| DOI | Resolve DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2023.108064 |
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| Author | Search for: Berquist, Justin1ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5158-5198; Search for: Xiong, Zijun1ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3757-4991; Search for: Gunay, Burak1; Search for: Vuotari, Mark1 |
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| Affiliation | - National Research Council of Canada. Construction
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| Funder | Search for: National Research Council Canada; Search for: Natural Resources Canada; Search for: Alaska Department of Natural Resources |
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| Format | Text, Article |
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| Subject | infiltration; CO₂; SF₆; sensor accuracy; carbon footprint |
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| Abstract | Carbon dioxide (CO₂) sensors used in building automation systems (BAS) and occupant-generated CO₂ allow for a low-cost and environmentally friendly method for continuously monitoring the air leakage of the building envelope in commercial buildings. However, the validity of this method is hindered by the potential inaccuracies of BAS-grade CO₂ sensor measurements. This paper presents a comprehensive laboratory study that compares the accuracy of air changes per hour (ACH) measured using CO₂ and BAS-grade CO₂ sensors to that of SF₆ and expensive lab-grade equipment (photoacoustic gas monitor). The results show that CO₂ is a suitable alternative to SF₆ when using lab-grade equipment. On average, ACH measured with lab-grade CO₂ equipment were ±4.5 % of those measured with lab-grade SF₆ measurements and 90 % of measurements were within ±10 %. However, the results also indicated that methods to correct for sensor drift are required to improve ACH measurement accuracy when using BAS-grade CO₂ sensors that have not undergone routine calibration. By applying a method to correct for sensor drift, ACH measured with BAS-grade CO₂ sensors were improved from ±10.9 % to ±5.1 % (on average) and the percentage of measurements within ±10 % increased from 48 % to 83 %. In addition, an environmental impact assessment of the tracer gas tests conducted in this study provides quantitative evidence to support the need to transition away from SF₆-based tracer gas tests. The assessment showed that in this study releasing SF₆ was ∼177 times worse for the environment than releasing CO₂. |
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| Publication date | 2023-11-02 |
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| Publisher | Elsevier |
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| In | |
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| Language | English |
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| Peer reviewed | Yes |
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| Identifier | S2352710223022441 |
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| Export citation | Export as RIS |
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| Report a correction | Report a correction (opens in a new tab) |
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| Record identifier | ed09d00d-fe3c-454b-a384-4d05efca8803 |
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| Record created | 2024-07-30 |
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| Record modified | 2024-07-30 |
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