The enhancement of pollutant removal in underground enclosed parking lots by reconsideration of the exhaust vent heights

Increasing indoor air quality (IAQ) is the main aim of employing ventilation systems in enclosed parking lots. The proper placement of supply air inlets and exhaust vents have great contribution in increasing indoor air quality and reduces both the amount of contaminant and energy consumption in parking lots. In this paper, the numerical simulation has been performed to assess effects of these parameters. The conservation equations with appropriate boundary conditions have been solved. The effect of exhaust vent locations on increasing IAQ has been investigated and its effect on flow pattern and energy consumption has been found. The results indicate that, if there is a longitudinal ventilation flow in the parking lot and the exhaust vents are installed at properly determined heights, the IAQ would be improved and the amount of energy consumption would be reduced. Taking into account the amount of CO concentration and its removal effectiveness, the appropriate height at which an exhaust vent should be installed has been determined. The results show that the appropriate non-dimensional height of the location of exhaust vents is between 0.5 and 0.7.