An experimental study on airborne particles dispersion in a residential room heated by radiator and floor heating systems

Population growth increasing life level and limitations of energy sources made efficient use of energy sources an inevitable task. The floor heating system has been developed as one of the most energy-efficient systems for heating inside spaces. The adoption of an energy-efficient heating system still requires the provision of acceptable indoor air quality to ensure a healthy environment. In this study, airborne particle distribution inside a space equipped separately with the radiator and floor heating systems is investigated experimentally. The experiments executed in an unoccupied residential room of 3m x 4m x 3m and sensitivity analyses were performed to unveil the effect of air temperature and floor cover on particle distribution pattern. The room space was divided into eight zones, where the particle concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 are measured by sampling the air. The results reveal that in radiator and floor heating systems, the highest airborne particle concentration is for PM10 and PM2.5 particles, respectively, which are 61% and 39% beyond their maximum allowable limit values. Between PM2.5 and PM10 particles, the concentration pattern of PM2.5 particles is more sensitive to change of both air temperature and floor condition. Also, between the radiator and floor heating system, the sensitivity is the highest in case of using floor heating system. By comparing the total deviation of PM2.5 and PM10 particle concentration from their corresponding allowable limit, the floor heating system is proposed as a more healthy heating system.