Basement Car Parking Ventilation

Prepared by

V.KIRANRAJ
Objectives

• Introduction
• Natural Ventilation
• Mechanical Extract
• Traditional Systems
• Jet fan or induction systems
• Technology and material Jet fan
• Operation of Jet Fan
• Examples of Fans for induction systems
• A control system
• Installation of Jet Fan
• Computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
Introduction

When cars enter, exit and drive through your enclosed parking garage, they release toxic
and non-toxic gases. If car engines were perfect, the vehicles would release carbon dioxide
(CO2), water (H20) and Nitrogen (N). Unfortunately, car engines are not perfect, and they
typically release unburned fuel and fuel particles, various nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon
monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O), So Ventilation of car parks is
important and also to clear smoke in the event of a fire there are broadly two methods of
complying with the Building Regulations regarding ventilation and these are by natural or
mechanical ventilation.
Natural Ventilation
This is the preferred method of ventilating car parks and simply requires openings to fresh
air being provided to equal a percentage of the floor area of the car park.

Mechanical Extract
The rules for mechanical extract state that for control of fumes a system which is capable
of limiting the concentration of CO within the car park to below 30 parts per million
averaged over an eight hour period should be provided. For smoke clearance 10 ACPH
should be extracted.
Traditional Systems

Traditional mechanical extract systems use sheet metal ductwork to transport the fumes or
smoke being extracted to the external atmosphere. The ducts must be evenly distributed
around the car park and also drop to low level to provide the low level extract points. The
system should be capable of operating at temperatures of up to 300°C for 60 minutes, and
ductwork and fixings should be made from materials that have a melting point above
800°C.
Ducted mechanical extract systems are permitted by regulations but
are rarely used nowadays
• The ductwork runs underneath the ceiling, reducing the already restricted height
normally available.
• Down stand beams require the ducting to be set down below them, thus diminishing the
height even further.
• Low level extract points are required, often needing protective barriers to surround them,
and these take up valuable floor space.
• High initial and running cost for maintenance.
Jet fan, impulse or induction systems

• All the above are different names for the same basic
system and have become increasingly popular as they can
overcome many of the problems associated with sheet
metal ductwork.
• Jet fans were developed for ventilating tunnels a small jet
of air at extremely high velocity which causes surrounding
air to be entrained and in a confined space like a tunnel or
car park can be used to move a large volume of gas.
• Impulse ventilation systems push the air through the car
park towards a single extract point, rather than pulling it
to multiple extract points as a ducted mechanical extract
system would.
• The number and location of fans are carefully chosen to match the system design
requirements and to ensure that there are no dead spots (where there is no
airflow) for fumes and smoke to stagnate and collect.
In addition to the space saving as well as dead spots are prevented jet fan systems
have other advantages over traditional ducted systems.
• Energy saving
Jet fan systems are often combined with CO detection to initiate them for CO
control and these can ensure that fans are precisely controlled to dilute pollution
without fans running unnecessarily with large potential energy savings.
• Low noise
Because the main extract fans are relatively smaller and for CO control run at lower
speeds than a traditional system the noise generated is considerably lower.
• Low cost
Jet fan systems cost less than a comparable ducted system.
Jet fans
The jet fans are positioned to ensure that fumes and smoke are transported quickly and
efficiently to the main extract points.
• Jet fans can provide up to 50N of thrust, Suitable for most small to medium sized car
parks, induction fans can provide up to 100N of thrust, Suitable for medium to large car
parks
• Jet fans are flexible and can be adapted to suit changes in the use of space.
• The transferred volume of air being several times greater than the actual flow volume of
the fan.
Technology and material Jet fan
• Jet fans are available in many versions according to its sizes.
(Two fan sizes, 315mm and 400mm diameter, with overall depths of 335mm and 365mm)
• The casing for all of these products is made of galvanized sheet steel and noise
suppressors integrated on both sides.
• The impeller wheel usually is made of pressure die-cast aluminum.
• The centrifugal impeller is made of sheet steel, welded and coated.
Operation of Jet Fan
• The Jet fan can be used for partial smoke extraction ,ventilation or even in case of Fire.
• In normal day-to-day operation, the Jet fans are controlled by the CO system in
accordance with the concentration threshold setting. In this way, carbon monoxide
contaminated air is extracted from the car park. This takes place with either just a few
Jet fans operating at a low speed, or with all system components operating at a higher
output level, depending on the concentration in the air.
• The recommendation are that the system should provide 6 ACPH for day-to-day
ventilation on all levels and 10 ACPH on the fire floor in the event of a fire.
Smoke extraction – The Jet fan smoke extraction system

In the event of smoke needing to be extracted, the Jet fans are immediately activated at
maximum speed by smoke detectors, regardless of the CO system setting, in order to
extract smoke from the area of the fire. The central ventilation shafts are switched to full
power at the same time.
A significant advantage of the Jet fan smoke extraction system lies in the fact that smoke
can be partially extracted from the immediate area of the fire. In other words, the Jet fans
can be used to control smoke levels as well. This avoids the costly process of dividing a car
park up into separate sections to reduce the spread of fire.
Jet fan, jet vent fan or impulse fan
An axial flow fan mounted within an inlet and outlet cylindrical silencer. jet fans can
provide up to 50N of thrust. Suitable for most small to medium sized car parks.

Induction fan
A centrifugal fan with an air inlet positioned
beneath the body of the fan and discharging
through a reduced size opening, induction fans
can provide up to 100N of thrust. Suitable for medium to large car parks.
 A control system

Description -designed to efficiently manage the car park

ventilation equipment. It helps maintain good air quality when
the car park traffic is high and conserve energy when it is low,
controlling operation of the fans according to the conditions
in the space to save energy and will usually incorporate CO
sensors and fans speed control.
Installation of Jet Fans

• Ceiling features:
To make the system more effective, position Jet Vent Fans in-line with supporting
ceiling beams. If this is not possible, the system becomes less effective and more fans may
be needed.
Vertical clearance
• Sufficient vertical clearance ensures maximum flexibility in system design. Jet Vent Fans
may be recessed between ceiling beams to minimize the height of the system.
Obstructions
If there is no option and the Jet Vent Fans must blow across ceiling beams, have to be
positioned a sufficient distance away from the obstruction as illustrated a horizontal
distance eight times (8x) the height of the obstruction is generally sufficient. Nozzles on the
Jet Vent units are specially designed and angled downwards for this purpose.
Clashes with other services

Place mechanical service components, such as sprinklers, signs and pipework out of
the Jet Vent's discharge pattern area.
Fans placed in series
As shown at table below ,the maximum and recommended spacings between Jet Vent
Fans for different levels of fan thrust. These spacing distances are guidelines for fans placed
in series. When using these spacings. Analysis will determine whether this is achieved in a
particular car park design. In some ideal cases, designs using the maximum distances have
been effective.
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD)

CFD can provide detailed prediction of air movement, temperature and smoke density
throughout the car park, taking into account the often complex geometry of individual
buildings, This level of detail cannot be provided by any other means. A Computational
Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis is often required to prove and further refine the design as
Fans may need to be re-orientated, or in some cases, added or removed.