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7 Chapter 6 - Air Requirements of A Pressurization System

1) The document discusses the air requirements of a pressurization system for smoke control. Research in the 1960s-70s established that design pressures of 50 Pa and velocities of 0.75-2 m/s are needed to hold back smoke. 2) The required air supply volume is calculated using formulas that factor in the pressure differential and leakage areas of doors, windows, and other openings. Typical leakage areas for various door types are provided. 3) A pressurization system must be able to maintain 50 Pa pressure when doors are closed, and provide velocities of 0.75-2 m/s when doors are open, depending on the intended use for escape or fire

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Ella Celine
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217 views4 pages

7 Chapter 6 - Air Requirements of A Pressurization System

1) The document discusses the air requirements of a pressurization system for smoke control. Research in the 1960s-70s established that design pressures of 50 Pa and velocities of 0.75-2 m/s are needed to hold back smoke. 2) The required air supply volume is calculated using formulas that factor in the pressure differential and leakage areas of doors, windows, and other openings. Typical leakage areas for various door types are provided. 3) A pressurization system must be able to maintain 50 Pa pressure when doors are closed, and provide velocities of 0.75-2 m/s when doors are open, depending on the intended use for escape or fire

Uploaded by

Ella Celine
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter (6) Air Requirements of a Pressurization System

AIR REQUIREMENTS OF A PRESSURIZATION SYSTEM [8]


Design background
The design of any air movement system involves an answer to the question of "How do I
establish the air volume required to make this system work?"
With a pressurization system designed for smoke control there is an initial question to be
answered, "What pressure (or velocity) do I need to develop in the escape routes to hold
back the smoke?"
The answer to both these questions were provided as a result of research work by P.J.
Hobson and L.J. Stewart in the U.K. during the 1960's and 1970's. This work led directly to
the publication of the U.K. code of practice for pressurization systems – BS 5588 Part 4 in
1978.

Pressure levels
Stewart and Hobson studied the factors which can cause smoke to spread around a
building. As a result they were able to suggest guidelines for a pressurization system
designed for smoke control.
Table 6-1 details these guidelines.

Wind/Stack
Design pressure Fire pressure Building height
effect
(Pa) (Pa) (m)
(Pa)
25 8.0 8.5 5
25 10.5 8.5 25
50 13.0 8.5 50
50 19.5 8.5 100
50 29.5 8.5 150
Table (6-1) Design pressures.
This established the design pressure levels of 50 Pa for operating MODE 1 – All doors
closed – of a system although reduced pressures would be acceptable on buildings of lower
height.

Supply air volume


Having established the pressure level required to hold back the smoke, the air volume to be
supplied to the escape route to develop this pressure can be calculated.
Again, the formula for doing this comes from the work by Hobson and Stewart.
Q = 0.827 AE P1/n …………………… eqn. 6-1
Where,
"Q" is the volume of air required (m3/sec)

49
Chapter (6) Air Requirements of a Pressurization System

"AE" is the leakage area from the space (m2)


"P" is the pressure differential (Pa)
"n" is the leakage factor
For large leakage areas (Doors, etc.) n = 2
For small leakage areas (Windows cracks, etc.) n = 1.6
For the purpose of a pressurization system designed to hold the smoke behind doors the
formula becomes,
Q = 0.827 AE P1/2 …………………… Eqn.(6-2)

Door leakage area


The effective door leakage areas can be estimated by using the values given in table 6-2.

Leakage Crack
area length Size Type of door
2
(m ) (m)
Single leaf in frame opening into
0.01 5.6 2 m x 800 mm
pressurized space.
Single leaf in frame opening
0.02 5.6 2 m x 800 mm
outwards.
Double leaf with or without central
0.03 9.2 2 m x 1.6 m
rebate.
2 m High x
0.06 8.0 Lift door.
2 m wide
Table (6-2) Typical leakage areas around doors.
For single openings, one door, AE = net free area of the opening.
For several openings, or doors situated in PARALLEL around a pressurized space figure
(6-1).
AE = A1 + A2 + A3 + …………
For several opening, or doors situated in SERIES along an escape route figure (6-2).
n
1 −1 /2
A E=⌊ ∑ ⌋
i=1 A 2i

For two doors in series more typical of a pressurization system this simplifies to
( A ¿ ¿ 1+ A 2)
A E= ¿
¿¿¿

50
Chapter (6) Air Requirements of a Pressurization System

Figure 6-1: Doors in parallel


Figure 6-2: Doors in series

Although we can estimate the effective area for an escape route in this way, there are
always, in any building, other leaks we are not aware of.
To accommodate these, the air supply volume calculated should be increased by at least
25%, stipulated by the code of practice. Many smoke control experts believe 25% to be
insufficient and propose it should be increased to 50%. This higher value is used
throughout this paper.

Open door velocity


When a large opening, e.g. the opening of a door occurs, then these design pressures
cannot be maintained.
In this situation smoke can be held back from the escape routes if the air velocity through
the open door over the pressurized space is sufficiently high.
There are two possible occasions when the pressurization system has to control the smoke
by velocity. Both these are specified in the U.K. code of practice.
a) Means of escape.
Whilst people are escaping the building it is inevitable that doors will be open, albeit
intermittently. BS 5588 Part 4 specifies a velocity of 0.75 m/sec though the open door on
the fire floor for a building up to 20 floors high, and 0.70 m/sec, through two doors, for
building over 20 floors high.
This is operating MODE 2 of the system.
b) Fire fighting.

During the fire fighting the brigade need to open doors on the fire floor to gain entry
without themselves being engulfed in smoke. BS5588 Part 5 specifies that a velocity of 2.0
m/sec is needed to achieve this.

51
Chapter (6) Air Requirements of a Pressurization System

The air supply for both these cases is unusually greater than that required to develop the 50
Pa pressure requirement of mode 1. Therefore, to prevent the pressure in the escape way
rising above the maximum allowed, (60 Pa. in the U.K.), when all the doors are closed, the
air supply system must be capable of air volume variation. This maximum allowable
pressure is to ensure that escape doors can be opened by all types of persons at all times.

Requirements of a pressurization system


A pressurization system designed to protect an escape route used only for means of escape
is required to develop 50 Pa pressure in the escape route when all the doors are closed and
0.75 m/sec velocity through the open door on the fire floor.
A pressurization system designed to protect an escape route which is to be used both for
means of escape and fire fighting is required to achieve a velocity of 2 m/sec through the
open door on the fire floor.
A pressurization system must include a low resistance path to enable the pressurizing air to
escape from the unpressurized areas of the building.

52

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