@phdthesis{6995644,
  abstract     = {{Gases produced in animal houses, such as NH3 and CO2, are not only harmful to the animals and farmers, but can also have negative effects on the environment. An optimum has to be found between maintaining a suitable indoor climate and preventing excessive emissions. For indoor climate control and especially emission measurements a reliable estimate of the airflow rate is essential. However, for naturally ventilated animal houses, no generally accepted reference technique exists to measure the airflow rate. Most existing techniques fail to account for the heterogeneous airflow patterns caused by the constantly changing external conditions of wind speed and direction. A new measuring method was developed through a stepwise approach starting from steady state measurements in wind tunnels up to measurements in a real size naturally ventilated test facility. This method, based on the automated traverse movement of a 3D ultrasonic anemometer across a rectangular vent, delivered detailed velocity profiles from which the airflow rate could be calculated. It was proven that the method accounts for both the temporal and spatial variability of the velocity profiles which are characteristic of naturally ventilated openings. The relative measurement error between the total building inflow and outflow rates remained within the range of ±20%. Due to the extensiveness of the experiments under a large range of wind incidence angles and speeds, a unique reference testing platform was created. The in depth knowledge of the velocity profiles and the associated in- and outflow rates through each vent, create possibilities for the development, the calibration and the validation of new and existing airflow rate measurement techniques for natural ventilation.}},
  author       = {{Van Overbeke, Philippe}},
  isbn         = {{9789059898462}},
  keywords     = {{Ultrasonic anemometers,Animal houses,Natural ventilation,Emissions,Ventilation rate}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{XX, 135}},
  publisher    = {{Ghent University. Faculty of Bioscience Engineering}},
  school       = {{Ghent University}},
  title        = {{Development of a reference method for ventilation rate measurements in a naturally ventilated test facility}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}