VENTILATION

1. The need for ventilation

2. Types of ventilation
3. Basic mechanisms of natural ventilation
4. Factors influencing ventilation

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 INTRODUCTION

The key elements for ventilation are the

condition of air, its speed and circulation
pattern within a building

Ventilation affects human health, comfort and

well-being.

Air movement is a major factor influencing

indoor climate
 should be considered at planning
and
 INTRODUCTION
Air movement has two effects:

1. direct effect on the human body through

the physiological effect of air movement

2. indirect effect through their influence on

indoor elements and surfaces

3
 What is Ventilation?

Ventilation is the supply of fresh outdoor air

and the removal of used indoor air from a
space (enclosed) to maintain the conditions
of the air in the space at a level acceptable
for human habitation

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The moving air acts as a heat-carrying
medium

If outdoor air temperature is higher than that

of indoor, it can raise the net indoor
temperature and consequently the surfaces
of interior

When a building is ventilated, air entering the

indoor space has its original outdoor
temperature, but in traversing the internal
space it mixes with the indoor air and heat
is exchanged with the internal surfaces
according to the indoor-outdoor difference
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 THE NEED FOR VENTILATION

Ventilation serves three distinct functions:

1. Supply of fresh air

2. Physiological Cooling (Comfort

Ventilation)

3. Convective (Structural)
Cooling
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 SUPPLY OF FRESH AIR

Fresh air maintains the quality of the air in a

space / building by replacing used indoor air

This function is also referred to as “health

ventilation” and is also called permanent
ventilation

Fresh air provides the necessary amount of

oxygen for breathing, combustion, etc

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 SUPPLY OF FRESH AIR - 2
Fresh air is also necessary to eliminate the
feeling of stuffiness in a room and to
prevent unduly high levels of carbon dioxide
and disagreeable odours

Fresh air also removes harmful bacteria that

could spread effects such as cough and
cold

Helps in the removal of noxious gases from a

room e.g. maintains levels of products of
combustion (CO, C particles) below the level
harzardous to health 9
 PHYSIOLOGICAL COOLING (Comfort Ventilation)

• Provides thermal comfort by increasing the

heat loss from the body and prevent
discomfort due to skin wetness

• As the term implies, the purpose of comfort

ventilation is to provide comfortable indoor
thermal conditions

• It involves the prevention of discomfort due

to feelings of warmth and skin wetness

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 PHYSIOLOGICAL COOLING (Comfort Ventilation)

Comfort ventilation is for

physiological coolingnecessary of
surface) of the occupantsthe body (skin

It depends particularly on the temperature and

vapour pressure (humidity) level within the
building or space

It is controlled when it is needed i.e. when the

environment in generally uncomfortable one
can regulate it for comfort.
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 PHYSIOLOGICAL COOLING (Comfort Ventilation)

While permanent “health” ventilation is

independent of the climatic conditions, the
thermal comfort does.

Comfort ventilation is purely based on

movement of air

Hence, openings should be controllable, and

be subject to the discretion of occupants.
Mechanical aid could be employed
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 CONVECTIVE (STRUCTURAL) COOLING
• This cools the structure the
of
building (building mass) when the
indoor is above that out-of-doors.
temperature

• This may be termed structural cooling

• The exchange indoor air with

of fresh outdoor air can provide
surfaces
cooling of
of thethe
interior (i.e. walls, furniture
etc)

• It is mainly for heat removal

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 REMARK
The relative importance of each of
functions depends on the climatic
these
conditions prevailing in different seasons
and regions

Each involves air flow of a different order of

magnitude and their satisfactory use
sometimes call for different design details

Most regions have different requirements

during various seasons, so that details of
design should have provisions to satisfy all
the requirements 13
 TYPES OF VENTILATION

There are two types of ventilation, namely:

1. Natural ventilation

2. Artificial ventilation

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 NATURAL VENTILATION

This is the natural flow of air through a room

or a building resulting from the conscious
provision (designed) of openings.

No mechanical means is used to induce

airflow

Advantages-
Attractive because it is seen as a cost
effective alternative to conventional
mechanical ventilation with air condition
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 NATURAL VENTILATION
• In practice natural ventilation is most suited
to buildings located in mild to moderate
climates away from inner city locations;

• Natural ventilation is often strongly

preferred by building occupants, especially
if they have some control over it, as with
operable windows.

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 NATURAL VENTILATION
Disadvantages -

• Inadequate control over ventilation rate

could lead to indoor air quality problems
and excessive heat loss;

• Air flow rates and the pattern of air flow

are not constant;
• Fresh air delivery and air distribution in
large, deep plan and multiroomed buildings
may not be possible;
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 NATURAL VENTILATION
Disadvantages –

• High heat gains may make

ventilation natural
ineffective;
• Natural ventilation is unsuited to noisy and
polluted locations; filtration or cleaning of
incoming air is not usually practicable;

• Some designs may present a security risk;

• Natural ventilation may not be suitable in

severe climatic regions;
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BASIC MECHANISMS OF NATURAL VENTILATION

Hot air entering buildings heats it up and

cold air cools it down.
If the temperature of the circulating air is
below the indoor temperature, then the
cooling effect is achieved.

Air that strikes the human body provides

evaporative cooling

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BASIC MECHANISMS OF NATURAL VENTILATION

Ventilation can only reduce temperatures

higher than the outdoor temperature.

For effective ventilation air circulation

should be approximately 1.5m/s (under
warm-humid conditions)
 below or above this could create
discomfort

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BASIC MECHANISMS OF NATURAL VENTILATION

Air flow through a building is induced by

pressure difference across it

Air moves through an opening (e.g.

window) when there is a pressure
difference across the opening:
• greater pressure difference = higher airflow
• larger opening area = higher airflow

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BASIC MECHANISMS OF NATURAL VENTILATION

Natural ventilation pressure differences are

driven by two mechanisms:

1. external wind flow (wind force)

2. temperature difference between the

indoor and outdoor air (thermal force)

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 AIR MOTION DUE TO WIND FORCE (PRESSURE)

• Air circulation can be induced by external

winds

• Wind on its regular path maintains

the normal atmospheric pressure level

• Creates varying surface pressures around

the building

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AIR MOTION DUE TO WIND FORCE (PRESSURE)

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AIR MOTION DUE TO WIND FORCE (PRESSURE)

– When wind is blowing against a building, the

straight motion of the air is disturbed and
deflected around and above the building

– The air pressure on the wind-ward side is

elevated above atmospheric pressure inducing a
high pressure (pressure zone)

– On the leeward side air pressure is reduced

inducing a low pressure (suction zone)

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AIR MOTION DUE TO WIND FORCE (PRESSURE)

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 AIR MOTION DUE TO WIND FORCE (PRESSURE)

In this way pressure differences are created

around the building.

The pressure difference between any two

points on the building envelope determines
the potential driving force for ventilation

This is as a result of wind pressure produced

on the building, positive on the windward
side, and negative on the leeward side

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AIR MOTION DUE TO WIND FORCE (PRESSURE)

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AIR MOTION DUE TO WIND FORCE (PRESSURE)

Single-sided ventilation

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AIR MOTION DUE TO WIND FORCE (PRESSURE)

Cross-ventilation

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 AIR MOTION DUE TO TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE -
THERMAL FORCE (STACK EFFECT)
Air circulation can be induced by temperature
difference

Air expands when heated, becomes lighter

and rises (higher pressure induced)

Stack effect can be employed to increase

ventilation rates where the breeze is not
sufficient

This effect is called “stack effect”

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 FACTORS THAT AFFECT NATURAL VENTILATION

The distribution of air in a room

is very uneven.

A building can appropriately be oriented to

take advantage of prevailing wind direction
on site for ventilation.

The pattern of airflow in a building or a space

can be influenced by the following factors:
– Characteristics of openings
– External Features
– Arrangement of the buildings 39
 CHARACTERISTICS OF OPENINGS

There are three aspects about openings that

can influence the airflow in a building.

1. Positions of opening

2. Size of opening

3. Controls and accessories of opening

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 Characteristics of Openings - Position of Openings

The direction of an air stream

determined indoors is by the position of
opening the inlet

When an opening is not placed symmetrically

on a facade, unequal pressure is built on
either side of the opening influencing the
airflow

The wind is deflected in the direction of the

low pressure end within the building

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 Characteristics of Openings - Position of Openings

The effect can be observed in the horizontal

direction when a window is not centered on the
facade

The same applies in the vertical direction

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 Characteristics of Openings - Size of Opening
The size of the openings influences the
velocity of air circulation and its
main route in the interior.

The larger the opening, the higher the indoor air speed

This applies only when the inlet and outlet openings are
increased simultaneously

When a room has unequal openings and the outlet is larger,

then slightly higher average speeds are obtained

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 Characteristics of Openings - Size of Opening

The greater the ratio of the outlet window area

to inlet window area is, the greater the
airflow rate through the building.

In other words, the highest air velocity within

the room is obtained with a small inlet
window and large outlet window opening

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 Characteristics of Openings - Controls and Accessories
Controls and accessories can have a decisive effect on
air movement

Solar protection devices such as fins, projecting slabs

and canopies can influence the pressure
distribution on the facade and the direction of the
airflow inside the building

The airflow can be influenced both in the horizontal as

well as in the vertical direction

The direction of airflow is also influenced by louvres

and their position

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 Characteristics of Openings - Controls and Accessories

Incoming air can be diverted to the desired

level within the room.

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 Characteristics of Openings - Controls and Accessories

Fly screens are very necessary in tropical

environments, especially at night when flying
insects are attracted by lights

Fly screens (nets) can substantially

reduce airflow rate

Cotton net can lead to a 70% reduction

in velocity

A wire net results in a reduction of 50 – 55%

A smooth nylon net reduces the air

stream velocity by only 35%
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 External Features
• These include elements outside the building and
the shape of the building

• Adjacent trees and shrubs, the topography, ground

cover and fence walls in relation to windows
locations can influence the air movement within a
room.

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 External Features

Building shape can also influence air

movement

Buildings can create wind-protected areas

(wind shade) and may deflect the wind
direction

This may be important with respect to

neighbouring buildings
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 External Features

The wider a building, the smaller is the ‘wind

shade’ behind it.

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 External Features

The higher a building, the deeper the ‘wind

shade’ area behind it.

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 Arrangement of the buildings

When grouping buildings in a row parallel to

the main wind direction, a wide distance is
needed in-between them to
guarantee proper ventilation.

If buildings are placed in rows in a grid-iron

layout, all but the first row will be in the
wind shadow of the preceding building.

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Arrangement of the buildings

Buildings grouped in a row

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 Arrangement of the buildings

When buildings are grouped in a checkerboard or a

staggered pattern, wider distance can be obtained between
buildings.

Building grouped in a staggered pattern

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 Arrangement of the buildings

A similar effect can be achieved with half the spacing of

an iron-grid layout for buildings of the same height.
11/19/2018 Prof. Samuel Amos-Abanyie, ARC 155 48