Experimental verification of tracking algorithm for dynamically-releasing single indoor contaminant

Identifying contaminant sources in a precise and rapid manner is critical to indoor air quality (IAQ) management as disclosed source information can facilitate proper and effective IAQ controls in environments with airborne infection, fire smoke and chemical pollutant release etc. Probability-based inverse modeling method was shown feasible for locating single instantaneous source in IAQ events. To tackle more realistic sources of continuous release, this paper advances the method to identify continuously releasing single contaminant source. The study formulates a suite of inverse modeling algorithms that can promptly locate dynamic source with known release time for IAQ events. Two field experiments are employed to verify the prediction: one in a multi-room apartment and the other in a hospital ward which was involved in a SARS outbreak in Hong Kong in 2003. The developed algorithms promptly and accurately identify the source locations in both cases.