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Predicting the emission characteristics of VOCs in a simulated vehicle cabin environment based on small-scale chamber tests: parameter determination and validation
Citation:
Wang, H., J. Zheng, T. Yang, P. Zhang, X. Liu, M. Zhang, L. Sun, X. Yu, J. Zhao, X. Liu, B. Xu, L. Tong, AND J. Xiong. Predicting the emission characteristics of VOCs in a simulated vehicle cabin environment based on small-scale chamber tests: parameter determination and validation. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL. Elsevier B.V., Amsterdam, Netherlands, 142:NA, (2020).
Impact/Purpose:
Emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from vehicle cabin materials is considered to be an important contributor to poor in-cabin air quality. In this study, the key parameters (initial emittable concentration, diffusion coefficient, and partition coefficient) of typical vehicle cabin materials (car roof, carpet, and seat) were measured using the ventilated-chamber C-history method. The measured results provide a fundamental database for evaluating VOC emissions in different vehicle cabin environments. The impact of temperature on the key parameters was examined. A multi-source emission was applied to predict the emissions in multiple source coexistence scenarios in real vehicle cabin environments. This study provides a technical means for in-cabin air quality pre-evaluation when designing new vehicles. The research will benefit automobile manufacturers and suppliers of automotive components and materials for addressing vehicle interior air quality (VIAQ) issues.
Description:
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from vehicle parts and interior materials, can seriously affect in-cabin air quality, which adversely affects people's comfort, health and driving safety. The emission behaviors of VOCs from vehicle cabin materials can be characterized by three key parameters: the initial emittable concentration (C0), the diffusion coefficient (Dm), and the partition coefficient (K). Based on the ventilated-chamber C-history method, we performed a series of small-scale chamber tests to measure the emissions of some typical vehicle cabin materials (car roof, carpet and seat), and determined the three key parameters for the six target VOCs specified in the Chinese guideline GB/T 27630. We found that acetaldehyde had the highest levels, which differs from indoor settings where formaldehyde is usually the most prevalent pollutant. The influence of temperature on the key parameters was also investigated. When the temperature rises, C0 and Dm increase while K decreases. We then performed an independent experiment to verify the accuracy of the measured key parameters. In addition, considering that in reality, several materials often coexist in vehicle cabins, we made a first attempt at using a multi-source model to predict VOC emission behaviors in a simulated 3m3 vehicle cabin, using the key parameters obtained from the small-scale chamber tests. The good agreement between the simulations and experiments demonstrates that the key parameters determined via small-scale chamber tests could be used to assess emission scenarios for real vehicle cabin environments. The contribution of pollution from different vehicle cabin materials was further analyzed.
