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The Effect of Air leakage through the Air Cavities of Building Walls on Mold Growth Risks

Author

Listed:
  • Yonghui Li

    (School of Architecture, Southeast University, #2 Sipailou, Xuanwu District, Nanjing 210096, Jiangsu Province, China
    Key Laboratory of Urban and Architectural Heritage Conservation of Ministry of Education (Southeast University), #2 Sipailou, Xuanwu District, Nanjing 210096, Jiangsu Province, China)

  • Xinyuan Dang

    (School of Architecture, Southeast University, #2 Sipailou, Xuanwu District, Nanjing 210096, Jiangsu Province, China)

  • Changchang Xia

    (School of Architecture, Southeast University, #2 Sipailou, Xuanwu District, Nanjing 210096, Jiangsu Province, China)

  • Yan Ma

    (School of Architecture, Southeast University, #2 Sipailou, Xuanwu District, Nanjing 210096, Jiangsu Province, China)

  • Daisuke Ogura

    (Department of Architecture and Architectural Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyotodaigaku-Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 6158540, Japan)

  • Shuichi Hokoi

    (School of Architecture, Southeast University, #2 Sipailou, Xuanwu District, Nanjing 210096, Jiangsu Province, China)

Abstract

Mold growth poses a high risk to a large number of existing buildings and their users. Air leakage through the air cavities of the building walls, herein gaps between walls and air conditioner pipes penetrating the walls, may increase the risks of interstitial condensation, mold growth and other moisture-related problems. In order to quantify the mold growth risks due to air leakage through air cavity, an office room in a historical masonry building in Nanjing, China, was selected, and its indoor environment has been studied. Fungi colonization can be seen on the surface of air conditioner pipes in the interior side near air cavity of the wall. Hygrothermometers and thermocouples logged interior and exterior temperature and relative humidity from June 2018 to January 2020. The measured data show that in summer the outdoor humidity remained much higher than that of the room, while the temperature near the air cavity stays lower than those of the other parts in the room. Hot and humid outdoor air may condense on the cold wall surface near an air cavity. A two-dimensional hygrothermal simulation was made. Air leakage through the air cavities of walls proved to be a crucial factor for mold growth.

Suggested Citation

  • Yonghui Li & Xinyuan Dang & Changchang Xia & Yan Ma & Daisuke Ogura & Shuichi Hokoi, 2020. "The Effect of Air leakage through the Air Cavities of Building Walls on Mold Growth Risks," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-20, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:5:p:1177-:d:328432
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Keiko Hirota, 2012. "A Methodology of Estimation on Air Pollution and Its Health Effects in Large Japanese Cities," Chapters, in: Sunil Kumar & Rakesh Kumar (ed.), Air Quality - Monitoring and Modeling, IntechOpen.
    2. Hirota, Keiko & Shibuya, Satoshi & Sakamoto, Shogo & Kashima, Shigeru, 2011. "A methodology of estimation on air pollution and its health effects in large Japanese cities," MPRA Paper 37973, University Library of Munich, Germany.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jan Kočí & Robert Černý, 2020. "Special Issue “Recent Developments in Building Physics”," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-3, December.

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