March 23, 2005—Research to protect occupants in government buildings is one of the projects that has been funded by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
Twelve students have been approved to receive a total of $100,000 through ASHRAEs grants-in-aid program, designed to encourage students to continue their education in preparation for service in the HVAC&R industry.
Results from the projects may be incorporated in the ASHRAE Handbook, says the organization.
County and state government buildings present a moderate safety risk in case of bio-contaminant dispersion. While most buildings have plans for evacuation and bomb detonation, they do not have capabilities for ventilation for air recirculation cutoff in case of an air-system safety hazard, according to Tracey Nawrocki of The Pennsylvania State University.
An environmental chamber at PSU will be used to simulate and test specific office zones with actual VAV system settings and the effectiveness of sensor equipment in the zones. Using those measurements, computational fluid dynamics simulation of the entire building comparing different sensoring equipment configurations will be used to produce information that shows how existing systems can be modified to prepare buildings for response to bio-contaminant dispersion.
For more on ASHRAE, visit the organizations Web site.
