DATE/TIME: Friday, April 25, 2025, 2:30 pm PLACE: ENR building, room 223 or this Remote Live option.
Suresh Dhaniyala
Clarkson University
Building Ventilation Optimization: Balancing Sustainability and Human Health with Air Quality Sensors
Indoor air quality (IAQ) has become increasingly important as humans spend more time in indoor spaces. The quality of indoor air is influenced by a complex interplay of environmental factors, building design, and occupant activities. Ventilation systems play a vital role in maintaining optimal IAQ by introducing fresh outdoor air, regulating temperature and humidity, and filtering airborne particles. Traditionally, these systems have focused on thermal comfort for occupants, often overlooking IAQ concerns. Ventilation systems in the US already account for ~ 10% of all our energy use and conventional wisdom suggests that adding air quality requirements will push us further away from sustainability goals for the built environment. Recent advances in air quality sensors provides an opportunity to optimize the control of ventilation systems such that thermal comfort and IAQ goals are met with also saving energy. In our group, we have been building next generation sensors for air quality measurements and deploying them in long-term studies in conjunction with research-grade instruments to better characterize indoor air and understand the best path for ventilation system operation. I will discuss advances in air quality sensors made in recent years and their implication for indoor air studies and ventilation controls. I will highlight results from our long-term monitoring study of air quality in a Clarkson University classroom to demonstrate the benefits and costs of sensor-driven ventilation control.
Seminar Host:
Gedi Mainelis
Department of Environmental Sciences, SEBS, Rutgers University