1.

0INTRODUCTION
Ventilation is a critical factor in determining the environmental performance of buildings, from energy
use to the health and comfort of the occupants. Natural ventilation, either stand-alone or mixed mode
(when coupled with a mechanical ventilation system) can provide a comfortable working environment
with the potential for low energy usage. In favourable climates and building types, natural ventilation can
reduce energy consumption by 10-30%.
Natural Ventilation Types Natural ventilation systems rely on pressure differences to move fresh air
through buildings. These pressure differences can be caused by the wind or by the stack (buoyancy effect)
created by differences in temperature or humidity.
i.

There are two types of natural ventilation systems used in industrial settings:

Wind-driven ventilation

Stack-Driven Ventilation

ii.

There are two types of mechanical ventilation systems used in industrial settings:
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.

2.0 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

Wind-driven ventilation
Wind causes a positive pressure build up on the windward side of the building and a negative pressure on
the leeward side. This pressure difference is equalised by fresh air entering any openings on the
windward side and being exhausted from the leeward side openings.

Stack-Driven Ventilation

Stack driven ventilation is temperature induced. Warmer air is more buoyant than the colder air and will
therefore rise above it creating an upward air stream. In order for a building to be ventilated adequately
via stack effect the inside and outside temperatures must be different so that warmer indoor air rises and
escapes the building at higher apertures, while colder, denser air from the exterior enters the building
through lower level openings.
Control Strategy is a critical factor in natural ventilation is the availability of windows that the occupants
can open and close at their discretion. However, naturally ventilated buildings often incorporate either
high-level windows or ventilators, which are under BEMS control.
When under automatic control, the windows must be designed and operated such that:

The air change rate is sufficient to provide satisfactory fresh air for occupant health and comfort.

The flow of outside air should be evenly distributed throughout the occupied zone.

To avoid drafts, local air velocities should be monitored and the windows should be opened/
closed accordingly.

To avoid rain ingress, wind speed/ direction and rain should be monitored and the windows
should be opened/ closed accordingly.

In order to accomplish the above criteria, wind speed/ direction and rain sensors can be monitored by the
BMS along with room temperature/air quality sensors. The control algorithms will make a decision as to
the window position.

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 worksite by ventilating the entire workplace. The use of
general ventilation distributes pollutants, to some degree, throughout the entire worksite 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.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4
Figures 1 to 4: Examples of recommended dilution ventilation

Figure 5
Example of not recommended dilution ventilation