Analysis on the Age of Air and the Air Change Effectiveness of the Personal Environmental Module System in Intelligent Buildings

An interesting of desktop air-conditioning system is the Personal Environmental Module(PEM) System. The PEM system allows the occupant to choose the desired temperature, air volume and direction of the discharged air. In this study, the measurements on the age of air and the air change effectiveness, using the tracer gas method, are carried out to analyze the ventilation performance for provision of fresh air near the breathing zone by the PEM. The relations between the PEM for optimal control and other factors related to indoor air quality, and the ventilation for the PEM are examined. Also, three different supply diffuser types(desktop, floor and ceiling) are compared in view of their ability to distribute supply air to the workstation breathing zone. The desktop diffuser type could deliver air directly to the occupants breathing zone with a high degree of effectiveness. The minimum local age of air was measured in the breathing zone, which is directly supplied with air from the PEM diffusers, and the measured local air change effectiveness of the desktop diffuser in the breathing zone was about 1.13 to 1.23 times greater than that of the ceiling and floor diffusers. When the minimum outside air change rate as specified using ASHRAE Standard 62R is supplied with a desktop diffuser type, the volume of outside air can be reduced 13 to 23%, resulting in a commensurate in ventilation energy use.