Modeling Carbon Dioxide Dispersion Indoors

Carbon dioxide concentration in closed spaces is an indication of air quality and a means of measuring the number of occupants for controlling energy consumption. However, the dispersion of the gas and the accuracy of the concentration measurements as logged by carbon dioxide sensors are highly sensitive to the configuration of the closed space. Conducting case by case studies for each closed space is neither practical nor cost-effective. We hereby propose a formal model using cellular discrete-event system specifications for studying carbon dioxide dispersion indoors and for analyzing the effect of different configurations on the sensors measurements of the concentration. We present a case study of the model and compare the simulation results to ground truth data collected from two physical systems of two computer laboratories. The results demonstrate that the proposed model can be used to study carbon dioxide dispersion and the change of sensors’ readings in closed spaces based on the configurations of the space.