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Air Information Review, 30, 4, pp. 1-4, 2009-09-01
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Developing IAQ sensors and network communications systems: survey on commercial IAQ sensors as a first step
Won, D. Y.; Schleibinger, H.
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De ve loping I AQ se nsors a nd ne t w ork c om m unic a t ions syst e m s: surve y on c om m e rc ia l I AQ se nsors a s a first st e p
N R C C - 5 3 2 4 3
W o n , D . Y . ; S c h l e i b i n g e r , H .
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Air Information Review, 30, (4), pp. 1-4, September 01, 2009
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Developing IAQ sensors and network communication systems: Survey on commercial IAQ sensors as a first step Doyun Won and Hans Schleibinger There is no doubt that environmental sensors will have an increasingly important role within building automation systems to create and maintain energy‐efficient, comfortable and healthy buildings. From the perspective of ventilation and indoor air quality (V&IAQ) controls, temperature sensors are currently the most dominant sensor, followed by RH sensors. In the future, more versatile systems featuring multiple sensors such as CO2 and other IAQ sensors are desirable for the automated control of indoor air quality in buildings. There are various issues to be resolved towards more advanced indoor air quality (IAQ) control systems, including developing adequate sensor technologies and sensor network communication systems. Consequently, in 2008, the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) launched a multi‐institute1 and multi‐year project with the goal of developing advanced IAQ sensor and communication system technologies. A scan2 of commercial off‐the‐shelf (COTS) sensors for IAQ parameters was conducted by the Institute for Research in Construction of NRC (NRC‐IRC) as part of the project. Three IAQ parameters were selected as candidates for V&IAQ controls: volatile organic compounds (VOC), formaldehyde and radon, based on the existence of guidelines and prevalence indoors in Canada. Our survey revealed that commercial VOC sensors (< CDN $5,000) are not sensitive and selective enough to meet the requirements developed by NRC‐ IRC, which include a detection range of 0.1 to 5 mg/m3 and a resolution of 0.02 mg/m3. Most commercial VOC sensors are based on photoionization detectors (PID) and metal oxide sensors (MOS), which perform poorly at differentiating individual chemicals unless they are used in arrays of detectors, and which are not suitable to measure the typical low levels of VOCs indoor without any pre‐concentration steps. On the other hand, several COTS sensors were identified to have a potential to measure typical formaldehyde and radon concentrations in buildings. The formaldehyde COTS detectors identified by NRC‐IRC have a price range between CDN $1,000 and $7,000, a resolution of 5 to 10 ppb, a detection range between 0 and 1 ppm, and a response time of a few to 30 minutes. These detectors are based either on electrochemistry or photoelectric photometry. Several COTS radon detectors (real‐time continuous digital sensors), which are available in the price range between CDN $300 and $1,100, were identified to be sensitive enough to measure the typical indoor radon levels. According to the information provided by the manufacturers, they can meet the NRC‐IRC requirements, i.e., a detection range between 20 and 5,000 Bq/m3, a resolution of 10 Bq/m3, and a response time of 2 days. However, the performance at the lower level needs to be investigated as the detection range given by manufacturers is very broad and
the typical indoor concentration is low (~ 28 Bq/m3 on average in Canada) with a Health Canada guideline of 200 Bq/m3. The next step is to verify the performance of the identified COTS sensors in laboratory settings. Series of bench‐top scale tests are planned to characterize the selectivity and sensitivity of the COTS formaldehyde sensors. Electrochemistry based formaldehyde sensors will be scrutinized for selectivity, which is one of their well‐known weaknesses. The practicality and improvement associated with using coloring tapes for photoelectric photometry formaldehyde sensors will be investigated as well. After the bench‐top tests, a full‐scale test with one selected COTS formaldehyde sensor will be conducted in a 50 m3 chamber, where we are able to run a wide range of environmental conditions in terms of relative humidity and ventilation rate. The main goal of the test is to determine the applicability of the sensor to V&IAQ controls before it is further expanded to a building‐scale test. The bench‐top and full‐scale test will be repeated when the development of advanced formaldehyde sensors by three NRC institutes will be completed in late 2010. More detailed information on the market survey of COTS IAQ sensors will be available as an NRC‐IRC report. Note: 1: The following five NRC institutes are involved in the project: Steacie Institute for Molecular Science (SIMS), Institute for Chemical Process and Environmental Technology (ICPET), Institute for Microstructural Sciences (IMS), Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics (HIA), and Institute for Research in Construction (IRC) 2: COTS sensors were identified mainly through Google Search and occasionally through literature. Subsequent email or phone contacts to the manufacturers were followed when more detailed information was desired.
