte aktuellt att sänka till. Temperaturen påverkades inte märkbart vid något av ventilationsflödena. Den relativa fuktigheten visade inte heller på någon större märkbar förändring. / The EU has agreed to reduce energy use by at least 11.7% compared to the forecasted energy use by 2030. Nearly half of Sweden's energy use goes to heating in the residential and service sectors. In Sweden, energy efficiency through ventilation can be economically beneficial and help achieve climate and energy goals. By using demand-controlled ventilation and supply and exhaust systems with heat exchange, energy consumption can be significantly reduced. Demand-controlled ventilation can only be used if it does not affect human health or reduce perceived air quality.  The study focuses on how different ventilation flows at night in student apartments affect both energy consumption and air quality during the winter months. The goal is to reduce ventilation flow without negatively impacting air quality, perceived air quality, or sleep quality, while saving energy.  The study was conducted in the Bifrost student housing, a building in Borås managed by Bostäder i Borås AB. The building has five floors with a total of 40 student apartments. CO2, temperature, and relative humidity were measured, and residents answered morning surveys about perceived air quality. This allowed for the analysis of air quality and sleep quality. The detailed process included preparations, calibration of meters, installation of meters, and distribution of surveys. The measurement period lasted two weeks with four different ventilation flows regulated from 10:00 PM to 10:00 AM. The long measurement period allowed each flow to be tested twice and compared. The tested flows were based on Bifrost's normal flow (1200 l/s) which is distributed among the 40 apartments. Besides the normal flow, very low flow (360 l/s), low flow (700 l/s), and very high flow (1350 l/s) were tested. Energy savings were evaluated after the measurement period by comparing calculations to the normal flow.  Calculations showed that reducing the nighttime ventilation flow resulted in energy savings compared to the normal flow. The very low flow reduced energy consumption by 22,474 kWh/year, the low flow reduced it by 13,377 kWh/year, while the high flow increased energy consumption by 4013 kWh/year. In summary, the different ventilation flows did not significantly affect the residents' perception of air quality or their sleep. However, at the very low ventilation flow, the CO2 level was over 1000 ppm, which can indicate that the ventilation is not enough to remove pollutants. The other three ventilation flows had CO2 levels below 1000 ppm, indicating that the ventilation is sufficient. Even though a lower ventilation flow below regulatory standards does not negatively impact human health or air quality, it is not recommended to lower it further. Temperature was not noticeably affected by any of the ventilation flows. Relative humidity also did not show any significant changes.

Spaces with high occupancy density like classrooms are challenging to ventilate and use a lot of energy to maintain comfort. Usually, a compromise is made between low energy use and good Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), of which poor IEQ has consequences for occupants’ health, productivity and comfort. Alternative strategies that incorporate elevated air speeds can reduce cooling energy demand and provide occupant’s comfort and productivity at higher operative temperatures. A ventilation strategy, Intermittent Air Jet Strategy (IAJS), which optimizes controlled intermittent airflow and creates non-uniform airflow and non-isothermal conditions, critical for sedentary operations at elevated temperatures, is proposed herein. The primary aim of the work was to investigate the potential of IAJS as a ventilation system in high occupancy spaces. Ventilation parameters such as air distribution, thermal comfort and indoor air quality are evaluated and the system is compared with a traditional system, specifically, mixing ventilation (MV). A 3-part research process was used: (1) Technical (objective) evaluation of IAJS in-comparison to MV and displacement ventilation (DV) systems. (2) An occupant response study to IAJS. (3) Estimation of the cooling effect under IAJS and its implications on energy use. All studies were conducted in controlled chambers. The results show that while MV and DV creates steady airflow conditions, IAJS has  cyclic airflow profiles which results in a sinusoidal temperature profile around occupants. Air distribution capability of IAJS is similar to MV, both having a generic local air quality index in the occupied zone. On the other hand, the systems overall air change rate was higher than a MV. Thermal comfort results suggest that IAJS generates comfortable thermal climate at higher operative temperatures compared to MV. Occupant responses to IAJS show an improved thermal sensation, air quality perception and acceptability of indoor environment at higher temperatures as compared to MV. A comparative study to estimate the cooling effect of IAJS shows that upper HVAC setpoint can be increased from 2.3 – 4.5 oC for a neutral thermal sensation compared to a MV. This implies a substantial energy saving potential on the ventilation system. In general, IAJS showed a potential for use as a ventilation system in classrooms while promising energy savings. / Lokaler där många människor vistas, som t.ex. klassrum, är ofta svåra att ventilera. Att upprätthålla en bra termisk komfort kräver en hög energianvändning. Vanligtvis blir det en kompromiss mellan låg energianvändning och bra kvalitet på inomhusmiljön (IEQ). Dålig IEQ får konsekvenser för människors hälsa, produktivitet och komfort. Alternativa ventilationsstrategier, som använder förhöjda lufthastigheter, kan minska kylbehovet och därmed energianvändningen. I denna avhandling utvärderas en ny ventilationsstrategi, Intermittenta luftstrålar (IAJS), där korta perioder med hög lufthastighet genererar en svalkande effekt, när rummets temperatur upplevs som för hög. Det primära syftet med arbetet var att undersöka potentialen hos IAJS som ett ventilationssystem för klassrum, där den termiska lasten ofta är hög. Strategin jämförs mot traditionella ventilationsprinciper som omblandande ventilation (MV) och deplacerande ventilation (DV). Parametrar som luftdistributionsindex, termisk komfort, luftkvalitet och energibesparing har utvärderats. Alla studier utfördes i klimatkammare. Resultaten visar att medan MV och DV skapar konstanta luftflödesförhållanden genererar IAJS cykliska hastighetsprofiler samt en sinusformad temperaturvariation i vistelsezonen. IAJS klarar att bibehålla ett bra termiskt klimat vid högre operativa temperaturer jämfört med MV. I en jämförelse med ett traditionellt HVAC-system visar beräkningar  att dess börvärde kan höjas från 2.3 till 4.5 °C med bibehållen termisk komfort. Detta indikerar en avsevärd energibesparingspotential vid användande av IAJS.

Ocupantes de ambientes internos climatizados artificialmente estão expostos contínua e prolongadamente a condições ambientais muitas vezes desfavoráveis à execução de suas atividades e à manutenção da saúde. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar alguns parâmetros de qualidade do ar interior e de conforto térmico de um edifício climatizado artificialmente e relacioná-los à utilização de sistema de condicionamento de ar com distribuição pelo piso em ambientes que não são caracterizados como escritórios abertos. Considerando que o edifício estudado apresenta usos distintos de seus pavimentos, optou-se pela avaliação de dois deles, um pavimento cujo layout é de salas de aula e outro de escritório semi-aberto. Os parâmetros foram analisados em três momentos distintos. O primeiro se caracteriza por três ciclos semestrais de medições de temperatura, umidade relativa e velocidade do ar, concentração de aerossóis, dióxido de carbono e fungos. A segunda etapa consiste em uma campanha única de medições, com duração de quatro dias, permitindo a realização de perfis de temperatura e umidade relativa, avaliação das velocidades do ar em pontos de desconforto e cálculo dos índices de conforto térmico PMV (Predicted Mean Vote) e PPD (Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied). Em um terceiro e último momento, aplicou-se o questionário de qualidade ambiental interior aos ocupantes de ambos os pavimentos. Resultados obtidos nos ciclos permitiram identificar concentrações de fungos e dióxido de carbono acima dos limites indicados. Os perfis de temperatura revelaram a predominância das mesmas abaixo do recomendado. O cálculo dos índices PMV e PPD apontaram para um cenário de maior conforto térmico nos ambientes estudados com temperatura operativa igual a 24 graus Celsius. Os resultados dos questionários corroboraram as medições de temperatura, indicando a prevalência das sensações térmicas relacionadas ao frio entre os ocupantes do edifício, em especial aqueles do sexo feminino. Ficou evidenciado que o conforto térmico nos ambientes pesquisados é um fator perturbador das atividades exercidas em ambos os pavimentos. Houve um grande número de relatos de ocupantes com sintomas típicos da Síndrome dos Edifícios Doentes (SED), sugerindo que medidas relativas à qualidade ambiental devem ser tomadas em prol da saúde, bem estar e produtividade dos ocupantes do edifício. Concluiu-se que a operação e manutenção do sistema de condicionamento de ar com insuflamento pelo piso em ambientes distintos de escritórios abertos são mais complexas e, por isso, dificultam o alcance de uma qualidade ambiental interior satisfatória. / Occupants of artificially conditioned indoor spaces are continuously and lengthily exposed to environmental conditions mostly adverse to their activities performance and health maintenance. The purpose of this research was to evaluate some indoor air quality and thermal comfort parameters of an artificially conditioned building, and relate them to the employment of underfloor air conditioning system in spaces that differ from open-plan office spaces. Considering the studied building presents different activities on each of its floors it was necessary to choose two of them, one characterized by classrooms layout and the other by a semi open-plan office layout. The on-site data collection took place in three different steps. Step one was distinguished by three six-month cycles of air temperature, relative humidity and air velocity measurements, and fungi, particulate matter and carbon dioxide concentrations. The second step consisted of a four-day single campaign of measurements, when air temperature and relative humidity profiles were carried out, air velocity was quantified in complaining areas, and the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied (PPD) thermal comfort indexes were determined. During the third and last step, indoor environmental quality questionnaire surveys were distributed to the occupants of both studied floors. Data analysis and assessment originated from the cycles identified exceeding fungi and carbon dioxide concentrations. Temperature profiles indicated their prevalence below the recommended range. PMV and PPD indexes determination pointed to a scenery of best thermal environmental conditions for the researched spaces, with an operative temperature of 24 Celsius degrees. The results of the questionnaire surveys supported the air temperature measurements, showing supremacy of cold related thermal sensations among the occupants, especially those of female gender. It was evident that the thermal comfort of the studied environments is a disturbing factor for the activities practiced on both floors. There was a great number of occupants reporting Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) typical symptoms, what suggested actions related to indoor environmental quality should be taken in order to provide the desired health, welfare and productivity for the building occupants. It was conclusive that the operation and maintenance of underfloor air conditioned systems in indoor environments unlike open-plan offices are more complex and therefore make it harder to reach an acceptable indoor environmental quality.