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FUNDAMENTAL MASS TRANSFER MODEL FOR INDOOR AIR EMISSION FROM SURFACE COATINGS
Citation:
Tichenor, B., Z. Guo, AND L. Sparks. FUNDAMENTAL MASS TRANSFER MODEL FOR INDOOR AIR EMISSION FROM SURFACE COATINGS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-94/117.
Description:
The paper, discusses the work of researchers at the U.S. EPA's Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory (Indoor Air Branch) who are evaluating mass transfer models based on fundamental principles to determine their effectiveness in predicting emissions from indoor architectural coatings. s a first step, a simple model based on Fick's Law of Diffusion has been developed. n this model, the mass transfer rate is assumed to be controlled by the boundary layer mass transfer coefficient, the saturation vapor pressure of the material being emitted, and the mass of volatile material remaining in the source at any point in time. oth static and dynamic chamber tests were conducted to obtain model validation data. urther validation experiments were conducted in a test house. esults of these tests are presented. (NOTE: Emissions from freshly applied paints and other coatings can cause elevated indoor concentrations of vapor-phase organics. ethods are needed to determine the emission rates over time for these products. ome success has been achieved using simple first-order decay models to evaluate data from small dynamic test chambers. hile such empirical approaches may be useful for assessing the emission potential of indoor sources, a more fundamental approach is needed to fully elucidate the relevant mass transfer processes.)