MANUAL Published: 01 January 2009
MNL11548M

Effects of Air Infiltration and Ventilation

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THIS CHAPTER DISCUSSES THE ROLE OF AIR INFILtration and ventilation in building moisture transport. While water vapor diffusion can be a very important moisture transport mechanism, as discussed in other chapters, bulk air movement via infiltration and ventilation carries far more water vapor into and out of buildings than diffusion, as much as ten times or more under common conditions [1]. Therefore it is important that we understand the phenomena of infiltration and ventilation, and the related building and system features that determine the impacts on moisture transport. This chapter discusses the terminology related to infiltration and ventilation, the driving forces for infiltration, envelope airtightness and its measurement, mechanical ventilation systems, building ventilation requirements and interzone airflows within buildings. Many of these issues are well covered in Chapter 27 Ventilation and Infiltration of the ASHRAE Fundamentals Handbook [2], and therefore the material in this chapter reviews that information briefly and focuses on the moisture-specific implications. Other valuable resources for information on infiltration and ventilation include the publications and conference proceedings of the Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre (AIVC) (www.aivc.org), as well as various other ASHRAE publications. In addition, ASTM has held a number of symposia over the years that have resulted in Special Technical Publications (STPs) with a number of useful technical papers [3–5].

Author Information

Persily, Andrew, K.
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland
Emmerich, Steven, J.
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland
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Developed by Committee: E06
Pages: 110–116
DOI: 10.1520/MNL11548M
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-8400-8
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-7004-9