NOTICE: Due to a lapse in annual appropriations, most of this website is not being updated. Learn more.

Form submissions will still be accepted but will not receive responses at this time. Sections of this site for programs using non-appropriated funds (such as NVLAP) or those that are excepted from the shutdown (such as CHIPS and NVD) will continue to be updated.

U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

PUBLICATIONS

A stiff variable time step transport solver for CONTAM

Published

Author(s)

David M. Lorenzetti, William Stuart Dols, Andrew K. Persily, Michael D. Sohn

Abstract

CONTAM, a multizone model for predicting whole-building airflow and contaminant transport, has been updated to improve the speed and accuracy of its transport calculations. CVODE, a general-purpose code for solving ordinary differential equations, brings variable time steps, high-order integration meth¬ods, and automatic error control to CONTAM. We describe the modeling decisions needed to integrate CVODE into CONTAM, then compare it to the original transport solvers on two realistic building models. CVODE can be more accurate when simulating fast transport mechanisms such as sorption, chemical re¬actions, or even high air change rates. In many cases, CVODE also runs faster than the legacy solvers— up to 180 times faster in the tests reported here.
Citation
Building and Environment
Volume
67
Pub Type
Journals

Download Paper

Local Download

Keywords

Keywords: contaminant, pollutant, transport, simulation, buildings, CONTAM, CVODE
Indoor air quality, Fire and Buildings and Construction

Citation

Lorenzetti, D. , Dols, W. , Persily, A. and Sohn, M. (2013), A stiff variable time step transport solver for CONTAM, Building and Environment, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=911846 (Accessed October 10, 2025)

Issues

If you have any questions about this publication or are having problems accessing it, please contact [email protected].

Created May 9, 2013, Updated October 12, 2021
Was this page helpful?