Industrial ventilation

 Definition:
Ventilation is the mechanical system in a building that brings in "fresh"
outdoor air and removes the "contaminated" indoor air.

In a workplace, ventilation is used to control exposure to airborne

contaminants. It is commonly used to remove contaminants such as fumes, dusts, and
vapour, in order to provide a healthy and safe working environment.

Ventilation can be accomplished by natural means (e.g., opening a window) or

mechanical means (e.g.fans or blowers).

Industrial systems are designed to move a specific amount of air at a specific

speed (velocity), which results in the removal (or "exhaust") of undesirable
contaminants. While all ventilation systems follow the same basic principles, each
system is designed specifically to match to the type of work and the rate of
contaminant release at that workplace.

 Purpose of a ventilation system:

There are four purposes of ventilation:
 Provide a continuous supply of fresh outside air.
 Maintain temperature and humidity at comfortable levels.
 Reduce potential fire or explosion hazards.
 Remove or dilute airborne contaminants.
 Why have an industrial ventilation system:
Ventilation is considered an "engineering control" to remove or control
contaminants released in indoor work environments. It is one of the preferred ways
to control employee exposure to air contaminants.

Other ways to control contaminants include:

 Eliminate the use of the hazardous chemical or material,
 Substitute with less toxic chemicals,
 Process change, or
 Work practice change.

 Parts of an industrial ventilation system:

Systems are composed of many parts including:
 An "Air intake" Area such as a hood or an enclosure,
 Ducts to move air from one area to another,
 Air cleaning device(s), and
 Fan(s) to bring in outside air and exhaust the indoor contaminated air.
Each of these parts are discussed in this series of documents.

 Basic types of ventilation systems:

There are two types of mechanical ventilation systems used in industrial settings:
Dilution (or general) ventilation & Local exhaust ventilation.

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  Dilution (or general) ventilation reduces the concentration of the contaminant by mixing
the contaminated air with clean, uncontaminated air.
 Local exhaust ventilation captures contaminates at or very near the source and exhausts
them outside.

 Main features of dilution ventilation:

Dilution, or "general", ventilation supplies and exhausts large amounts of air to and from
an area or building. It usually involves large exhaust fans placed in the walls or roof of a room or
building.

Dilution ventilation controls pollutants generated at a work site by ventilating the entire
workplace. The use of general ventilation distributes pollutants, to some degree, throughout the
entire work site and could therefore affect persons who are far from the source of contamination.

Dilution ventilation can be made more effective if the exhaust fan is located close to
exposed workers and the makeup air is located behind the worker so that contaminated air is
drawn away from the worker's breathing zone. See Figure 1 for examples of good and poor
dilution ventilation design.

When used to control chemical pollutants, dilution must be limited to only situations
where:
 The amounts of pollutants generated are not very high,
 Their toxicity is relatively moderate, and
 Workers do not carry out their tasks in the immediate vicinity of the source of
contamination.

It is therefore unusual to recommend the use of general ventilation for the control of
chemical substances except in the case of solvents which have admissible concentrations of more
than 100 parts per million.

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 Components of local exhaust ventilation:
A local exhaust system has six basic elements (see figure 6):

 A "Hood" Or opening that captures the contaminant at the source.

 Ducts that transport the airborne chemicals through the system.
 An air cleaning device that removes the contaminant from the moving air in
the system (not always required).
 Fans that move the air through the system and discharges the exhaust air
outdoors.
 An exhaust stack through which the contaminated air is discharged.
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  Make up air that replaces the exhausted air.

 Which type of ventilation system is best for my workplace:

All industrial ventilation systems, when designed properly, should be able to
provide long-term worker protection. The two types of ventilation, dilution and local
exhaust, are compared in the following table.

 limitations of any ventilation system:

Some limitations include:

 The systems deteriorate over the years because of to contaminant build-up

within the system, especially filters.
 Require ongoing maintenance.
 Regular and routine testing is needed to identify problems early and
implement corrective measures.
 Only qualified persons should make modifications to a ventilation system to
make sure the system continues to work effectively.

The following is an example of changes that can affect how a system works:

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 A hood and branch are added to an existing duct. The local exhaust ventilation
pulls air into the system from the new location, which will reduce the airflow from
other locations that are further away from the exhaust fan. Again, airflow will all be
affected. The result is that the system will plug more rapidly and the air flows at the
other hoods may not be adequate enough to remove contaminants.

 Measures for dilution ventilation rates:

Air Changes per minute (ACM) [or air changes per hour (ACH)] is generally used
as a way to measure the dilution ventilation rate. Air exchange rate means replacing
the entire volume of air in the work space in one minute or one hour.

The following formula can be used to determine the air exchange rate:

For example:

If the air flow rate required in a work space which is 40 feet long, 40 feet wide
and 12 feet high, volume of the work space is 40 x 40 x 12 = 19,200 cubic feet.
Air flow rate required per ACH = 19,200 / 60 = 320 cfm (cubic feet per
minute)
Or, air flow rate required per ACM = 19,200 cfm

Or, if the ceiling height is 20 feet high then the room volume is 40 feet X 40 feet X 20
feet high= 32,000 cubic feet and the required air flow rate will be as follows:
Air flow rate required per ACH = 32,000 / 60 = 533 cfm
Or, air flow rate required per ACM = 32,000 cfm

The required air change rate is sometimes given in ventilation regulations and
ventilation design standards.

For example, a flammable storage room requires six air changes per hour
according to US OSHA requirements. The Canadian National Building Code (NBC)
requires residential houses to mechanical ventilation system capable of providing at
least one half (0.5) air changes per hour during the heating season to avoid chimney
back drafting.

However, air changes per hour (or minute) may not be an appropriate measure
for ventilation criteria when controlling certain hazards, heat and/or odors.
Ventilation should be determined on the amount of contaminant generated, and the
toxicity of that contaminant (not just the size of the room).

 Duct system:
The ventilation system in a building consists of air-moving devices such as fans and blowers
and a network of ducts to exhaust the contaminated indoor air and to bring in air from the outside
of the building.
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 Basic principles of duct design:
Duct systems should be designed to have air flow through the ducts with as
little friction or resistance as possible. The amount of air that flows through a duct
depends on the cross section area (duct opening area) of the duct and the air speed.

Air moving too slowly will allow contaminants such as dust to settle and
accumulate and these particles will eventually clog the duct. Air moving too fast
wastes power, can create noise problems, and may cause excessive abrasion by dust
particles hitting the ducts. Recommended speed ("duct velocity") for different types of
contaminants can be found in reference books on ventilation.

Duct systems typically require large amounts of air to move relatively small
amounts of contaminants. The required volume of airflow depends of the acceptable
concentration of air contaminants in the inside work space. A carefully designed
system can achieve the required air concentration while using the least amount of
power. Other design considerations include initial capital costs, reliability,
maintenance, and durability of air handling equipment.

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 Causes of leakage or plugging of a duct:

Ducts can plug or leak for the following main reasons:

 Low air speed: Inside the ducts, air speed must be in a range that is adequate
to move contaminants effectively. Changing the duct size or the airflow
through any duct can change the minimum speed. One small change in one
section of the system can affect the overall system and its performance.

 Flexible ducts: Corrugated flexible ducts create more friction and bend losses
that slow down air movement.

 Modifications of the duct system: If hoods and ducts are added to the
existing duct system, it is necessary to adjust or "Re balance" The airflow. If
not properly re balanced, the system will "Self-balance" - typically the airflow
will be reduced in the sections that have higher resistance. Reduced airflow
will cause particulates to settle out of the air stream and the ducts to plug.

 Particulate traps, settling chambers, or "Clean outs" Are not present or

used: Frequent cleaning of specific points in the duct network (those that
plug first) can reduce the need for a major system cleaning. By monitoring the
most common trouble spots, the effort needed to maintain the ducts is
minimized. At locations of rapid or frequent plugging, cleaning out or
accessing doors makes cleaning much easier. See figure 1.

 Airflow changes direction abruptly: Deposits are more common in short

radius elbows and "T" type branch connections. The figures below show the
examples of abrupt air direction changes.

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 Figure 2(a)
Short radius elbows create heavy deposit.

 What are fans:

Fans are the "workhorses" of the ventilation systems. In order to have an effective
ventilation system, fans must be the appropriate size and type. They must provide enough speed
(air movement) to capture contaminants at the source, draw them through the hood, and carry
them through the duct system, through the air cleaning devices and exhaust to the outdoors.

 Types of fans are available:

There are two main types of exhaust fans:
 Axial Fans: These fans look like propellers and draw air straight through the fan.
 Centrifugal fans: These fans look like "squirrel cages" that draw air into the centre of the
fan and exhaust it at a 90-degree angle.

 Axial or propeller fans:

There are three basic types of axial fans: propeller, tube-axial, and vane-axial. Propeller
fans are most commonly used for dilution ventilation or cooling. These fans are often mounted on
a wall or ceiling. Common examples are your automobile radiator fan or a free standing room fans.

The basic characteristics of these fans include that they:

 Can move large amounts of air if there is little resistance,
 Are not suited for local exhaust ventilation because they do not provide enough suction
to draw air through the system.

Tubeaxial and vane-axial fans are essentially propeller fans made to fit in a duct. They are
usually limited to "clean air" applications such as exhaust ducts going through the roof.

 Centrifugal fans:
There are three types of centrifugal fans determined by the type of fan blades:
 Forward inclined blades,
 Backward inclined blades, and
 Straight radial blades.

The fans in your home furnace, vacuum cleaner and hair dryer are examples of centrifugal
fans. They can operate against a high resistance and are typically used in local exhaust ventilation
systems. The rugged radial blade centrifugal fans are the best type for exhausting heavy amounts
of dust because they are less likely to become clogged or abraded by the dust.

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 Figure 1
Types of fans

 How do you know if the correct type of fan has been selected:
Selection of the proper fan can be complicated and should be done by a ventilation or fan
expert. However, you can make the following observations to determine if the fan selected is
appropriate:

 Material handled through the fan

 If the exhaust air contains a small amount of smoke or dust, a backward inclined
centrifugal or axial fan should be selected.
 If the exhaust air contains light dust, fume or moisture, a backward inclined or radial
centrifugal fan would be preferred.
 If the particulate load in the exhaust air is high or when material is handled, the normal
selection would be a radial centrifugal fan.
 If the exhaust air contains explosive or flammable material, spark resistant construction
(explosion proof motor if the motor is in the air stream) should be selected to conform to
the standards of the National Fire Protection Association and provincial governmental
regulations.
 If the exhaust air contains corrosive contaminants, a protective coating or special
materials of construction (stainless, fibreglass, etc.) may have to be used in construction
of the fan and motor.

 Capacity:

You may or may not know how much air has to be moved by the fan. You may also not
know the amount of resistance in the exhaust system that the fan has to overcome and what is
the fan efficiency. However, the following general information may be helpful:

 Fan size should be determined by performance requirements. Inlet size and location, fan
weight and ease of maintenance also must be considered. The most efficient fan size may
not fit the physical space available.
 On packaged fans, the motor is furnished and mounted by the manufacturer (direct-drive).
On larger units, the motor is mounted separately and coupled directly to the fan or
indirectly by a belt drive.
 Direct Drive fans offer a more compact assembly and assure constant fan speed. Fan
speeds are limited to available motor speeds. Capacity is set during construction.
 Belt Drive fans offer flexibility in that fan speed, which can be changed by altering the
drive ratio. This flexibility may be important in some applications to provide for changes
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 in system capacity or pressure requirements due to changes in process, hood design,
equipment location or air cleaning equipment.
 It is normally a custom to select a fan that is working at no more than 80% of its full rated
speed. The motor selected should be able to handle the horsepower required to achieve
that speed i.e. a speed increase of 20%.

 Safety:
Safety guards are required for all danger points such as inlet, outlet, shaft, drive and
cleanup doors. Construction should comply with applicable provincial governmental safety
requirements.

 What is a hood:
A hood - correctly called a local exhaust hood - is the point where
contaminated air is drawn into the ventilation system. The sizes and shapes of hoods
are designed for specific tasks or situations. The air speed (velocity) at the hood
opening and inside the hood must be enough to catch or capture and carry the air
contaminants. To be most effective, the hood should surround or enclose the source
of contaminant or be placed as close to the source as possible.

 What are the common types of hood:

The three common classes of hoods are:

 Enclosing.
 Receiving.
 Capturing.

 Enclosing hood:
Enclosing hoods, or "Fume" Hoods, are hoods surrounding the process or point
where the contaminants are generated. Examples of completely enclosed hoods (all
sides enclosed) are glove boxes and grinder hoods. Examples of partially enclosed
(two or three sides enclosed) hoods are laboratory hoods or paint spray booths. The
enclosing hood is preferred whenever possible.

Figure 1
Partially Enclosed Hood

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 Receiving Hood:
These hoods are designed to "receive" or catch the emissions from a source
that has some initial velocity or movement. For example, a type of receiving hood
called a canopy hood receives hot rising air and gases as shown in Figure 2. An
example is a canopy hood located over a melting furnace.

Figure 2
Receiving Hood

 Capturing Hood:
These hoods are located next to an emission source without surrounding
(enclosing) it. Examples are a rectangular hood along the edge of a tank (as shown in
Figure 3) or a hood on a welding or grinding bench table (figure 4) or a downdraft
hood for hand grinding bench (figure 5).

Figure 3
Capturing Hood

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 Figure 4
Capturing hood for welding or grinding bench

Figure 5
Downdraft Hood for hand grinding

 Capture velocity:
The ventilation system removes contaminants by "pulling" the air (and the
contaminant) into the exhaust hood and away from the worker or the source. Airflow
toward the hood opening must be fast or high enough to "Catch and transport" The
contaminant until it reaches the hood and ducts. The required air speed is called the
"Capture velocity".

Any air motion outside of the hood and surrounding area may affect how the
air flows into the hood. The ventilation system will require a higher airflow speed to
overcome air disturbances. As much as possible, the other sources of air motion
should be minimized or eliminated for the ventilation system to work effectively.

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 Common sources of external air movement include:

 Thermal air currents, especially from hot processes or heat-generating operations.

 Motion of machinery such as by a grinding wheel, belt conveyor, etc.
 Material motion such as dumping or filling.
 Movements of the operator.
 Room air currents (which are usually taken at 50 fpm (feet per minute) minimum and may
be much higher).
 Rapid air movement caused by spot cooling and heating equipment.

Most of the capture velocities are around 100 feet per minute (fpm). How fast
is 100 fpm? Blowing lightly on your hand so that you can just barely feel air
movement is about 100 fpm. It is easy to see how it will take very little air movement
from other sources to affect how well a hood can capture contaminants. (See Figure
6).

Figure 6
Competitors to Capture Velocity

 General rules for hood design?

The shape of the hood and its size, location, and rate of airflow each play an
important role in design considerations.

Each type of hood also has specific design requirements, but several general
principles apply to all hoods:

 The hood should be placed as close as possible to the source of contamination, preferably
enclosing it. The more completely enclosed the source is, the less air will be required for
control. The required volume varies with the square of the distance from the source as
shown in Figure 7.
 The air should travel from source of the contaminant and into the hood with enough
velocity (speed) to adequately capture the contaminant.
 The hood should be located in a way that the operator is never between the contaminant
source and the hood.
 The natural movement of contaminants should be taken into consideration. For example,
a hood should be placed above hot processes to trap rising gases and heat. A grinding
wheel or woodworking machine should be equipped with a partial enclosure to trap the
flying particles where they spin off.
 The flanges or baffles should be used around the hood opening to increase the capture
effectiveness and reduce ventilation air requirements.

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 Figure 7

If a hood moved from two inches away from a source to four inches away (twice
the distance), the required airflow will be four times greater to provide the same
degree of capture.

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