ASHRAE Terminology

A Comprehensive Glossary of Terms for the Built Environment
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cross ventilation

(1) natural ventilation in which the airflow mainly results from wind pressure effects on the building facades and where stack effects in the building are of less importance. (2) type of ventilating with air supply and exhaust points at opposite sides of ventilated space.

exfiltration

(1) leakage of indoor air out of a building through similar types of openings. Like natural ventilation, it is driven by natural and/or artificial pressure differences. (2) uncontrolled outward air leakage from conditioned spaces through unintentional openings in ceilings, floors, and walls to unconditioned spaces or the outdoors caused by pressure differences across these openings due to wind, inside-outside temperature differences (stack effect), and imbalances between supply and exhaust airflow rates.

stack effect

(1) movement of air into and out of buildings, chimneys, flue gas stacks, or other containers and is driven by buoyancy. Buoyancy occurs due to a difference in indoor to outdoor air density resulting from temperature and moisture differences. The result is either a positive or negative buoyancy force. The greater the thermal difference and the height of the structure, the greater the buoyancy force, and thus the stack effect. The stack effect is also referred to as the chimney effect, and it helps drive natural ventilation and infiltration. (2) movement of air or other gas in a vertical enclosure (e.g., duct, chimney, building), induced by the density difference between the air or other gas in the enclosure and the ambient atmosphere. Note: stack effect is a significant concern in heating-system design for tall buildings in cold climates. Sometimes referred to as chimney effect. (3) pressure difference caused by the difference in density between indoor and outdoor air due to an indoor/outdoor temperature difference. (4) the vertical airflow within buildings caused by temperature differences between the building's interior and exterior.