Indoor air quality and ventilation manufacturing specialist Nuaire have announced that Faisal Farooq, who the company has sponsored, has been awarded a PhD for his research work on designing ventilation systems for low-carbon housing in Wales.
Faisal’s PhD thesis – ‘MVHR system evaluation based on ventilation effectiveness and human comfort in bedrooms of low-carbon UK dwellings’ – took a case study approach to investigate the current practice of Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR), and the impact on ventilation effectiveness and comfort in sleeping environments.
Both case studies were social housing developments in South Wales, and the MVHR systems (MRXBOXAB-ECO2) were supplied by Nuaire who also part sponsored Faisal’s PhD. Colin Biggs, Technical Director at Nuaire, acted as Faisal’s ‘industrial’ supervisor, providing technical advice and support.
The results from the study have been informative. Amongst its findings is that the proper mixing and effective delivery of fresh outdoor air is achievable as long as a distance of 600mm (on plan) is kept between the supply vent and door undercut; and that thermal discomfort is unlikely to occur even in worst-case scenarios. The thesis highlights the need for stricter procedures to ensure that compliance with building regulations is met, and provides recommendations for good practice for MVHR designers, installers, and manufacturers to ensure adequate provision of ventilation and minimum disruption by noise and draught in sleeping environments.
‘The research was conceived during COVID-19 lockdown when people spent most of their time indoors, and consequently became more sensitive to their indoor environment” comments Faisal. “Hence finding solutions for occupant health and comfort was a step in the right direction. I was lucky to have Colin, my industrial supervisor at Nuaire, who shared this vision, and with his guidance and support was able to bring the research to a successful completion.’
The PhD was conducted at Cardiff University’s Welsh School of Architecture and funded by Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarship (KESS).
Commenting on the company’s sponsorship of this PhD, Colin Biggs said: “Nuaire is committed to expanding our knowledge in indoor air quality to enable us to better understand its impacts and to enable us to pioneer new air technology and to set the standard in clean air and energy-efficient ventilation products. We helped set up this PhD sponsorship to further our understanding of the impact MVHR systems can have and couldn’t be happier that Faisal’s work has achieved the recognition it deserves.”