READING MATERIAL

MEE 344 (MECHANICAL SERVICES)

LECTURE 4: Mechanical Ventilation Department of Architecture

Natural Ventilation
Natural ventilation reduces energy consumption through openings in the building and is driven by
natural forces of wind and/or temperature without the aid of mechanical means. Natural ventilation is
created by pressure differences between the inside and outside of the building induced by wind and air
temperature differences.

Natural ventilation is the process of supplying air to and removing air from an indoor space without
using mechanical systems.

Outdoor breezes create air movement through the house interior by the 'push-pull' effect of positive air
pressure on the windward side and negative pressure (suction) on the leeward side.

▪ In order to have a good natural ventilation, openings must be placed at opposite pressure zones.

▪ Also, designers often choose to enhance natural ventilation using tall spaces called stacks in
buildings.

▪ With openings near the top of stacks, warm air can escape whereas cooler air enters the
building from openings near the ground.

▪ The windows, play a dominant role in inducing indoor ventilation due to wind forces.
How does natural ventilation work?

Natural ventilation works in a number of ways including:

Wind-driven ventilation

arising from different pressures created by winds around a building.

created by forces resulting from the temperature difference between the interior and exterior of a
building

Night Cooling

The heat absorbed by a building's exposed thermal mass during the day is released to the indoor air at
night, after which it is purged by night ventilation
key benefits of natural ventilation:
1. Reduced costs. As natural ventilation systems rely on natural forces, you’ll save significantly on
your building’s energy consumption and therefore save significantly on your energy bills.

2. Low maintenance. Natural ventilation does not require costly maintenance, further reducing
costs as well as saving you time and effort.

3. Improved air quality. Natural ventilation systems ensure that clean air is flowing throughout
your building at all times. This will improve your air quality which, in turn, will improve the
health of the occupants of the building and increase productivity and concentration levels.

4. Consistency. Natural ventilation ensures that each room is supplied with the right amount of
both cool and warm air, keeping the temperature constant and at a pleasant level. This also
removes the need to constantly adjust the system.

5. Reduced carbon emissions. By implementing a natural ventilation system in your building, you’ll
also be doing your bit for the environment.
Sun Control And Shading Devices

There are many different reasons to want to control the amount of sunlight that is admitted into a
building. In warm, sunny climates excess solar gain may result in high cooling energy consumption; in
cold and temperate climates winter sun entering south-facing windows can positively contribute to
passive solar heating; and in nearly all climates controlling and diffusing natural illumination will
improve daylighting.

Depending on the amount and location of fenestration, reductions in annual cooling energy
consumption of 5% to 15% have been reported. Sun control and shading devices can also improve user
visual comfort by controlling glare and reducing contrast ratios.
Sun control and shading devices can also improve user visual comfort by controlling glare and reducing
contrast ratios.
Designing Shading Systems: Considerations
Given the wide variety of buildings and the range of climates in which they can be found, it is difficult to
make sweeping generalizations about the design of shading devices.

Shading strategies that work well at one latitude, may be completely inappropriate for other sites at
different latitudes.

However, the following design recommendations generally hold true:

▪ Use fixed overhangs on south-facing glass to control direct beam solar radiation. Indirect
(diffuse) radiation should be controlled by other measures, such as low-e glazing.

▪ To the greatest extent possible, limit the amount of east and west glass since it is harder to
shade than south glass. Consider the use of landscaping to shade east and west exposures.

▪ Do not worry about shading north-facing glass in the continental United States latitudes since it
receives very little direct solar gain.

▪ In the tropics consider shading the roof even if there are no skylights since the roof is a major
source of transmitted solar gain into the building.

▪ Remember that shading effects daylighting; consider both simultaneously. For example, a light
shelf bounces natural light deeply into a room through high windows while shading lower
windows.

▪ Do not expect interior shading devices such as Venetian blinds or vertical louvers to reduce
cooling loads since the solar gain has already been admitted into the work space.

▪ However, these interior devices do offer glare control and can contribute to visual acuity
and visual comfort in the work place.

▪ Study sun angles. An understanding of sun angles is critical to various aspects of design including
determining basic building orientation, selecting shading devices, and placing Building
Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) panels or solar collectors.

▪ Carefully consider the durability of shading devices. Over time, operable shading devices can
require a considerable amount of maintenance and repair.

▪ When relying on landscape elements for shading, be sure to consider the cost of landscape
maintenance and upkeep on life-cycle cost.
INTERNAL HEAT GAINS (IHG)

The sources of internal heat gains (IHG) include:

• SOLAR RADIATION
• PEOPLE (sensible and latent heat gain)
• LIGHTS (sensible heat gain only)
• EQUIPMENT

(a) Receptacles or electrical plug loads (sensible heat gain only)

(b) Processes such as cooking (sensible and latent heat gain)

IHG can be a major component of the total building cooling load. This is particularly true of non-
residential (commercial, institutional and industrial) buildings. IHG for lights can be calculated if the type
and number of lighting fixtures are known. This is also true for electrical equipment. IHG for people and
process loads are approximate since the level of activity varies.

IHG loads for each hour of the year is estimated on the basis of percent of peak design load. Like the
hourly weather data that affects energy loads due to the building envelope, infiltration and ventilation,
internal loads can vary from hour to hour and year to year.
Mechanical Ventilation

Ventilation means supply of fresh air, not necessarily flow of fresh air

Flow of fresh air can enhance breathing and thermal comfort in a space

Ventilating (the V in HVAC) is the process of "changing" or replacing air in any space to provide high
indoor air quality.

Ventilation includes both the exchange of air to the outside as well as circulation of air within the
building.
SOLAR / INTERNAL HEAT GAIN BY A SPACE & RATE OF VENTILATION
Required rate of ventilation in a space depends on

▪ Size of the space

▪ Number and types of occupants in the space

▪ Heat gain by the space

▪ Relative humidity in the space

▪ Indoor – Outdoor temperature difference

Things to remember:

▪ Actual rate of inhalation of air 0.5 – 5.0 m3/hr/person

▪ The more vigorous the activity – more demand for fresh air

▪ Supply of fresh air at a rate of 4-5 times higher than the demand is necessary to maintain
satisfactory environment

▪ Therefore, A rate of 2-25 m3/hr/person will be required for a space depending in activity
Recommended minimum rate of fresh air supply in terms of air changes per hour for different types of
building are,

Auditorium, Cinema hall, kitchen etc: 10-15 per hour

Bathrooms and toilets: 6-12 per hour

Assembly halls, hospitals, offices, etc: 4-6 per hour

Rate of Ventilation in a Space

How to find rate of ventilation?

Calculate the volume of the interior space in m3

Multiply this volume by recommended number of air changes per hour

Divide this figure by 3600 (i.e. number of seconds in an hour) to obtain required rate of ventilation in
m3/sec

If, volume of space V = 1000 m3 and the recommended air change is 4 per hour,

then the required rate of ventilation ‘V’ = 1000 X 4 /3600 m = 1.11 m3/sec

Things to remember:

As an approximation, required rate of ventilation at schools, assembly halls, offices, hospitals is 30

This rate should be doubled for the spaces where smoking occurs

Means and Systems of Mechanical Installations for Ventilation

Commonly used for dilution ventilation or cooling.

Not suited for local exhaust ventilation because they do not provide enough suction to draw air through
the system.

Impeller or centrifugal flow type

Uses kinetic energy of the impellers to increase the volume of the air stream, which in turn moves
against the resistance caused by ducts, dampers and other components.

Centrifugal fans displace air radially, changing the direction (typically by 90°) of the airflow.

They are sturdy, quiet, reliable, and capable of operating over a wide range of conditions.