EVALUATION OF FAN-FILTER SYSTEM TO MITIGATE HAZE CHALLENGES IN NATURALLY VENTILATED HOUSE

Abstract

In Singapore, there has been a growing concern on transboundary haze, especially when it has a damaging effect on the health and well-being of the public. Vulnerable groups are more susceptible to the Particulate matter (PM) released from the wide-scale forest burning. As the majority of the population spends a substantial amount of time indoor, strategic measures have to be proposed to minimize the impact of haze. This dissertation focuses on the comparison and evaluation between protected and unprotected environment in landed residential property and determines the effectiveness of the proposed fan-filter system in terms of particle reduction and ventilation adequacy during haze period. Objective measurements were conducted in this study such as the concentration of PM2.5, PM10 and other particle sizes, air change rate per hour, operative temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide, air velocity and sound level. Subjective assessment in the form of a survey was distributed to the subjects to gain insights on the respective experiments. The findings in this study showed that fan-filter unit is a better alternative as compared to enclosed room. However the system did not perform as expected in terms of the Indoor Air Quality and Thermal Comfort. Fan-filter unit was equipped with a high filter efficiency filter which resulted in particle concentration even though the measurements have identified some unacceptable readings of various parameters. On the other hand, carbon dioxide concentration and relative humidity were observed to be the highest in the enclosed room. Therefore, further works have to be done in the future to ascertain suitable and effective haze mitigation strategies in naturally ventilated residential buildings.