VENTILATION SYSTEMS

NATURAL AND MECHANICAL VENTILATION SYSTEMS.

SAYALI SAID,
SR NO- 59
CONCEPTS AND TYPES OF VENTILATION

 The need of building occupants for ventilation has been recognized many centuries ago;
however, since the early 1970s, ventilation systems for buildings and transport systems have
considerably evolved. This was invigorated by researchers who demonstrated the requirements
for buildings to provide comfort and good air quality indoors.
 Later on, this need evolved to address the additional energy requirement for buildings to
achieve the indoor environment quality levels stipulated by those previous researchers.
 The proportion of ventilation energy in comparison with the total energy use in a building
is expected to increase as the building fabric energy performance improves and
ventilation standards recommend higher ventilation rates for improving indoor air quality
(IAQ).
 Ventilation is the process of replacing contaminated indoor air with fresh air from outside the
building. This can be fortuitous in the form of air leakage through cracks and openings in
the building envelop (air infiltration) or purposely provided ventilation in the form of
natural, mechanical, or a combination of the two (hybrid or mixed mode).

NATURAL / PASSIVE VENTILATION SYSTEM

 Passive ventilation is the process of supplying air to and removing air from an indoor space
without using mechanical systems.
 It refers to the flow of external air to an indoor space as a result of pressure differences arising
from natural forces.
  There are two types of natural ventilation occurring in buildings: wind driven ventilation
and buoyancy-driven ventilation.
• Natural forces (e.g. winds and thermal buoyancy force due to indoor and outdoor air
density differences) drive outdoor air through purpose-built, building envelope openings.
Purpose-built openings include windows, doors, solar chimneys, wind towers and trickle
ventilators.
• This natural ventilation of buildings depends on climate, building design and human behaviour.
• If well installed and maintained, there are several advantages of a natural ventilation system,
compared with mechanical ventilation systems.
1. Natural ventilation can generally provide a high ventilation rate more economically, due to the
use of natural forces and large openings.
2. Natural ventilation can be more energy efficient, particularly if heating is not required.
3. Well- designed natural ventilation could be used to access higher levels of daylight.
• From a technology point of view, natural ventilation may be classified into simple natural
ventilation systems and high-tech natural ventilation systems. The latter are computer-
controlled, and may be assisted by mechanical ventilation systems (i.e. hybrid or mixed-mode
systems).
• If properly designed, natural ventilation can be reliable, particularly when combined with a
mechanical system using the hybrid (mixed-mode) ventilation principle, although some of
these modern natural ventilation systems may be more expensive to construct and design
than mechanical systems. In general, the advantage of natural ventilation is its ability to
provide a very high air-change rate at low cost, with a very simple system
• Although the air-change rate can vary significantly, buildings with modern natural ventilation
systems (that are designed and operated properly) can achieve very high air-change rates by
natural forces, which can greatly exceed minimum ventilation requirements.

A. Wind driven ventilation (CROSS VENTILATION)

 Arises from the different pressures created by wind

around a building or structure, and openings being
formed on the perimeter which then permit flow through
the building.
 Based on the availability of wind speed, wind induced
natural ventilation can be considered to be an
appropriate technology for holistic cooling in India.
 As naturally occurring wind blows across a building,
the wind hits the windward wall causing a direct
positive pressure.
 The wind moves around the building and leaves the
leeward wall with a negative pressure, also known as
a sucking effect.
 If there are any openings on the windward and
leeward walls of the building, fresh air will rush in the
windward wall opening and exit the leeward wall
opening to balance and relieve the pressures on the
windward and leeward walls.
 Cross ventilation is suitable for buildings up to
approximately 12 to 15m in depth (five times the floor to
ceiling height, or 2.5 times the floor to ceiling height if
openings can only be provided on one side).
 A disadvantage of cross ventilation is that it tends to
be least effective on hot still days, when it is needed
most.
B. Buoyancy-driven ventilation (STACK VENTILATION)

• Stack ventilation (also known as stack effect or chimney

effect) creates airflow using the natural force that
emerges from changes in air pressure, temperature, and
density levels between corresponding internal and
external environments. The relevant variables that create
this environmental effect are thermal contrasts paired
with the height of the given structure. Airflow through
a chimney is one example of stack effect due to its
inclusion of the two main variables at play; height and
temperature difference.
• Stack ventilation occurs as a result of the directional
buoyancy force that results from temperature differences
between the interior and exterior.
• Also known as buoyancy or thermal ventilation.
• As air heats up it becomes less dense, which causes the air to rise. This warm air will leave your
home through a window or opening located higher in the home, which results in cool fresh
air entering through lower openings.
• Because stack ventilation does not rely on the wind, it can take place with relatively stable
air flow on hot summer days with no wind.
• Solar radiation can be used to enhance stack ventilation in tall, open indoor spaces. By allowing
solar radiation in a space (by using equator facing window glazing for example), you can
heat up internal surfaces to increase the room temperature, which then expedites stack
ventilation between the top and bottom inlet openings.

DESIGN ELEMENTS

• There are various design elements have been used in different part of world for thermal
comfort. Like orientation of building, thermal mass, water body, open courtyard, various kind
of shading devices, vegetation, lattice screen, domes, jharokhas & wind towers & air vent etc.
• From above elements above mentioned mostly perform multiple functions.
• For example, water body behaves like aesthetical feature in the building as well as a source of
thermal cooling.
• Open courtyard functions like a source of ventilation as well as a part of integrated indoor-
outdoor living area, shading devices provides shade but also capable to change direction of
wind at micro level. Lattice screen provides ventilation as well as privacy from outside.
• Domes causes the high volume in building so stores hot air in it as well as behaves as a
ventilation source if vent is provided. With this it causes thermal comfort because of self-
shadow produced by dome on itself.
• With all these features it is a important architectural as well as structural element.
 A. JHAROKHA

• A jharokha is a projecting window from the wall, in an upper storey, overlooking a street. They
bring filtered light into the indoor space. Being a dusty and harsh climate within the area, it
brings channelled cool air through its openings and jaalis. Direct wind flow inside the
building is not desirable.

• Purpose of minimizing the area of building surface exposed to sun is achieved using this
module in repetitive manner. Covering outer layer of the building facade with these kind
of projecting overhangs, jaalis and small openings in it works for ventilation purpose.
• During the day, outer layer gets heated and radiated to immediate environment. When
the building has only one layer building gets heated up early by transmitting the sun rays
directly to primary spaces.
• But organizing secondary spaces adjacent to outer layer it acts as transitional space
keeping comparative cooler inside the primary spaces. Heat enters the secondary space will
dissipate in the streets with respected openings in secondary space before it enters inside.

B. LATTICE SCREEN (JAALI)

• Lattice screens is a type of projecting oriel window

enclosed with carved wood latticework located on the
second storey of a building or higher. Lattice screen
with operable windows gives shade and protection from
the hot summer sun while allowing the cool air from the
street to flow through.
• The designs of the latticework are usually with smaller
opening in the bottom part and larger openings in the
higher parts, hence causing the draft to be fast above
the head and slow in lower parts.
• This provides a significant amount of air moving in the
room without causing it to be uncomfortable. Original
lattice screens were made of wood.
• This wood itself absorbs the extra humidity from the air if
it presents in it. If sometime humidity is lesser and air is dry
then wood from this lattice humidify the air With all
these climatic features it also provides privacy from
outside.
• When there is sunshine outside in the day, the internal
spaces are not clearly visible from outside however, the
diffused light is spread throughout the interiors.
 C. WINDCATCHER

 Wind catcher is a traditional Persian architectural device used for many centuries to
create natural ventilation in buildings.
 Wind catchers come in various designs: uni-directional, bidirectional, and multi-
directional. Central Iran has a very large day-night temperature difference, ranging from
cool to extremely hot, and the air tends to be very dry all day long.
 Most buildings are constructed of very thick ceramics with extremely high insulation values.
Furthermore, towns centred on desert oases tend to be packed Passive Cooling.
 When used effectively, windcatchers are able to cool a room enough to keep water at
near freezing temperatures throughout the summer months. A windcatcher is a raised
tower structure, typically on the roof of a building. It may have 4 or 8 sides, and has
openings on 1, all 4, or all 8 sides, depending on typical air patterns in a location.
 A windcatcher can work in three different ways. It can, as it’s name suggests, catch wind and
direct it downwards into a room.
 It can also function as a solar chimney, allowing hot air to escape, cause a pressure gradient,
and pull in cool air.
 In a climate that has a diurnal cycle – hot days and cold nights – this is especially useful.
 When paired with good building materials such as adobe, a windcatcher can keep the
inside of a building quite cool.
 Thirdly, it can be paired with an underground canal. The windcatcher will pull warm air
upwards, and with properly placed inlets, pull air in along the ground-cooled water. The water
will cool the air, and the now cooled air will be pulled throughout the structure.

C. COURTYARD (COURTYARD EFFECT)

 Courtyards were traditionally common in north India where they kept the building cool via
ventilation.
 Exposed to the sun, the courtyard heats up during the day. As the hot air rises and moves out
of the house it creates a low-pressure inside the house which is balanced by cold air from
outside through windows.
 The temperature outside is usually lower because of trees, water bodies and/or shaded
streets. This is called stack process of cooling.
 Due to incident solar radiation in a courtyard, air gets warmer and rises , cool air from ground
level flows through the lower openings

Illustration of a courtyard design with evaporative cooling pond

 D. MASSING AND ORIENTATION OF BUILDING, OPENING SIZE AND OPENING TYPE

 As a general rule, thin tall buildings will encourage natural ventilation and utilize prevailing
winds, cross ventilation, and stack effect.
 Tall buildings also increase the effectiveness of natural ventilation, because wind speeds
are faster at greater heights.
E. SHADING DEVICES

 The most effective method of cooling a building is to

shade windows, walls and roof of building from
direct solar radiation.
 Heavily insulated walls and roofs need less shading.
 Can use overhangs on outside facade of
the building.
 Each project should be evaluated depending on
its relative cooling needs.
 Extend the overhang beyond the sides of the
window to prevent solar gain from the side.
 Use slatted or louvered shades to allow more
daylight to enter, while shading windows from direct
sunlight.
 Reduce solar heat gain by recessing windows into
the wall.
NATURAL COOLING SYSTEM OF JAISALMER

 Dense clustering of buildings

 Sun control through orientation and
structural projections
 Massive construction for roofs and walls
 Courtyards and other air ducts for ventilation.

 This type of houses have two or three

storey structures and can be considered as
the typical houses of Jaisalmer, these have
additional rooms and has a balcony
projecting on to the street.

STREETS OF JAISALMER

• There are major streets oriented almost

E-W and minor streets are right angle
to these.

• This compact structure of the housing

doesn’t allow the sun rays to penetrate,
and also serve as device of shading.
 CASE STUDY

PEARL ACADEMY, JAIPUR

 Pearl academy of fashion

combines modern exterior
styling with influence of
traditional Rajasthani
architecture, designed to keep
temperature down without
artificial cooling systems.

 As the structure is in Jaipur which has hot and dry climate the corridor with the internal water
body plays a major role for ventilation.
 Due to the water body the cool air will circulate in the whole structure and it will also maintain
the humidity.
 Double skin derived from traditional jaali runs to the length of the structure to provide cooling
of outer skin.

 Detail of the part of the structure to show the working of jaali and the buffer zone.
 Traditional step wells often go many stories below ground level, here it is just four meters down
where it has a water body for the purpose of evaporative cooling.

 At the height of summer, the Pearl Academy of Fashion remains 20 degrees cooler inside than
out Reversed earthen pot kept on the roof to provide thermal insulation from heat.

 Reversed earthen pot kept on the roof to provide thermal insulation from heat.
DEVELOPMENT OF ANCIENT WATER STORAGE SYSTEMS AND VENTILATION NAMELY AB- ANB

 The history of Iran has left a considerable legacy in the section of water conservation,
storage and collection methods, which could provide an efficient and proper
management of available water resources.
 However, it is not valued enough and is not considered to be used as new methods in water
supply. One of the skills of ancient Iranians was to use Techno-economics of a wind–solar
hybrid renewable energy system with surface and groundwater, water collection feature for
urban and rural use and high-rise application by making water storage structures such as
Ab- Anbar and yakhchal, in order to use the Ice and surface water in dry seasons, they
have invented a special structural design to save fresh water and apply renewable energy to
purify a large amount of water, here it has tried to introduce a new green architecture
design.
 An Ab-Anbar was filled by the temporary river currents, springs or underground waters
namely Qanta or wells.
 On the other hand, in fresh-water management, it is hard to control the Surface water as it
is vulnerable to the pollution due to the fact; that is easily accessible for disposal of
wastewaters in it.
 In the south of Iran, most particularly in Yazd province, one or more number of ventilation
towers referred badgir has been built along the edge of the Ab-anbar's roof.
 In some regions, Ab-Anbars are the most effective way of collection of rainwater, especially
in places with very low amount of precipitation, due to lack of river flow and lack of suitable
groundwater resources.
 General description of an Ab-Anbar In order to cooling and safe storage of water in Ab-Anbar:
1- Wind captures (badgir) main role for ventilation tower and are set near the walls
2-water storage is under
ground. 3-burly and bigger walls
 Therefore, air can be cooled by water and then hot air is removed from beneath the roof
to the outside.
 Most types of the Ab-Anbars are made of poured lime-plaster which is considerably
cheaper to build, first the perimeter of the tank's walls is marked out, and then ground within
the wall area is dug out to the desired depth, and next lime-mortar is poured into the
square or rectangular trenches until they are filled nearly to the ground level.
 This is left for a week or two until the mortar settles and it is solidified, then the area of earth
bounded by the mortar walls is dug out to the prescribed floor level, the floor is built by
pouring lime-mortar and, finally, when the walls and floor are dry, they receive a coat of
plaster.

 Construction of an Ab-Anbar
Structure of an Ab-Anbar consists
of 1- The water storage
2- Storage cover
3- Air refreshing system and Ventilation (wind
trap) 4- Stairs
5- Decorated Gate

Components of Ab-Anbar;

 Well pouring lime slurry

 main gate
 Stairs
 Pashir (valve)
 water output
 tunnel
 conduit
 Badgir (wind trap)
 vault
 VENTILATION IN AN ENGLISH COTTAGE FOR SUMMER AND WINTER CONDITIONS

 This case demonstrates the effect within a

home, along with the seasonal differences
in air pressure.
 The end of the simulation is to evaluate
the direct and reverse effects of stack
effect within a building—in this case, a
country cottage—and understand where
ventilation system design can come into
play.
 Direct stack effect is where the
temperature difference generates a
buoyancy effect that drives the flow inside
the house at the low level and expels it
at the top level.
 This occurs when the external climate is
cold, therefore it is most prevalent in the
winter season.
 The simulation aims to understand the
 The reverse of this is experienced in
degrees to which the buoyancy forces
opposite climate conditions, where the
provoking the stack effect (height and
effect is usually weaker due to lower
temperature gradients) can be
temperature difference.
manipulated.
 MECHANICAL VENTILATION

 Natural ventilation is generally preferable to mechanical ventilation as it will typically have

lower capital, operational and maintenance costs. However, there are a range of
circumstances in which natural ventilation may not be possible:

 The building is too deep to ventilate from the perimeter.

 Local air quality is poor, for example if a building is next to a busy road.
 Local noise levels mean that windows cannot be opened.
 The local urban structure is very dense and shelters the building from the wind.
 Privacy or security requirements prevent windows from being opened.
 Internal partitions block air paths.
 The density of occupation, equipment, lighting and so on creates very high heat loads or high
levels of contaminants.

 Mechanical Ventilation systems are systems that provide better indoor air quality in homes and
commercial buildings by extracting stale air or by supplying fresh air.

 These systems utilize fans installed in air ducts or directly in windows or walls. The fans
exhaust the polluted air to the ambient and supply clean air into the room.
 In commercial developments, mechanical ventilation is typically driven by air handling
units (AHU) connected to ductwork within the building that supplies air to and extracts air
from interior spaces.
 Typically AHU comprise an insulated box that forms the housing for; filter racks or chambers, a
fan (or blower), and sometimes heating elements, cooling elements, sound attenuators
and dampers. In some situations, such as in swimming pools, air handling units might
include dehumidification. See Air handling units for more information.
 Where mechanical ventilation includes heating, cooling and humidity control, this can be
referred to as Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC).

COMPONENTS – DAMPERS, FILTERS, HUMIDIFIERS, COOLING COIL, HEATING COIL, EXHAUST FAN,
GRILL.
 Mechanical fans drive mechanical ventilation. Fans
can either be installed directly in windows or walls, or
installed in air ducts for supplying air into, or
exhausting air from, a room. The type of mechanical
ventilation used depends on climate. If well
designed, installed and maintained, there are a
number of advantages to a mechanical system.
 Mechanical ventilation systems are considered to be
reliable in delivering the designed flow rate, regardless
of the impacts of variable wind and ambient
temperature.
 As mechanical ventilation can be integrated easily
into air-conditioning, the indoor air temperature and
humidity can also be controlled.
 Filtration systems can be installed in mechanical
ventilation so that harmful microorganisms,
particulates, gases, odours and vapours can be
removed.
 The airflow path in mechanical ventilation systems
can be controlled, for instance allowing the air to flow
from areas where there is a source (e.g. patient with
an airborne infection), towards the areas free of
susceptible individuals.
 Mechanical ventilation can work everywhere when
electricity is available.
 Various methods of mechanical ventilation and room air distribution have been
implemented and used in different types of buildings over many years now.
 Some of these classical methods are still widely used, such as mixing ventilation (MV), but new
concepts are currently being developed for wider commercialization, such as the impinging jets
(IJ) and the confluent jets (CJ) systems.
 In many cases, thermal plumes can have a major impact on the air movement not only in the
case of displacement ventilation (DV).
 Mixing ventilation has been in use longer than any of the known mechanical ventilation systems
and it is well documented in various ventilation guides and standards.

MIXING VENTILATION

 In winter, when the outside air is too cold

to bring directly into the room, fresh air
entering the room (ideally at a high level)
is premixed with the warmer room air in
order to bring it to a comfortable
temperature before it reaches the
occupants of the room.
 This allows fresh air to be supplied to the
occupants while mitigating any possibility
of cold draughts.
 Mixing ventilation saves energy by using
heat gains from the occupants and
electrical equipment in the room to heat
the incoming air, instead of requiring
additional heating from a radiator.
 CONFLUENT JETS (CJ) SYSTEMS.

 Currently, most people spend the majority

of their time indoors.
 This highlights the importance of well-
functioning heating, ventilation and air
conditioning (HVAC) systems.
 In ventilation, a confluent jet is formed,
when circular jets when circular jets issuing
from different apertures in the same
plane flow in parallel directions, and at a
certain distance downstream they
coalesce as a single jet.

 Two type of configurations: (a) Ceiling level (b) floor (a) Ceiling level (b) floor level (blowing
to the wall) level (blowing to the wall).
 Here a jet of air is supplied downward on to the floor with quite a high momentum (i.e.
resembling mixing ventilation) but the velocity decays very rapidly away from the point of
impact on the floor.
 This method is suitable for cooling and heating.
 DISPLACEMENT VENTILATION (DV)

 It is a room air distribution strategy where conditioned outdoor air is supplied at a low
velocity from air supply diffusers located near floor level and extracted above the
occupied zone, usually at ceiling height.
 A typical displacement ventilation system, such as one in an office space, supplies
conditioned cold air from an air handling unit (AHU) through a low induction air diffuser.
Diffuser types vary by applications.
 Diffusers can be located against a wall ("wall-mounted"), at the corner of a room
("corner- mounted"), or above the floor but not against a wall ("free-standing").
 The cool air accelerates because of the buoyancy force, spreads in a thin layer over the floor,
reaching a relatively high velocity before rising due to heat exchange with heat sources (e.g.,
occupants, computers, lights).
 Absorbing the heat from heat sources, the cold air becomes warmer and less dense. The
density difference between cold air and warm air creates upward convective flows known
as thermal plumes. Instead of working as a stand-alone system in interior space,
displacement ventilation system can also be coupled with other cooling and heating sources,
such as radiant chilled ceilings or baseboard heating.
 HOUSING
 The housing that contains all the other components of an AHU is usually make of
metal, some are painted to prevent corrosion.
 In sections where the fans and the coil are located, 1-2 inches of polyurethane foam or PU
is used to insulate them to prevent the condensation on the panel. Drain pan is also used
as a precaution in the event of condensation of water.

FAN
• Centrifugal fan is used to circulate the air to the various parts of the sections in the building.
The typical types of fan available are Backward Inclined, Backward Curved, Forward
Curved and Airfoil.
• The selection of the fan will depend on the air volume and the static pressure required of the
system. Usually, the designer of the system will use specialized software to do this selection.

COOLING COIL
• Cooling Coil is used to cool and dehumidify the air. Both DX (direct expansion) cooling
and CW(chilled water) cooling coils are available for use depending on the system design.
• These coils are arranged in rows with different fin spacing. Aluminium fins and copper tubes
are used in the design of the coils.
• The corrosion resistance hydrophilic fins are also used due to its lower cost and lower
resistance to the air velocity.

FILTERS
• Filters are to remove particles and contaminants of various sizes from the air. The type of air
filter being used will very much depend on the application of the system.
1. PANEL FILTER is a flat and rectangular in shape and provides a minimum low
efficiency filtration which is acceptable to the air conditioning industry. The high
velocity filter is arranged vertically whereas the low velocity filter is arranged in V
shape. Typical air velocity that moves through the filters is in the range of 2-3 m/s.
2. HEPA Filter is very efficient and is able to achieve efficiencies up to 99.97%,
removing minute particles and airborne bacteria from the air. It is usually used in
clean room applications such as semiconductor production floor, operating theatres
and critical processes.
3. ELECTROSTATIC FILTER is used to remove particles from the air by using highly charged
electrodes that ionized the air. Bag Filter is able to remove dust particles and is
thrown away after use. Roll Filter is used for high velocity filtration where the used part
is rolled up automatically/manually.

HUMIDIFIERS

• During winter, the humidity level of the air can be low hence causing discomfort to the
occupants. The humidity of the air is increased by using the humidifiers.

MIXING BOX

• This box has an air inlet that is attached to the dampers.

• This is the place where the outside air and the return air are mixed to provide the
correct proportion of air to be distributed to the space that is to be conditioned.
 HYBRID VENTILATION.
• Hybrid (mixed mode) ventilation relies on natural driving forces to provide the desired
(design) flow rate. It uses mechanical ventilation when the natural ventilation flow rate is too
low.
• When natural ventilation alone is not suitable, exhaust fans (with adequate pre-testing
and planning) can be installed to increase ventilation rates in rooms housing patients with
airborne infection.
• However, this simple type of hybrid (mixed mode) ventilation needs to be used with care. The
fans should be installed where room air can be exhausted directly to the outdoor environment
through either a wall or the roof.
• The size and number of exhaust fans depends on the targeted ventilation rate and must
be measured and tested before use.

 Problems associated with the use of

exhaust fans include installation
difficulties (especially for large fans),
noise (particularly from high-power
fans), increased or decreased
temperature in the room and the
requirement for non- stop electricity
supply.
 If the environment in the room causes
thermal discomfort spot cooling or
heating systems and ceiling fans may
be added.