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(1 - 3 of 3)
- Title
- Applying Statistical Methods to Air Quality and Asthma Data in Chicago Homes
- Creator
- Abromitis, Kari
- Date
- 2020
- Description
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This thesis investigates one years’ worth of indoor and outdoor air pollution data collected from Chicago area homes in relation to results...
Show moreThis thesis investigates one years’ worth of indoor and outdoor air pollution data collected from Chicago area homes in relation to results from monthly asthma surveys taken by the residents of those homes. This examination involves the processing and calibration of this large dataset, basic statistical analysis, and analysis of asthma as related to variation of air pollution and air pollution resulting from nearby transportation sources. The data was collected as a part of the Breathe Easy project, which was funded by the HUD and involved IIT and Elevate Energy, a Chicago-based economic development organization that promotes building equality through climate action. The majority of the data processing and analysis were performed using Python and it is intended for continued use during the ongoing Breathe Easy project. The basic statistical analysis of this data led to initial investigations of how the variability of pollutants on a daily basis triggered asthma severity and symptoms. There were limited relationships observed between asthma symptoms and pollutant variability, and it was found to not be as important as overall pollutant levels. A second investigation was pursued to examine how the proximity to transportation, including Metra trains, freight trains, elevated rail trains, highways, bus lines, and busy roads, affected indoor and outdoor pollution levels at each home, as well as concurrent asthma outcomes. Similar to previous research, there was some relation for transportation closeness, particularly for highways and Metra trains, and pollution emitted that effects the health of nearby residents. In addition, homes that had greater air infiltration (via envelope airtightness measurements) had elevated levels of particulate matter – the pollutant most associated with transportation proximity. This thesis provides a basis for further investigations in this ongoing project and for similar asthma and air quality relationship studies.
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- Title
- Design and Fabrication of Battery-Operated Radiator Control (BORC) Utilizing 3D Printing Strategies
- Creator
- Riley, Christopher W.
- Date
- 2023
- Description
-
The scope of this work aims to serve as a continuation of prior research focused on the “development and evaluation of an automatic steam...
Show moreThe scope of this work aims to serve as a continuation of prior research focused on the “development and evaluation of an automatic steam radiator control system or retrofitting legacy heating systems in existing buildings” (Syed Ali et al., 2020) by describing and testing the mechanical components of the developed controller in full detail. Other aspects of radiator efficiency are also explored. Primarily, this work aims to elaborate on the importance of material selection and mechanical properties of the design process. It also proposes initiative-taking solutions for the building’s energy recovery by monitoring the initial set up and focusing on certain details such as cardinal direction, thermal breaks, etc. These legacy systems are generally problematic when attempting to calculate energy efficiency, as a majority of radiator controls tend to be manual. Though there are comparable products within the European market, they cater to hot water systems and not steam, and in some instances require an internet bridge for operation (Tahersima et al., 2010). Since this is an extension of our earlier project, I will refer to it as Battery Operated Radiator Control (BORC) and the previous version as BERG’s Automated Radiator Control (ARC).
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- Title
- ESTIMATING PM2.5 INFILTRATION FACTORS FROM REAL-TIME OPTICAL PARTICLE COUNTERS DEPLOYED IN CHICAGO HOMES BEFORE AND AFTER MECHANICAL VENTILATION RETROFITS
- Creator
- Wang, Mingyu
- Date
- 2021
- Description
-
PM2.5 are fine inhalable particles that are 2.5 micrometers or smaller in size. Indoor PM2.5 consists of outdoor PM2.5 (ambient PM2.5) that is...
Show morePM2.5 are fine inhalable particles that are 2.5 micrometers or smaller in size. Indoor PM2.5 consists of outdoor PM2.5 (ambient PM2.5) that is infiltrated into the indoor environment and indoor generated PM2.5 (non-ambient PM2.5). As people spend nearly 90% of their lifetimes indoors, with most of that time in their homes, PM2.5 exposure in homes results in severe health effects such as asthma. One strategy increasingly being used to dilute air pollutants generated indoors and improve indoor air quality (IAQ) in homes is the introduction of mechanical ventilation systems. However, mechanical ventilation systems also have the potential to introduce more ambient PM2.5 than relying on infiltration alone, although limited data exist to demonstrate the magnitude of impacts in occupied homes. The objective of this paper is to estimate the infiltration factor (Finf) of PM2.5 before and after installing mechanical ventilation systems in a subset of occupied homes. The data source utilized comes from the Breathe Easy Project, a more than 2-year-long study conducted in 40 existing homes in Chicago, IL aiming to explore the effects of three different types of mechanical ventilation system retrofits on IAQ and asthma. An automated algorithm was developed to remove indoor PM2.5 peaks in time-series data collected from optical particle counters deployed inside and outside of each home. The Finf was estimated using the resulting indoor/outdoor ratio with indoor peaks removed. Before mechanical ventilation retrofits, the weekly median Finf was 0.29 (summer median = 0.41, fall median = 0.26, winter median = 0.29, spring median = 0.30); after mechanical ventilation retrofits, the median Finf was 0.34 (winter median= 0.28, spring median = 0.45, summer median = 0.54, fall median = 0.20). Differences in Finf between pre- and post-intervention periods were not statistically significant (p = 0.23 from Wilcoxon signed rank tests). The median PM2.5 infiltration factor increased ~22% (from 0.27 to 0.33) with the installation of balanced ventilation systems with energy recovery ventilators (ERV), although differences were not statistically significant (Wilcoxon signed rank p = 0.35). The median PM2.5 infiltration factor decreased ~4% (from 0.28 to 0.27) after installing intermittent CFIS systems, which intermittently supply ventilation air through the existing central air handling units and associated filters (which were upgraded to a minimum of MERV 10 in all CFIS homes), although differences were not statistically significant (Wilcoxon signed rank p = 0.24). The median PM2.5 infiltration factor increased ~26% (from 0.35 to 0.44) with the installation of continuous exhaust-only systems, and differences were significant (Wilcoxon signed rank p = 0.04). These results suggest that the filtration mechanisms used on the CFIS and balanced systems were adequate for maintaining similar distributions of Finf values pre- and post-interventions whereas the increased delivery of outdoor air via the building envelope by exhaust-only systems significantly increased Finf following retrofits.
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