The use of FEMLAB models to protect a monumental church organ in case of hot air church heating

In a study on the heating of monumental churches one of the problems, which was encountered, was the damage to wooden interior parts due to the changing of the indoor climate. Particularly hot air heating frequently leads to sudden changes in relative humidity, which turned out to be dramatically hard for monumental church organs during wintertime. The warm air inlet conditions and their result on the airflow and air conditions were examined experimentally and by CFD-simulation. These results provided boundary temperature and humidity conditions, to which the monumental church organ was exposed. In an experimental study the response of wooden parts to changing indoor conditions was tested. In a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) test setup the moisture content of samples was measured as a function of time and place. These moisture content changes were related to the free mechanical deformation of samples. Together with the measurement of typical material properties of wood, models were developed in FEMLAB. Furthermore FEMLAB was successfully used for simulating the consequences on drying of wood for different controller strategies of the HVAC system (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning).