EN 16516-2017 pdf download.Construction products: Assessment of release of dangerous substances – Determination of emissions into indoor air.
NOTE While emissions from dry products are typically controlled by internal diffusion processes and are largely unaftected by ventilation (surface air velocity), the same cannot be said for liquid’ products (being wet when applied) during the drying/curing stage, i.e. while evaporation dominates the emission process. Given that building occupants are not usually present during the drying/curing phase of wet-applied products In construction works (although common for do-it yourselr activities and redecoration), emission testing Is normally only started after the drying/curing phase.
7.5 Air velocity
The air velocity above the test specimen shall be in the range 0,1 rn/s to 0,3 rn/s.
7.6 Cleanliness of test chamber
The test chamber and the supply air shall be clean, as specified in EN ISO 16000.9 in terms of maximum acceptable background concentration for the different substances analysed.
7.7 Testing climate (temperature, relative humidity of supply air)
The temperature inside the chamber and the relative humidity of the air supplying the chamber shall be registered with a minimum frequency of every 30 mm. The average temperature during the entire testing period shall not deviate from the target value of 23 °C by more than ± 1 °C. Moreover, not more than 10% of the individual 30 mm values shall deviate from the target value of 23 °C by more than ± 1 °C. Temperature shall be registered either inside the chamber or in the temperature controlled surroundings.
The average relative humidity of the air supplied to the chamber throughout the entire testing period
shall not deviate from the target value of 50 % RH by more than ± 5 % RH. Moreover, not more than
10% of the individual 30 mm values shall deviate from the target value of 50% by more than ± 5% RH.
Relative humidity shall be registered either inside the chamber or in the supply air.
During air sampling all temperature readings shall be (23 ±1) °C and all RH readings in the supplied air shall be (50 ± 5) %.
NOTE 1 As temperature and humidity have a significant impact on emissions, these parameters cannot be varied for any type of product or test equipment without compromising the comparability of emission data.
NOTE 2 Test specimens emitting high amounts of water can cause an initial increase in the relative humidity of air inside the test chamber and in the test chamber exhaust. Continuous monitoring of the humidity inside the test chamber or in the air outlet can therefore provide useful ancillary information. However, this effect is short-lived and will not impact the results of emission tests carried out after 28 d.
7.8 Storage of test specimen
The test specimen shall remain in the test chamber for the whole duration of the test, i.e. until the last air sample has been collected.
NOTE 1 Moving a test specimen from an intermediate storage chamber to the test chamber and vice versa may signilicantly interfere with the emission testing in terms of contamination of the sample and of the chamber.
NOTE 2 For VOC of lower volatility and for SVOC, the reliability of test results especially depends on effective control of ventilation, climate, and wall adsorption/desorption etTects, which can only be guaranteed If samples are kept in the test chamber the whole time.
7.9 Large products or inhomogeneous products
When testing large products or inhomogeneous products (for example: doors or windows), that cannot readily be broken down into smaller representative sections, the specified loading factors (7.3) may be exceeded. In this case, the free air volume, product volume and chamber size shall be documented precisely. Large products can Impact the velocity of the air in the chamber above the surface of the test specimen.
To ensure adequate air mixing during emission testing, the sample should not occupy more than 30 % of the empty test chamber volume.
7.10 Volume of test chamber
The volume of the test chamber selected shall be large enough to accommodate a test specimen that is representative of the product in intended use (see 7.2 and 7.9). The size of a test chamber shall be larger than 20 I.
The smaller the test chamber, the smaller the test specimen appropriate for such a small chamber. However, such small test specimens may not be representative of the entire laboratory sample or for the product in normal use unless it is homogeneous. Therefore, small test chambers may not be large enough especially for testing complex or inhomogeneous products.
II a representative laboratory sample consists of several similar increments, each increment may be tested separately in an appropriate test chamber (i.e. of such dimension so as to be representative of the product in normal use) and the individual results combined by weighted averaging. The result of this corresponds to the laboratory sample which is a combined sample of the increments.
NOTE The maximum size of test chambers is not limited. Emission chambers with volumes up to 50 m3 have been reported.
7.11 Placement of test specimen in test chamber
The test specimen shall be placed in the centre of the test chamber as specified in EN ISO 16000-9. If the efficiency of air mixing is proven to be in compliance with specifications of EN ISO 16000-9 in all compartments of the test chamber in the presence of the test specimen, then the test specimen can be placed in the test chamber on the bottom or at the wall or in another manner, as long as the main surface of the test specimen is parallel to the air flow direction.EN 16516-2017 pdf download.