Building Ventilation

By Author: Oleg Tchetchel
Total Articles: 30
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Energy recovery systems have become a popular way to heat and cool homes as well as commercial buildings. Energy recovery applications typically use two fans that provide air through a heat exchanger that “treats” the air by heating or cooling it before it enters the building. Buffalo Blower’s plenum and forward curved fans are typically used for energy recovery applications and offer a wide range of performance and flexibility. Generator rooms require a wide range of fans to optimize the performance of generators and other equipment. Exhaust fans are used to prevent heat buildup within the generator room, while supply fans are used to provide fresh air for combustion and efficient generator performance. Room size, space limitations, and mounting capabilities will determine the exact type of fan needed for each specific application. As a leading manufacturer of air moving equipment, Buffalo Blower offers numerous fan types for meeting any generator room specification.

Elevator shafts require proper air moving equipment to provide smoke control in the event of a fire. Pressurization is used to prevent smoke from ...
... migrating through elevator shafts to other floors, similar to how fans are used to control smoke in stairwells. Today’s elevator pressurization systems are designed to allow elevators to be used by firefighting teams. However, some systems are designed for the evacuation of handicapped individuals. While small amounts of smoke in an elevator may be tolerated by firefighters, smoke in an elevator and its entry and exit paths is unacceptable. Buffalo Blower’s complete offering of smoke and heat exhaust fans are relied upon for elevator shaft exhaust/pressurization in emergency situations. Jet bridges are hallways used by passengers to board commercial airplanes. While these bridges are portable and movable, their continuous use requires an exhaust fan or gravity ventilator to prevent air from becoming stagnant. Fans and ventilators draw air into the bridge from the terminal and through the exit which is then exhausted through a fan or ventilator. Twin City Fan provides a number of centrifugal roof exhausters and gravity relief ventilators for jet bridge exhaust applications.

Enclosed or underground parking garages require ventilation to remove harmful vehicle emissions and other pollutants, while providing fresh air. Ventilation is also a requirement in the event of a fire to remove smoke and to provide a clear access for firefighters. Exhaust and supply fans are used in conjunction with ductwork to distribute air throughout the parking garage, providing a common system for both pollution and smoke control. Twin City Fan manufactures a complete line of axial flow fans designed for parking garage ventilation systems. Restroom exhaust fans are primarily used to reduce moisture and prevent mold buildup. As restrooms typically occupy a small space, restroom exhaust fans are considered low volume and generally provide 2 to 5 air exchanges per minute. These fans are mounted on the roof or in-line with the system’s ductwork. Buffalo Blower offers a full line of centrifugal roof & wall exhausters, inline centrifugal fans, and ceiling & cabinet ventilators to accommodate all restroom requirements and exhaust applications.

Rooftop exhaust fans are designed to remove heat and odors from buildings to improve air quality and occupant comfort. Areas such as cafeterias, locker rooms, office spaces, restrooms and warehouses often have unique requirements specified by local codes and utilize a wide range of rooftop exhaust fans. To accommodate these various types of environments and ventilation systems, Twin City Fan offers a complete line of products to support every rooftop exhaust application. These applications can range from clean airstreams with minimal filtration all way to high density offices and health care facilities that must comply with extremely stringent regulations. Gravity ventilators are used to equalize a building’s positive or negative pressure created by other fans in the system. These ventilators provide natural ventilation and are used for intake and relief applications. Twin City Fan offers both spun aluminum and hooded ventilators, featuring a low silhouette for low roof-lines. Louvered penthouse ventilators are available when aesthetics are not an important factor and feature extruded aluminum louvers. Sidewall exhaust and supply applications require panel fans to move large volumes of air at low static pressures. Panel fans are commonly used on the walls of warehouses and manufacturing facilities to supply outside air or to remove hot or noxious gases in exhaust configurations. Other typical applications include removing carbon dioxide from produce storage facilities, greenhouse ventilation, and parking garages. Panel fans can be mounted directly to the wall panel, which is especially useful when ductwork is unnecessary. Each fan can be customized to the individual needs of the customer, including aluminum or stainless steel construction, explosion proof motors, gravity or motorized dampers, corrosion resistant coatings, and fully reversible propellers.

Indoor swimming pools require air moving equipment for exhausting moisture-laden, corrosive and chlorinated air. Fans and duct systems must be designed to withstand these elements. That is why Buffalo Blower offers a wide selection of fans and construction materials, including fiberglass, alloys, and specialty coatings to prevent the potential corrosion associated with these environments.

Ventilation is a crucial component for any mining operation. Inadequate ventilation can expose miners to high levels of dangerous gases, dust particulates, and excessive heat. The consequences of prolonged exposure to these elements can pose a series of health related complications. We understand the significance of selecting the right ventilation equipment for maximizing the air quality in mines, which is why Twin City Fan offers a comprehensive line of products suited for the most rigorous mining ventilation applications. We also offer many special design features such as non sparking units, explosion proof motors and specialty guards. Stairwells are frequently the primary escape route in the event of a fire emergency and may also serve as the primary access route for firefighting teams. In these smoke control zones, fans are used to pressurize stairwells to limit smoke infiltration by maintaining positive pressure across closed stairwell doors. Fans used for stairwell pressurization are designed to operate at low enough pressures so that doors can be safely opened during evacuation. Because occupant safety is the most important aspect when facing a fire emergency, Twin City Fan offers a complete line of smoke and heat exhaust fans designed for stairwell pressurization.

Service stations require vehicle exhaust systems to maintain indoor air quality for customers and employees. These systems attach to a vehicle’s exhaust pipe to draw hazardous emissions out of the building. The fans used in these systems are attached to small hose and must be capable of producing high pressures due to the air velocity required to exhaust the fumes. Buffalo Blower offers a wide selection of compact pressure blowers and radial bladed fans capable of meeting the high pressures requirements of vehicle exhaust systems.

For additional information please refer to http://www.buffaloblower.com/roofexhauster/index.html.

Oleg Tchetchel
Fan and Blower Design Specialist
Buffalo Blower Co.
http://www.buffaloblower.com/supplyfan/index.html
http://www.buffaloblower.com/exhaustfan/index.html