MONITORING AND CONTROL OF BASIC AIR QUALITY CONDITIONS IN A UNIVERSITY EDUCATION FACILITY

Abstract

Carbon dioxide concentration, temperature and relative humidity in an indoor environment are some of the main indicators that determine the basic conditions of indoor air quality (IAQ). These parameters are directly related to the airborne transmission of diseases. In this context, ventilation regulation is essential to balance safety through air renewal, with comfort and energy efficiency. In this research, an educational space of the School of Engineering at the University of Cadiz is considered to monitor and control IAQ. To begin with, the weaknesses of the ventilation and air-conditioning systems are analyzed and identified. Next, a low-cost device to monitor IAQ is designed, developed and prototyped with a set of sensors and control elements. Then, the room is modeled and simulated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), to select the location (placement/layout and quantity) of the sensors responsible for measuring the parameters that characterize IAQ. Finally, the wirelessly collected data are evaluated for interpretation, thanks to an Internet of Things (IoT) platform, in real time or deferred.