CONTAMW 2.0 User Manual

Published

November 1, 2002

Author(s)

William S. Dols, George Walton

Abstract

This manual describes the computer program CONTAMW version 2.0 developed by NIST. CONTAMW is a multizone indoor air quality and ventilation analysis program designed to help you determine: airflows and pressures infiltration, exfiltration, and room-to-room airflows and pressure differences in building systems driven by mechanical means, wind pressures acting on the exterior of the building, and buoyancy effects induced by temperature differences between the building and the outside; contaminant concentrations the dispersal of airborne contaminants transported by these airflows and transformed by a variety of processes including chemical and radio-chemical transformation, adsorption and desorption to building materials, filtration, and deposition to building surfaces; and/or personal exposure the prediction of exposure of building occupants to airborne contaminants for eventual risk assessment.CONTAMW can be useful in a variety of applications. Its ability to calculate building airflows and relative pressures between zones of the building is useful for assessing the adequacy of ventilation rates in a building, to determine the variation in ventilation rates over time, to determine the distribution of ventilation air within a building, and to estimate the impact of envelope airtightening efforts on infiltration rates. The program has been used extensively for the design and analysis of smoke management systems. The prediction of contaminant concentrations can be used to determine the indoor air quality performance of buildings before they are constructed and occupied, to investigate the impacts of various design decisions related to ventilation system design and building material selection, to evaluate indoor air quality control technologies, and to assess the indoor air quality performance of existing buildings. Predicted contaminant concentrations can also be used to estimate personal exposure based on occupancy patterns.Version 2.0 contains several new features including: non-grace contaminants, unlimited number of contaminants, contaminant-related libraries, separate weather and ambient contaminant files, building controls, scheduled zone temperatures, improved solver to reduce simulation times and several user interface related features to improve usability.

Citation

NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR) - 6921

Report Number

6921

NIST Pub Series

NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR)

Pub Type

NIST Pubs

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.6921

Keywords

airflow analysis, building technology, computer program, contaminant dispersal, controls, indoor air quality, multizone analysis, smoke control, smoke management

Citation

Dols, W. and Walton, G. (2002), CONTAMW 2.0 User Manual, NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.6921 (Accessed April 25, 2024)