Buildings

20 pages, 3257 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of Indoor Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Rural Northeast China: Pollution Characteristics, Source Analysis, and Health Assessment

by Li Bai and Chunhui Li

Buildings 2022, 12(2), 153; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12020153 - 1 Feb 2022

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3400

Abstract

Due to the low winter temperatures in rural areas of Northeast China, biomass fuels are widely used for heating and cooking, resulting in increased concentrations of PAHs in rural indoor areas during the heating period and threatening human health. Therefore, exploring the pollution [...] Read more.

Due to the low winter temperatures in rural areas of Northeast China, biomass fuels are widely used for heating and cooking, resulting in increased concentrations of PAHs in rural indoor areas during the heating period and threatening human health. Therefore, exploring the pollution characteristics, source localization, and risk assessment of indoor PAHs in rural Northeast China is of great significance for improving rural indoor air quality. In this study, PAHs were collected from a residential building in rural Northeast China for one consecutive year (January 2020–December 2020), and their concentrations were determined to explore the distribution patterns and sources of PAHs to further assess the carcinogenic risk of PAHs to humans. The results of the study showed that the average concentration of indoor PAHs in rural areas during the heating period (93.02 ng/m³) was about 1.81 times higher than that of the non-heating period (51.26 ng/m³). The main sources of PAHs were mixed combustion of biomass and coal, motor vehicle emissions, and domestic waste combustion. The level of indoor PAHs pollution has posed a carcinogenic risk to the health of the rural population in the Northeast. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Healthy Green Building Planning and Design)

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16 pages, 5197 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impacts of Courtyard Envelope Design on Energy Performance in the Hot Summer–Cold Winter Region of China

by Cheng He, Wei Tian and Zebiao Shao

Buildings 2022, 12(2), 173; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12020173 - 3 Feb 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3202

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the effects of courtyard envelope design on the energy performance of office buildings in the hot summer–cold winter region of China. Two types of courtyard buildings were simulated with 200 energy models by changing the following variables: window–wall [...] Read more.

This paper aims to investigate the effects of courtyard envelope design on the energy performance of office buildings in the hot summer–cold winter region of China. Two types of courtyard buildings were simulated with 200 energy models by changing the following variables: window–wall ratio (south, north, east, and west walls), window U-value, wall U-value, solar heat gain coefficient, and orientation. The treed Gaussian process (TGP) sensitivity analysis method was employed to quantify the contributions of parameters related to courtyard design that result in the changes of annual cooling, heating, lighting, and total energy consumption. The results show that the courtyard envelope design has a significant effect on the energy consumption in this case study. The most influential factor affecting annual cooling energy consumption and the annual total energy consumption is the orientation, which is responsible for 37% and 81%, respectively, in two layouts to annual cooling energy use. The corresponding proportion increased to 45% and 86% in terms of the total energy consumption. The most influential factor influencing annual heating energy use is the window U-value, which explained nearly 60% of the changes to the heating energy use. The effect of the solar heat gain coefficient in two kinds of layouts is as high as 82% and 79% for lighting energy use in this case study. Due to the different courtyard forms, the magnitude of the effect of the parameters on energy consumption and the main trend of the effect is slightly different. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Healthy Green Building Planning and Design)

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14 pages, 9240 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study of the Convective Heat Transfer Coefficient of Different Building Envelope Exterior Surfaces

by Xiaotong Xue, Shouxu Han, Dongjun Guo, Ziwei Zhao, Bin Zhou and Fei Li

Buildings 2022, 12(6), 860; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12060860 - 20 Jun 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2884

Abstract

Convective heat transfer on the exterior surface of the building envelope is an important component for building energy consumption. The calculation of energy consumption depends on the convective heat transfer coefficient (CHTC) of the exterior surface of the envelope. The existing research does [...] Read more.

Convective heat transfer on the exterior surface of the building envelope is an important component for building energy consumption. The calculation of energy consumption depends on the convective heat transfer coefficient (CHTC) of the exterior surface of the envelope. The existing research does not fully consider the effects of the airflow field around the building on the CHTC of different envelope exterior surfaces. In this paper, the relationships between the CHTC and influence factors were investigated for the isolated building. Response surface methodology (RSM) and support vector machine (SVM) algorithms were integrated with the single building simulation to build the fitting formulas. Then, the fitting correlation between CHTC and different influencing factors was validated by the heating building simulation. The results showed that the CHTC of the building exterior surface was related to the wind velocity, wind direction and temperature difference. Additionally, the fitting formulas had good accuracy in calculating the CHTC under different conditions. The SVM algorithm (averaged error: 3.34%) performed slightly better than the RSM algorithm (averaged error: 4.84%). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Healthy Green Building Planning and Design)

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22 pages, 3354 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Building Design Development Knowledge Map: A Visual Analysis Using CiteSpace

by Yanlong Guo, Xinlei Geng, Denghang Chen and Yufei Chen

Buildings 2022, 12(7), 969; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12070969 - 7 Jul 2022

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3118

Abstract

Based on the Web of Science (WoS) core collection database, this article compares the research results in this subject area since 2000 with the literature data on the theme of sustainable architectural design and conducts an in-depth investigation into the research themes, basic [...] Read more.

Based on the Web of Science (WoS) core collection database, this article compares the research results in this subject area since 2000 with the literature data on the theme of sustainable architectural design and conducts an in-depth investigation into the research themes, basic literature, development trends, and research frontiers. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were conducted through the CiteSpace scientific visualization software, and the degree of collaboration between authors, institutions, and countries was analysed through research power. The topical research hotspots and their evolution were explored through a word frequency analysis, cluster analysis, and timeline analysis; the origins and development of a particular issue in sustainable building design were explored in conjunction with mutation analysis; and the frontier hotspots were explored. The analysis of co-citations was used to identify important knowledge bases in the field; the flow of knowledge between disciplines was explored through biplot overlay analysis. By interpreting the scientific visualization knowledge map, it was concluded that the research trends in sustainable building design are mainly in the areas of resource control, energy consumption, renewable building materials, evaluation systems, and computer-aided tools, and so on. The major topics of future research related to sustainable building design are discussed and summarized. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Healthy Green Building Planning and Design)

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17 pages, 6948 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation on Forced Convective Heat Transfer at the Building Façade with Louver Blinds under Different Wind Directions

by Rongjiang Ma, Shiwen Tao, Zhengrong Li, Yanping Yuan and Fujian Jiang

Buildings 2022, 12(8), 1096; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12081096 - 26 Jul 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2113

Abstract

Exterior louver blinds are one of the most common shading devices attached to the building façade, which will not only screen solar radiation but also affect the flow around the building and change the convective heat exchange at the façade. To better understand [...] Read more.

Exterior louver blinds are one of the most common shading devices attached to the building façade, which will not only screen solar radiation but also affect the flow around the building and change the convective heat exchange at the façade. To better understand how different wind directions affect the convective heat properties of louvered building façades, this paper conducted a CFD simulation with the validation of previous wind-tunnel experiments. A total of 63 shading cases and 7 unshaded cases were both investigated by simulations. It was found that with the increase in wind attack angle θ, the surface-averaged convective heat transfer coefficient (CHTC) at the louvered surface will first increase by about 40~50% (θ from 0° to 60°) and then be cut down by 60% (θ from 60° to 90°). In addition, the convective heat exchange rate at the louver slats will gradually decrease with the growth of θ. Finally, modifications for previous correlations were proposed to quantify the effect of wind directions on the CHTC_avg at the blinds and façade, of which the maximum deviation for convective heat exchange rate is less than 18%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Healthy Green Building Planning and Design)

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17 pages, 6072 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Quantitative Analysis on Key Factors Affecting the Thermal Performance of the Hybrid Air-Based BIPV/T System

by Juanli Guo, Yongyun Jin, Zhenyu Li and Meiling Li

Buildings 2022, 12(8), 1135; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12081135 - 1 Aug 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2191

Abstract

Air-based BIPV/T is of significant research interest in reducing energy load and improving indoor comfort. As many factors related to meteorology, geometry and operation contribute to the thermal performance of BIPV/T, especially for one kind of hybrid air-based BIPV/T (HAB-BIPV/T), quantifying the effects [...] Read more.

Air-based BIPV/T is of significant research interest in reducing energy load and improving indoor comfort. As many factors related to meteorology, geometry and operation contribute to the thermal performance of BIPV/T, especially for one kind of hybrid air-based BIPV/T (HAB-BIPV/T), quantifying the effects of such uncertain parties is essential. In this paper, a numerical analysis was conducted regarding 13 parameters of one HAB-BIPV/T prototype. For each quantity of interest, the kernel density estimate was regarded as an approximation to the probability density function to assess uncertainty propagation. A sequential sensitivity analysis was used to quickly screen (by Morris) and exactly quantify (by Sobol’) the effects of significant variables. The surrogate model based on a back propagation neural network was employed to dramatically reduce the computational cost of Monte Carlo analysis. The results show that the uncertain inputs discussed can induce considerable fluctuations in the three quantities of interest. The most significant parameters on AUI include air inlet height, cavity thickness, air inlet velocity and number of air inlets. The outcomes of this study provide insights into the correlation between various factors and the thermal efficiency of the HAB-BIPV/T as a reference for similar design works. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Healthy Green Building Planning and Design)

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16 pages, 9595 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on the Carbon Emission Baselines for Different Types of Public Buildings in a Northern Cold Areas City of China

by Xiaoping Li, Yitong Li, Haizhu Zhou, Zheng Fu, Xionglei Cheng and Wei Zhang

Buildings 2023, 13(5), 1108; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13051108 - 22 Apr 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2176

Abstract

Global excessive CO₂ emissions have caused serious environmental and health problems, such as global warming, melting glaciers, droughts, floods, and extreme temperatures, and have become a common challenge for the world. China has set a dual carbon goal, with the peak carbon [...] Read more.

Global excessive CO₂ emissions have caused serious environmental and health problems, such as global warming, melting glaciers, droughts, floods, and extreme temperatures, and have become a common challenge for the world. China has set a dual carbon goal, with the peak carbon emissions before 2030. In China, the building sector accounts for 50.9% of the country’s carbon emissions. In particular, public buildings are characterized by a high carbon emission intensity, accounting for 38.6% of carbon emissions in the building sector, which affects the achievement of the dual carbon goal in China’s building sector. Establishing a reasonable baseline of carbon emissions contributes to quota management and trading of carbon emissions for public buildings in Tianjin, China, and will ultimately contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions. This study investigates the operational energy consumption and carbon emissions of 721 public buildings in Tianjin (including electricity, natural gas, and district heating). The applicability of the Quartile method and the K-means clustering algorithm was compared to determine the carbon emission baseline of different types of public buildings, such as constraint value, guiding value, and advanced value, based on which the dynamic baseline from 2022 to 2030 was determined. The results show that the advanced value, guiding value, and constraint value of the Tianjin public building carbon emission baseline obtained using the Quartile method are more reasonable than those obtained by the K-means clustering algorithm. Furthermore, the carbon emission baseline in 2030 will be reduced by 3.4~9.2% compared to 2022. This study can guide the formulation of carbon emission trading schemes, and support Tianjin’s building sector to achieve the “carbon peak”. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Healthy Green Building Planning and Design)

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15 pages, 2530 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Distribution Characteristics of Cooking Oil Fume Particles in Residential Kitchens in Cold Regions

by Yang Yuan, Qingqin Wang, Shuai Zhang, Neng Zhu and Mengmeng Zhao

Buildings 2023, 13(5), 1227; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13051227 - 7 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1852

Abstract

A kitchen is an important part of a residence, and air quality in kitchens is a major factor affecting residents’ health and performance. Its influence is especially more evident in kitchens with typical Chinese cooking. Thus, it is important to understand distribution characteristics [...] Read more.

A kitchen is an important part of a residence, and air quality in kitchens is a major factor affecting residents’ health and performance. Its influence is especially more evident in kitchens with typical Chinese cooking. Thus, it is important to understand distribution characteristics of oil fume particles in Chinese kitchens, and research on typical Chinese kitchen environments and movement characteristics of soot particles should be emphasized. Therefore, to understand the air pollution in kitchen environments, a full-scale experimental platform was built based on common Chinese-style residential kitchens to monitor the soot particles, explore the space–time distribution characteristics of the soot particles, and analyze the variation characteristics and distribution laws of number concentration (NC) and mass concentration (MC). The results indicated that NC_0.3μm value fluctuated slightly during the whole cooking process, while NC_{0.3μm~0.5μm} and NC_{0.5μm~1.0μm} fluctuated sharply. During the peak period, NC_{0.3μm~0.5μm} and NC_{0.5μm~1.0μm} were significantly higher than those at the beginning and end of cooking (p < 0.05), and there was no significant difference between values of NC_{0.3μm~0.5μm} and NC_{0.5μm~1.0μm} at the beginning and end of cooking (p > 0.05 for both). NC_0.3μm and NC_{0.3μm~0.5μm} were significantly different between each position (p < 0.05 for all). There were also significant differences in NC_0.3μm between pure meat dishes, pure vegetable dishes, and mixed dishes (p < 0.001). The proportion of cooking meat will significantly affect the composition and concentration of lampblack particles. Type of dishes is an important influencing factor for the emission rates of particulate pollutants. Small-sized lampblack particles were more likely to diffuse to the surroundings and affected the air quality of the whole room. Particulate matter in the kitchen space during the frying process is more harmful to the health of personnel. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Healthy Green Building Planning and Design)

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