Chemical and Sensory Emissions from HVAC Components and Ducts

In this study, the odor generation of the various components of air-handling units was investigated. Results show that an air-handling system can impair the perceived air quality of the supply air. Almost all air-handling components seem to be sources of pollution—used fiber filters are the worst—but differences between the components were significant. A major reason for the pollution seems to be oily, dusty, and dirty surfaces. Increase of the airflow did not improve the air quality downstream of the component, which indicates a significant increase of emission with airflow or a nonlinear dose-response relation between the perceived air quality and pollutant concentration. Unlike sensory evaluations, chemical analysis, such as measuring the total emission of volatile organic compounds (TVOC), was not very useful. Concentrations remained too low for reliable measurements. Moreover, attempts to correlate chemical emissions with odor failed.

Paper from IAQ 1997 -- Design, Construction, and Operation of Healthy Buildings: Solutions to Global and Regional Concerns

Units: Dual