C066 -- Quantifying Air Quality Improvement Through Ventilation for Indoor Environment: A Case Study

Ventilation rate plays a major role in indoor air quality of public buildings. Measures to determine the performance of ventilation are typically defined based on well-mixed conditions. To accurately analyze these measures, we need real-world data in combination with theoretical interpretation. These measures can be highly dependent on climatic conditions and operational parameters of the systems as well. In this study, we studied an actively used classroom to determine particle and CO₂ concentrations as a function of time and quantified the effective air exchange rate in the room under different operations of the ventilation system. We used a network of low-cost sensors to evaluate the spatio-temporal distribution of particles in the test spaces. The results suggest that there is a spatial non-uniformity in CO₂ and particle concentration inside the classroom. Furthermore, it was observed that operational changes, i.e., air recirculation parameters, had a high impact on the quality of air in the room. This study provides valuable inputs for understanding the relationship between system parameters and external variabilities, modeling efforts to optimize ventilation systems in buildings, and improve air quality in indoor environments.