Modeling the Effects of Outdoor Use of Portable Gasoline Powered Generator Exhaust on Indoor Carbon Monoxide Exposure

Published

June 10, 2011

Author(s)

Steven J. Emmerich, Leon Wang

Abstract

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that up to half of non-fatal CO poisoning incidents during the hurricane seasons in 2004 and 2005 involved generators operated outdoors but within seven feet of the home. We conducted a computer simulation study to examine the impact of gasoline-powered portable electric generators on indoor CO exposure. This paper describes the use of the CONTAM indoor air quality model coupled with two computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models to predict CO concentrations near and within a home. A variety of parameters were considered including house style, weather, generator location and distance, and generator exhaust temperature and speed. With some exceptions, the simulations showed it was helpful to point the generator exhaust away from the house and position the generator at a distance of more than 4.6 m from the house.

Proceedings Title

The 12th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate

Conference Dates

June 5, 0011-June 10, 2011

Conference Location

Austin, TX

Conference Title

Indoor Air 2011- International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate

Pub Type

Conferences

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Keywords

carbon monoxide, computational fluid dynamics, CONTAM, multizone airflow model, simulation

Citation

Emmerich, S. and Wang, L. (2011), Modeling the Effects of Outdoor Use of Portable Gasoline Powered Generator Exhaust on Indoor Carbon Monoxide Exposure, The 12th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate, Austin, TX, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=907742 (Accessed October 11, 2025)