A new Indoor Air Research Laboratory at the National Research Council Institute for Research in Construction (NRC-IRC) will help contribute to better respiratory health for Canadians by providing a state-of-the-art testing facility for ventilation systems.
Researchers at the Indoor Air Research Laboratory will measure and evaluate the impact of various ventilation systems by configuring the laboratory’s flexible modules to duplicate specific room sizes and home designs, as well as simulate models of heating and air-conditioning systems and heat-recovery ventilators.
The Indoor Air Research Laboratory is part of the NRC Indoor Air Initiative which represents an $8 million investment over four years by the Government of Canada of which $2 million is dedicated to the facility. The Indoor Air Initiative is a part of the Government’s Clean Air Agenda, which commits money and resources for government, industry and communities to work together to improve air quality.
Full press release ventilation research facility.
RBc: There is lot of work going on both Canada and the United States through the NRC and ASHRAE - both looking at the effectiveness of ventilation system types. Our preference is the dedicated outdoor air systems (Mumma/PSU) which are part of what we call a total comfort system (McDonell). The dedicated outdoor air system is also referred to as a direct or fully ducted system. These and other systems are being modeled by the ASHRAE 62.2 committee and will also be field tested at the NRC facility. Stand by for further developments.
Suggested reading:
1.The Total Comfort System - The "Un-minimum" System
2.Dedicated Outside Air Systems (DOAS)
3.Setting the Record Straight: Indoor Air Quality and Indoor Comfort Quality.
