Simulation Studies on Indoor Relative Humidity Maintenance in Rural Residential Buildings Using Sustainable Building Materials

Humidity is an indoor environmental factor that can affect thermal comfort inside a building. Sustainable construction techniques to create and maintain healthy indoor condition, based on ecological principles and through an efficient use of resources are the requirement nowadays. Common cause of moisture during the hot season is excessive indoor humidity, caused by an improper balance between moisture generation and moisture removal. Here two sustainable wall materials mud block and burnt brick with rattrap bond construction used in rural residential sector were considered for indoor relative humidity variation analysis with reference to the heat gain by solar radiation into the building, using CFD simulation technique. It was observed that the relative humidity variations and the heat transfer into the houses depend on the heat gain from the roof and walls and that, the mud block walled houses posses more indoor relative humidity variations than rat trap bond brick walled houses.