scholarly journals Modeling Indoor Relative Humidity and Wood Moisture Content as a Proxy for Wooden Home Fire Risk

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (22) ◽  
pp. 5050 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torgrim Log
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Moisture Sorption ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Cold Weather ◽  
Indoor Climate ◽  
Ambient Conditions ◽  
Wood Panel ◽  
Fire Disaster ◽  
Strong Winds

Severe wooden home conflagrations have previously been linked to the combination of very dry indoor climate in inhabited buildings during winter time, resulting in rapid fire development and strong winds spreading the fire to neighboring structures. Knowledge about how ambient conditions increase the fire risk associated with dry indoor conditions is, however, lacking. In the present work, the moisture content of indoor wooden home wall panels was modeled based on ambient temperature and relative humidity recorded at meteorological stations as the climatic boundary conditions. The model comprises an air change rate based on ambient and indoor (22 °C) temperatures, indoor moisture sources and wood panel moisture sorption processes; it was tested on four selected homes in Norway during the winter of 2015/2016. The results were compared to values recorded by indoor relative humidity sensors in the homes, which ranged from naturally ventilated early 1900s homes to a modern home with balanced ventilation. The modeled indoor relative humidity levels during cold weather agreed well with recorded values to within 3% relative humidity (RH) root mean square deviation, and thus provided reliable information about expected wood panel moisture content. This information was used to assess historic single home fire risk represented by an estimated time to flashover during the studied period. Based on the modelling, it can be concluded that three days in Haugesund, Norway, in January 2016 were associated with very high conflagration risk due to dry indoor wooden materials and strong winds. In the future, the presented methodology may possibly be based on weather forecasts to predict increased conflagration risk a few days ahead. This could then enable proactive emergency responses for improved fire disaster risk management.

Dynamic moisture sorption and hygroexpansion of Populus euramericana Cv. under two cyclic hygrothermal conditions

Holzforschung ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 70 (12) ◽  
pp. 1191-1199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiantian Yang ◽  
Erni Ma ◽  
Jianhui Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Moisture Sorption ◽  
Longitudinal Direction ◽  
Measured Data ◽  
Populus Euramericana ◽  
Dimensional Changes ◽  
Unit Change ◽  
Condition B

Abstract Poplar (Populus euramericana Cv.) specimens, 20 mm in radial (r) and tangential (t) directions with thicknesses of 4 mm and 10 mm along the longitudinal direction, were subjected to cyclic environmental conditions, in the course of which the relative humidity (RH) changed sinusoidally between 75% and 45% at 20°C (condition A), or the temperature (T) was changed sinusoidally within 5–35°C at 60% RH (condition B). Moisture content (MC), as well as the t- and r-dimensional changes were measured as a response to the dynamic environmental conditions. The measured data also changed sinusoidally but they lagged behind the triggering original RH or T data. This effect was much higher under condition A than under condition B. The observed equivalent RH and T changes at different ΔMCs or Δts served for comparison of the responses to RH and T, and the former were less pronounced than the latter. MC and t-dimensional changes per unit change of RH were greater than those per unit change of T but still lower than static values. In summary, the effects of dynamic RH change are larger than those of T, especially concerning MC responses compared to dimensional changes.

scholarly journals Hygrothermal conditions in Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) dwellings

2020 ◽  
Vol 172 ◽  
pp. 10009
Author(s):  
Merethe Solvang Tingstveit ◽  
Henrik Kofoed Nielsen ◽  
Birgit Risholt
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Small Variation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Indoor Climate ◽  
Apartment Building ◽  
Wood Moisture ◽  
One Year ◽  
House Standard

The use of CLT has been increasing the last decade, and a subsequently focus on documentation of the accompanying indoor climate and exposed wooden surfaces on human well-being. This study presents the results of a measurement campaign conducted over one year of a CLT apartment building in Grimstad, Norway. The apartment building consists of three floors with 35 apartments and comply with the Norwegian passive house standard and energy grade A. Measurements of the relative humidity (RH), indoor air temperature and wood moisture content (MC) were performed in the exposed CLT spruce panels in three apartments in two different floors. The results from the three apartments show a relatively small variation in the MC values regardless the residents behavior measured as RH variation through a complete year. Selected periods from a cold period (winter) and a warm period (summer) show the variation in relative humidity (RH) and moisture content in the CLT element. However, results from control measurements showed higher MC values. The gap between the measurements and methods are discussed.

Modeling of the Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC) of Tarragon (Artemisia Dracunculus L.)

2005 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akbar Arabhosseini ◽  
Willem Huisman ◽  
Anton van Boxtel ◽  
Joachim Müller
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Equilibrium Moisture Content ◽  
Sorption Isotherms ◽  
Moisture Sorption ◽  
Relative Deviation ◽  
Artemisia Dracunculus ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Moisture Sorption Isotherms ◽  
The Relationship

The equilibrium moisture content of tarragon, Artemisia dracunculus L. (stem and leaf separately) was determined by using the saturated salt solutions method at three temperatures (25, 50 and 70°C) within a range of 5 to 90% relative humidity. Both adsorption and desorption methods were used for stem and leaf of two varieties: Russian and French tarragon. Experimental curves of moisture sorption isotherms were fitted by modified Henderson, modified Halsey, modified Oswin, modified Chung-Pfost and GAB equations and evaluated by residual sum squares, standard error of estimate and mean relative deviation. The modified Halsey and GAB equations were found to be the most suitable for describing the relationship among equilibrium moisture content, relative humidity and temperature. There was no significant difference between the equilibrium moisture content of the Russian and French tarragon.

scholarly journals Batch drying of sliced tomatoes at specific ambient conditions

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Jafar Royen ◽  
Abdul Wasim Noori ◽  
Juma Haydary
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Ambient Pressure ◽  
Air Flow ◽  
Force Sensor ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Air Flow Rate ◽  
Ambient Conditions ◽  
Drying Time

Abstract In this work, drying of tomato slices was studied in a laboratory scale batch dryer working at conditions specific for geographical locations with low ambient pressure and low relative humidity of air. Tomato is a perishable farm product with high moisture content. Despite their high value, tomatoes are subjected to wastage and spoilage during their seasonal period; to last longer after harvested, they need to be treated by drying. Drying is one of the most widely used methods of tomato preserving for a longer period of time. This study involves experimental work on tomatoes drying in a tray laboratory batch dryer with the dimensions of (490 × 330 × 310) mm, a load cell-force sensor (range: 0–5 kg), fan (speed: 0–2500 rpm), air flow sensor (0–150 l/min) and a temperature and humidity monitoring system. This study was aimed at the development of a suitable drying method for the production of dehydrated agricultural products under specific air properties and climate conditions such as low ambient pressure and low relative humidity. During the experiment, the average ambient pressure was 82 kPa, and the average relative humidity of air was 20 %. Drying characteristics of tomato slices were determined at three temperature levels, namely: 50 °C, 60 °C and 70 °C,and three air flow rates: 30 l/s, 40 l/s and 50 l/s, for each temperature level. In this study, the effect of temperature, air flow rate, and ambient conditions on the drying rate of tomato slices were studied. The results indicate that during the experiments, tomatoes were dried to the final moisture content of 32.2 % from 92 %. Drying time at 50 °C, 60 °C and 70°C, and air flow of 30 l/s was 17.80 h, 15.80 h, and 14.08 h, respectively. For the air flow rate of 40 l/s, the drying time was 15.0 h, 12.9 h and 11.7 h and for the air flow rate of 50 l/s, the drying time of tomato slices was 14.0 h, 11.6 h and 10.2 h, respectively.

scholarly journals Determination of Moisture Sorption Isotherm of Crosslinked Millet Flour and Oxirane Using GAB and BET

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. S. Alamri ◽  
A. A. Mohamed ◽  
S. Hussain ◽  
M. A. Ibraheem ◽  
Akram A. Abdo Qasem
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Sorption Isotherm ◽  
Sorption Isotherms ◽  
Moisture Sorption ◽  
Water Binding ◽  
Moisture Sorption Isotherm ◽  
Water Sorption Isotherm ◽  
Moisture Sorption Isotherms ◽  
Different Temperatures

Epoxy resin was prepared by crosslinking epoxidized oil and millet flour. The reaction was carried out at three different temperatures (25, 40, and 55°C) and zinc chloride levels (1, 2, and 3%). Moisture sorption isotherms were determined at 0.1 to 0.9 water activity (aw) using a gravimetric sorption analyzer (Q 2000). The sigmoidal shape (type II) of the resin isotherms exhibited lower equilibrium moisture content (EMC) at higher temperature. The experimental data were modeled using GAB (Guggenheim–Anderson–de Boer) and BET (Brunauer–Emmett–Teller). The EMC of the resin was significantly lower than that of the flour, which could be attributed to the decrease in the number of water-binding sites due to the creation of dense areas during crosslinking. The low root-mean-square error (RMSE) indicates that GAB and BET were suitable for predicting the water sorption isotherm for millet flour resin. The heat of sorption of the resin was large at low moisture content and increased at higher relative humidity. It is recommended that millet flour resin be used at relative humidity below 60%.

scholarly journals Moisture sorption isotherms of millet seeds

2000 ◽  
Vol 18 (No. 3) ◽  
pp. 86-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.D. Menkov ◽  
D.I. Gelyazkov
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Equilibrium Moisture Content ◽  
Sorption Isotherms ◽  
Moisture Sorption ◽  
Static Method ◽  
Moisture Contents ◽  
Moisture Sorption Isotherms ◽  
The Relationship

The equilibrium moisture contents were determined for millet seeds of two cultivars using the gravimetric static method at 10, 25 and 40°C over a range of relative humidities from 0.112 to 0.868. The sorption capacity of the seeds decreased with an increase in temperature at constant relative humidity. The hysteresis effect is not distinctly expressed but statistically significant. The differences between equilibrium moisture contents of the cultivars are small. Four models were applied for analyzing the experimental data using the following equations: modified Chung-Pfost, modified Halsey, modified Oswin, and modified Henderson. The modified Chung-Pfost model was found to be the most suitable for describing the relationship between equilibrium moisture content, relative humidity and temperature.

CATFISH DRYING (Clarias Batraclus) USING ‘TEKO BERSAYAP’ SOLAR DRYER

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-20
Author(s):  
Yuwana Yuwana
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Ambient Temperature ◽  
Drying Rate ◽  
Drying Process ◽  
Drying Time ◽  
Ambient Relative Humidity ◽  
Solar Dryer

Experiment on catfish drying employing ‘Teko Bersayap’ solar dryer was conducted. The result of the experiment indicated that the dryer was able to increase ambient temperature up to 44% and decrease ambient relative humidity up to 103%. Fish drying process followed equations : KAu = 74,94 e-0,03t for unsplitted fish and KAb = 79,25 e-0,09t for splitted fish, where KAu = moisture content of unsplitted fish (%), KAb = moisture content of splitted fish (%), t = drying time. Drying of unsplitted fish finished in 43.995 hours while drying of split fish completed in 15.29 hours. Splitting the fish increased 2,877 times drying rate.

scholarly journals Possibilities of Decreasing Hygroscopicity of Resonance Wood Used in Piano Soundboards Using Thermal Treatment

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 475
Author(s):  
Petr Zatloukal ◽  
Pavlína Suchomelová ◽  
Jakub Dömény ◽  
Tadeáš Doskočil ◽  
Ginevra Manzo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Moisture Content ◽  
Conversion Efficiency ◽  
Dynamic Modulus ◽  
Moisture Sorption ◽  
Acoustical Properties ◽  
Longitudinal Dynamic ◽  
Moisture Content Level ◽  
Longitudinal Sound Velocity ◽  
Tan Δ ◽  
Resonance Wood

This article presents the possibilities of decreasing moisture sorption properties via thermal modification of Norway spruce wood in musical instruments. The 202 resonance wood specimens that were used to produce piano soundboards have been conditioned and divided into three density groups. The first specimen group had natural untreated properties, the second was thermally treated at 180 °C, and the third group was treated at 200 °C. All specimens were isothermally conditioned at 20 °C with relative humidity values of 40, 60, and 80%. The equilibrium moisture content (EMC), swelling, and acoustical properties, such as the longitudinal dynamic modulus (E’L), bending dynamic modulus (Eb), damping coefficient (tan δ), acoustic conversion efficiency (ACEL), and relative acoustic conversion efficiency (RACEL) were evaluated on every moisture content level. Treatment at 180 °C caused the EMC to decrease by 36% and the volume swelling to decrease by 9.9%. Treatment at 200 °C decreased the EMC by 42% and the swelling by 39.6%. The 180 °C treatment decreased the value of the longitudinal sound velocity by 1.6%, whereas the treatment at 200 °C increased the velocity by 2.1%. The acoustical properties EL′, Eb, ACEL, and RACEL were lower due to the higher moisture content of the samples, and only the tanδ increased. Although both treatments significantly affected the swelling and EMC, the treatment at 180 °C did not significantly affect the acoustical properties.

scholarly journals Determination of Critical Separation Distance Between Dwellings in Informal Settlements Fire

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Wang ◽  
Lesley Gibson ◽  
Mohamed Beshir ◽  
David Rush
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Informal Settlement ◽  
Informal Settlements ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Fire Spread ◽  
Separation Distance ◽  
Flame Length ◽  
Critical Distance ◽  
Fire Disaster ◽  
Critical Separation

AbstractApproximately one billion people across the globe are living in informal settlements with a large potential fire risk. Due to the high dwelling density, a single informal settlement dwelling fire may result in a very serious fire disaster leaving thousands of people homeless. In this work, a simple physics-based theoretical model was employed to assess the critical fire separation distance between dwellings. The heat flux and ejected flame length were obtained from a full-scale dwelling tests with ISO 9705 dimension (3.6 m × 2.4 m × 2.4 m) to estimate the radiation decay coefficient of the radiation heat flux away from the open door. The ignition potential of combustible materials in adjacent dwellings are analyzed based on the critical heat flux from cone calorimeter tests. To verify the critical distance in real informal settlement fire, a parallel method using aerial photography within geographic information systems (GIS), was employed to determine the critical separation distances in four real informal settlement fires of 2014–2015 in Masiphumelele, Cape Town, South Africa. The fire-spread distances were obtained as well through the real fires. The probabilistic analysis was conducted by Weibull distribution and logistic regression, and the corresponding separation distances were given with different fire spread probabilities. From the experiments with the assumption of no interventions and open doors and windows, it was established that the heat flux would decay from around 36 kW/m2 within a distance of 1.0 m to a value smaller than 5 kW/m2 at a distance of 4.0 m. Both experiments and GIS results agree well and suggest the ignition probabilities at distances of 1.0 m, 2.0 m and 3.0 m are 97%, 52% and 5% respectively. While wind is not explicitly considered in the work, it is implicit within the GIS analyses of fire spread risk, therefore, it is reasonable to say that there is a relatively low fire spread risk at distances greater than 3 m. The distance of 1.0 m in GIS is verified to well and conservatively predict the fire spread risk in the informal settlements.

scholarly journals Indoor Airflow Distribution in Repository Design: Experimental and Numerical Microclimate Analysis of an Archive

Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 152
Author(s):  
Karin Kompatscher ◽  
Rick P. Kramer ◽  
Bart Ankersmit ◽  
Henk L. Schellen
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Gradient ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Cfd Modeling ◽  
Indoor Climate ◽  
Ambient Conditions ◽  
Climate Control ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Airflow Distribution ◽  
Air Mixing ◽  
Delay Variations

The majority of cultural heritage is stored in archives, libraries and museum storage spaces. To reduce degradation risks, many archives adopt the use of archival boxes, among other means, to provide the necessary climate control and comply with strict legislation requirements regarding temperature and relative air humidity. A strict ambient indoor climate is assumed to provide adequate environmental conditions near objects. Guidelines and legislation provide requirements for ambient indoor climate parameters, but often do not consider other factors that influence the near-object environment, such as the use of archival boxes, airflow distribution and archival rack placement. This study aimed to provide more insight into the relation between the ambient indoor conditions in repositories and the hygrothermal conditions surrounding the collection. Comprehensive measurements were performed in a case study archive to collect ambient, local and near-object conditions. Both measurements and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling were used to research temperature/relative humidity gradients and airflow distribution with a changing rack orientation, climate control strategy and supply as well as exhaust set-up in a repository. The following conclusions are presented: (i) supplying air from one air handling unit to multiple repositories on different floors leads to small temperature differences between them. Differences in ambient and local climates are noticed; (ii) archival boxes mute and delay variations in ambient conditions as expected—however, thermal radiation from the building envelope may have a large influence on the climate conditions in a box; (iii) adopting night reduction for energy conservation results in an increased influence of the external climate, with adequate insulation, this effect should be mitigated; and (iv) the specific locations of the supply air and extraction of air resulted in a vertical gradient of temperature and insufficient mixing of air, and adequate ventilation strategies should enhance sufficient air mixing in combination with the insulation of external walls, and gradient forming should be reduced.

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