Transient Humidity Conditions of Living Quarters and the Effect of Sorption of Water Vapour

Abstract

The article discusses one of the components of the microclimate in living quarters–the relative humidity of air, the value of which is established by a number of regulatory documents. For research, a physical-mathematical model has been developed that allows taking into account the entry and removal of water vapor along with ventilation air, internal sources of water vapor, including human respiration, as well as sorption and desorption on finishing materials. The calculations were made for a two-year operation cycle of the living room, taking into account the daily and seasonal changes in temperature and moisture content of the outdoor air. Archive meteorological data for Moscow was used as the initial data. At researches three modes of operation of the room are considered: the mode with constant ventilation; the regime with constant ventilation and internal sources of steam; mode with ventilation, a source of steam and the presence of sorption-desorption processes. It is shown that in the winter-spring period (December – March) the air in the room can be significantly over-dried in relation to the regulatory requirements, and in the summertime – significantly over-humidified. As a result of the calculations, it was established that the sorption of water vapor is able to significantly smooth out daily and seasonal fluctuations of humidity and ensure the normative moisture content during most of the year. The criteria for effective sorption systems are determined.