Numerical analysis of wind effects on mechanically induced depressurization for asbestos abatement

Asbestos abatement from buildings requires establishing depressurization through a mechanical ventilation system to prevent fiber leakage. However, atmospheric wind can cause momentary breaching of containment, increasing the probability of asbestos fiber leaking into the atmosphere. This necessitates the investigation of wind effects on mechanically-induced containment by experimental and numerical techniques. The paper focuses on the reliability of a ventilation network model (SYLVIA) to predict internal pressure field when coupled with external pressure predicted by wind-tunnel (WT) tests or large eddy simulations (LES). The internal pressure and the probability of containment breach predicted by WT-SYLVIA and LES-SYLVIA show reliable results.