Abstract:

In order to find the distribution of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in buildings, based on the principle of thermodynamics of irreversible processes and the double diffusion effects, a mathematical model was developed based on the principle of thermodynamics of irreversible processes and the doublediffusion effects, to effectively analyze the natural convective heat and mass transfer in the presence of three physical (temperature, VOCs and humidity concentration) gradients, and the mathematic model was numerically solved by the FEM method. The soret effect and Dufour effect on the convective diffusion of VOCs in indoor surroundings was specially investigated. The average Sherwood number was graphically presented with various conditions.

Key words: volatile organic compounds; double diffusion effects; heat and mass transfer; natural convection; numerical study