Duct Design

by
Prof B A Shah
Air Duct Design - Introduction
• Generally at the time of designing an air conditioning duct system, the required
airflow rates are known from load calculations.
• The location of fans and air outlets are fixed initially. The duct layout is then made
taking into account the space available and ease of construction.
• In principle, required amount of air can be conveyed through the air conditioning
ducts by a number of combinations. However, for a given system, only one set
results in the optimum design.

The essential economics of an air transmission system for the given flow rate is
achieved by proper balance between
• initial or first cost – which depend on duct size (small size duct is preferable)
• operating cost (fan power)– which depend on pressure drop (large size duct is
preferable)
Main Requirement from a Duct System
• It should convey specified rates of air flow to prescribed locations.
• It should be economical in combined initial cost, fan operating cost
and cost of building space.
• It should not transmit or generate objectionable noise.
General rules
• Air should be conveyed as directly as possible.
• Sudden change in direction should be avoided. Turning vanes should
be used to minimize the pressure loss.
• Air velocities in duct should be within permissible limits to reduce
noise.
• Diverging sections should be made gradual. Angle of divergence
should not exceed 20°.
• Rectangular ducts should be made as nearly square as possible.
(Aspect ration less than 4:1 should be maintained)
• Duct should be made of smooth materials such as GI or Al sheets.
• Dampers should be provided in each branch outlet for balancing the
system.
 Dampers
Turning Vanes
Duct construction
• Galvanized Iron (GI) sheet is most commonly used.
• Aluminum sheet may be used to take advantage of light weight and
resistance to moisture.
• Heavy gauge black steel may be used for kitchen exhaust.
• Cement asbestos may be used for underground air distribution.
• Fiber glass is used in low velocity application where thermal
insulation and acoustic treatment is required.
.
Duct classification
• Low pressure system:
• Velocity ˂ 600 mpm (10 m/s) and static pressure ≤ 5 𝑐𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝐻20 gauge.
• Medium pressure system:
• Velocity ˂ 600 mpm and static pressure ≤ 15 𝑐𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝐻20 gauge.
• High pressure system:
• Velocity ˃ 600 mpm and static pressure > 15 𝑐𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝐻20 and upto 25 cm of
𝐻20 gauge.
High velocities in the ducts results in:
1. Smaller ducts and hence, lower initial cost and lower space
requirement
2. Higher pressure drop and hence larger fan power consumption
3. Increased noise and hence a need for noise attenuation
Recommended air velocities depend mainly on the application and the
noise criteria. Typical recommended velocities are:
• Residences: 3 m/s to 5 m/s
• Theatres: 4 to 6.5 m/s
• Restaurants: 7.5 m/s to 10 m/s
If nothing is specified, then a velocity of 5 to 8 m/s is used for main
ducts and a velocity of 4 to 6 m/s is used for the branches. The
allowable air velocities can be as high as 30 m/s in ships and aircrafts to
reduce the space requirement.
Methods of Duct Design
• Equal Friction Method
• Static Regain Method
• Velocity Reduction Method
Equal friction method
• The frictional pressure drop per unit length of the duct is maintained
constant throughout the duct system.
• To determine the total friction loss in the duct system, calculate the
loss in the duct run that has maximum resistance.
• Relatively simple method.
• Automatically reduces the velocity in direction of flow.
• Dampers in branch is compulsory.
Static Regain Method
• Principle is to maintain a constant static pressure before each
terminal and each branch.
• This is done by sizing the duct in manner that gain in static pressure
exactly balances the pressure drop in the next duct section.
• Dampers are not required.
Velocity Reduction method
• Main duct velocity is selected base on noise consideration.
• Thereafter velocity is reduce arbitrarily as we go down the duct run.
• Required experience and knowledge to design with reasonable
accuracy.
References
• Ch. 21 – Transmission and Distribution of Air from C P Arora
• CH. 19 – Duct Construction from ASHRAE Handbook – HVAC Systems
and Equipment
Thank You