Infiltration models for multicellular structures - a literature review

Infiltration models are used to simulate the rates of incoming and outgoing air flows for a building with known leakage under given weather and shielding conditions. Additional information about the flow paths and air-mass flows inside the building can only be made available by using multichamber infiltration models. Our review of the literature revealed the existence of 15 multichamber infiltration models, all developed between 1966 and 1983 and differing significantly in the number of cells they can handle, depending on the date of their development. In terms of the flow equations these programs use, they are very similar; most of the differences between them are in the description of the building and the algorithm provided for solving the set of nonlinear equations. In this literature review, we found that only a few of the 15 models are able to describe and simulate the ventilation system and the interrelation of mechanical and natural ventilation.