CE 253A: Construction Technology-II

Chapter 9: Ventilation and Air-Conditioning

Lecture 24: Air-Conditioning
Ventilation & Air conditioning: Purpose of ventilation, Methods of ventilation, systems of
ventilation, Rate of ventilation, Systems of air conditioning.

General Consideration and Rules for Natural Ventilation:

The following consideration and rules should be followed for promoting the natural ventilation in
building.

- Inlet openings in the building should be well distributed and should be located on the
windward side at a low level. The outlet openings should be located on the leeward side
near the ceiling in the side walls and in the roofs.
- Inlet and outlet openings should preferably be of equal size for greatest air flow, but when
outlet is in the form of a roof opening the inlet should be larger in size.
- Where the wind direction is variable, openings should be provided in all walls with suitable
means of closing them.
- Inlet openings should be obstructed by adjoining buildings, trees, signboards or other
obstructions in the path of air flow.
- Increased height of the room gives better ventilation due to stack effect.
- The efficiency of roof ventilation depends on their location, wind direction and the height
of the building.
- For cross-ventilation, the position of outlets should be just opposite to inlets.
2. Mechanical or Artificial Ventilation:
- In this system of ventilation, the outside air is supplied into a building either by positive
ventilation or by exhaust of air.
- The supply of outside air by means of mechanical device, such as fan is termed as “positive
ventilation”. Whereas the removal of air and its disposal outside by such a device is termed
as “Exhaust of Air”.

Mr. Sanu Meena, Assistant Professor (Department of Civil Engineering, M.B.M. Engineering
College Jodhpur)
 - For proper ventilation, centrally located supply fans of centrifugal type, whereas for
exhaust fans of propeller type are normally used.
- Mechanical ventilation is recommended in all the cases where a satisfactory standard of
ventilation in respect of air quantity, quality cannot be obtained by natural ventilation.
- A mechanical system is capable of meeting the requirements of air quantity and qualities
(of air) regarding humidity, temperature etc. and produces the comfortable conditions at all
times during the year.
- This system is adopted for big offices, banks, assembly halls, auditorium, theatres, large
factories, workshops, place of entertainments etc.
- The following methods of mechanical or artificial ventilation are in common use:
1. Extract or Exhaust Systems
2. Supply or Plenum Systems
3. Combination of Exhaust and Supply Systems or Balanced Systems
4. Air-conditioning
1) Extract or Exhaust Systems:
- In this system, a partial vacuum is created in the inside of room by exhausting or removing
the vitiated inside air by means of propeller type fans.
- The extraction of air from inside permits the fresh air to flow from outside to inside and
thus it becomes possible to provide fresh air to the room through doors and windows.
- These fans for exhaust are installed at suitable places in the outside walls or roofs.
2) Supply or Plenum Systems:
- As the name implies, in this system the space is filled with air by means of fan, but no
special provision is made to remove it.
- In plenum ventilation, the air inlet is selected in the side of the building where the air is
purest.
- In this opening, screens or filters may be fixed, and a fine stream of water may be impugned
in the path of the incoming air. The disinfection of incoming air is achieved by adding
ozone at the point of inlet.
- Ventilation by plenum process may be downward or upward.
- In downward ventilation, the downward ventilation, the incoming air is allowed to enter at
the ceiling height and is taken out through outlets situated at floor level.

Mr. Sanu Meena, Assistant Professor (Department of Civil Engineering, M.B.M. Engineering
College Jodhpur)
 - In upward ventilation, the fresh air is allowed to enter the floor level and outlet is provide
at the ceiling height.
3) Combination of Exhaust and Supply Systems or Balanced Systems:
- This balanced system in a combination of above two systems and makes use of fans to
supply and extract air (exhaust fans).
- This systems enables full control over the air movement and conditions to be obtained, and
should be used where accurate performance is desired.
4) Air-conditioning:
- This is the most expensive system of artificial ventilation, in which provision is kept for
humidifying or dehumidifying, heating or cooling, filtration etc. of the air to meet the
possible requirements.

The Principle involved in air-conditioning of any of the above systems is same and has the
following cycles of operations:

1. Sucking the air through filter media

2. Cooling it (in summer) or heating it (in winter)
3. Dehumidifying, if it is to be cooled or humidifying, if it is to be heated
4. Forcing it into the rooms for proper circulation through grilles
5. The used air is collected through the exhaust and mixed with some outside fresh air and
sucked again through the filtering medium, thus completing the cycle.

Systems of Air-Conditioning:

Depending upon the location of air conditioning equipment, the systems of sir-conditioning are
classified as follows:

1) Central System
2) Self-contained or Unit System or Unitary System
3) Semi-contained or Unitary central system
4) Combined System

Mr. Sanu Meena, Assistant Professor (Department of Civil Engineering, M.B.M. Engineering
College Jodhpur)