- Author
- Hunt, C. M. | Burch, D. M.
- Title
- Air Infiltration Measurements in a Four-Bedroom Townhouse Using Sulfur Hexafluoride as a Tracer Gas. Final Report.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Washington, DC
- Journal
- ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers) Transactions, Vol. 81, No. Part 1, 186-201, 1975
- Report
- Report 2338
- Keywords
- residential buildings; air flow; ventilation; sulfur hexafluoride; mixing; air circulation
- Identifiers
- reprints; tracer studies; air infiltration
- Abstract
- Air infiltration measurement were made in a four-bedroom townhouse by the tracer dilution method using sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) as the tracer gas. The house was contained in an environmental chamber with control over both the inside and outside temperature, with essentially no wind velocity. The well-known correlation between inside/outside temperature difference and infiltration rate was observed, and under conditions of negligible wind velocity the effect of sealing doors and ducts was investigated. Simultaneous use of SF6 and He as tracer gases gave no evidence that molecular diffusion played a significant role in the measurement. Different methods of collecting air samples for analysis were compared. SF6 measurements were also compared with air exchange rates imposed on the house by means of a fan. Finally, the effects of poor mixing were analyzed by comparing the expected results in the case of perfect mixing with those expected in the case of air exchange without mixing and with imperfect mixing.