Evaluation of Airflow Control Capability of Natural Ventilators with Various Dampers

Natural ventilation technique could be the substitute for or the complement to the local exhaust ventilation system in the sense of protecting work environment. Moreover, it has many strong points ; almost no mechanical parts, no energy use and no noise. If applied appropriately, it could have the very high ventilation rate and save a lot of energy expense. But, it depends on the outdoor environment, especially temperature and wind speed/direction. Predicting the capacity of natural ventilation is not an easy job because it comes from both buoyancy and wind effect. Another problem is too much flow through the ventilator especially in winter time due to too much difference between indoor and outdoor temperature. Thus some ventilators in industries are sealed by door or plastic sheet, resulting in bad work environment. Various types of dampers are used to control the flow rate through ventilators. The capabilities of flow control by damper has not been estimated. In addition, it was not tested whether the damper could obstruct the flow through ventilator when fully opened. To answer these questions, 4 types of dampers were tested by using computational fluid dynamics. 10 different configurations includes no damper, full open and half open. Flow rates were estimated and airflow fields were analysed to clarify the before-mentioned questions. The dual type damper was the best choice for controling the capability of ventilator. In addition, the upward grill type damper was the best for not obstructing the air flow when fully opened.

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