Removal efficiency of restroom ventilation revisited for short-term evaluation

Abstract Ventilation efficiency or contaminant removal efficiency is often evaluated using the ratio between the concentrations in the exhaust air and the room air. This ratio does not truly represent the expectation of ventilation in restrooms, where dynamic airflow fields and sources are more typical. This study focuses on a short-term (10 min) pollutant removal percentage in a residential restroom featuring a dynamic airflow field, particularly with the onset of window-induced stack ventilation during toilet uses. Thirteen ventilation scenarios of a residential restroom were studied using the numerical method that was validated by a mock-up experiment. The scenarios differed in the operation of the exhaust fan and window. Results show that the 10-min pollutant removal percentage of a typical exhaust ventilation system at 10 h -1 air change rate (ACH) is only 68.5%. Under exhaust ventilation, opening the window can introduce both adverse short circuit and favorable stack ventilation depending on the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures. As the temperature difference increases from 0 to 12.5 °C, the removal percentage increases from below 50%, a drop due to short circuit, to above 98% thanks to a tripled ventilation rate. The human thermal plume has notable effect on the removal percentage, but its effect can be neglected with the presence of stack ventilation. The hybrid ventilation strategy has impact on perceived air quality and thermal comfort. When the outdoor air is colder, opening the window under exhaust ventilation may increase the current sitting user’s exposure to the self-produced pollutants but can reduce the exposure of the next immediate standing user. In addition, opening the window in cold days will make the toilet user thermally uncomfortable with reduced local temperatures and increased airflow velocities. The study highlights the importance of using the short-term removal percentage to evaluate the performance of restroom ventilation.