Theme: 9. Vapor Intrusion

Topic Area: 9d. Vapor Intrusion Risk Assessment and Site Management

Formatted Title:

Air Exchange Study in an Industrial Building

Background/Objectives:

This study was designed to evaluate natural ventilation conditions and quantify air exchange rates specifically in a building occupied by industrial activities in a contaminated area by organochlorine vapors, with the aim of supporting further studies to risk assessments for human health. This development includes combinations of simulation methods for natural ventilation and air exchange conditions, which influence the concentrations of vapors coming from the ground.

Approach/Activities:

The study considered the general characteristics of the building, such as the number of openings (doors and windows), the height and building area, the exposure of the building to the wind, and other factors, as well as historical meteorological data. These variables together determined the building's internal natural ventilation conditions, the speed and frequency of incident winds and their impact on the internal environment. The data were modeled using American Society of Heating, Refrigeranting and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methodologies.

Results/Lessons Learned:

The results of the study provided values for air exchange inside the building and made it possible to define the variables for analyzing the risk to human health in the event of vapor intrusion.

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João Weigand de Castro