Calculation of air changes per hour

What Does Air Change Mean?

One air change occurs in a room when a quantity of air equal to the volume of
the room is supplied and/or exhausted.
Air change rates are units of ventilation that compare the amount of air moving
through a space to the volume of the space. Air change rates are calculated to
determine how well a space is ventilated compared to published standards,
codes, or recommendations.
Air changes per hour (ACH) are the most common unit used. This is the
volume of air (usually expressed in cubic meters) exhausted or supplied every
hour divided by the room volume (also usually expressed in cubic meters). Under
ideal conditions in which droplet nuclei are evenly distributed and room air is
uniformly mixed the proportion of infectious particles eliminated with each air
change or one equivalent air change is 63%. A second air change removes 63%
of what remains, and so on. One air change has occurred when the volume of air
entering or exiting a room is equal to the volume of the room. Subsequent
increases in air changes leads to an exponential reduction in droplet nuclei.
Airflow is usually measured in cubic meters per minute (CMM). This is multiplied
by 60 minutes to determine the volume of air delivered per hour (in cubic
meters). To calculate room volume (in cubic meters), multiply room height (in
meters) by the room area (in square meters). Room area is the room width (in
meters) times the room length (in meters).
AIR CHANGES PER HOUR (ACH) EQUALS AIRFLOW PER HOUR DIVIDED BY
ROOM VOLUME WHICH IS EQUAL TO AVERAGE AIR VELOCITY (M/SEC)
MULTIPLIED BY AREA (SQUARE METERS) MULTIPLIED BY 3600 (SECONDS)
DIVIDED BY ROOM VOLUME (CUBIC METERS)
A room may have two airflow values, one for supply and another for exhaust.
(The airflow difference between these two values is called the offset.) To calculate
the air change rate, use the greater of the two airflow values. For isolation rooms,
the exhaust should be greater than the supply.
Example air exchange rate calculation
Window opening: 0.5 m high, 0.5 m wide Window area = 0.5 m x 0.5 m = 0.25
m2 Average air velocity through window: 0.5 m/s Room dimensions: 3 m wide, 5
m deep, and 3 m high Room volume = 3 m x 5 m x 3 m = 45 m3
Average flow rate = Area of window times average air velocity.25 m2 x 0.5 m/s x
3600 s/hour = 450 m3/hour
Air exchange rate = Average flow rate divided by room volume 450 m3/hour 45
m3 = 10 air changes per hour