CFD modelling of aerodynamic sealing by vertical and horizontal air curtains

Gonçalves, Juliana; Costa, J.J.; Figueiredo, A.R.; Lopes, António

doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2012.06.007

Cited by 55 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…The preference for air curtains occurs when the use of solid barriers, like doors, may be unpractical because people should cross freely the barrier. The application of air curtains occurs in different fields such as: HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning), 1–3 smoke control in passageways, 4,5 and airborne pollutant and biological control. 6–8…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Full-size experimental assessment of the aerodynamic sealing of air curtains for particulate matter

Viegas

Kaluzny²,

Durand³

et al. 2020

Building Services Engineering Research and Technology

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An air curtain is used to ensure an adequate separation between two compartments that is aimed to restrict, a clean one and a contaminated one. The air curtain performance is improved with the use of an air extraction from the “contaminated” compartment. The aerodynamic sealing of an optimized air curtain is assessed regarding particulate matter. The evaluation using visual assessment of the aerodynamic sealing using a cold smoke source is validated against PM 10 detection. It is shown that the air curtain presents a good aerodynamic sealing for the particulate of PM10 and PM2.5 classes and that the visual assessment method can lead to similar results. An equation was obtained with a view to be used to predict the level of aerodynamic sealing of the air curtain when the exhaust rate becomes too low. Another equation was obtained for predicting the average velocity through the door protected by the air curtain required to obtain an aerodynamic sealing, as a function of the jet parameters (nozzle average velocity and thickness). These test results prove that the air curtain, complemented with an air exhaust from the “contaminated compartment”, is suitable to provide an acceptable aerodynamic sealing for the particulate matter. Practical application: The findings of this research are applicable when it is necessary to retain the contamination due to particulate matter using a soft boundary, as air plane jets. This is applicable to medical care centres to reduce the possibility of contamination due to bacteria between different compartments or in pharmaceutical process units to avoid cross contamination among them.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Full-size experimental assessment of the aerodynamic sealing of air curtains for particulate matter

Viegas

Kaluzny²,

Durand³

et al. 2020

Building Services Engineering Research and Technology

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show abstract

“…Their application is particularly useful when the physical barriers are not viable, for several reasons. In this framework, air curtains have been employed for several purposes, such as: HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) [1][2][3], smoke control in passageways [4,5], airborne pollutant, and biological control [6][7][8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental Study on the Aerodynamic Sealing of Air Curtains

Viegas

Oliveira

Aelenei

2018

Fluids

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Abstract:Controlling the air quality is of the utmost importance in today's buildings. Vertical air curtains are often used to separate two different climatic zones with a view to reduce heat transfer. In fact, this research work proposes an air curtain aimed to ensure a proper separation between two zones, a clean one and a contaminated one. The methodology of this research includes: (i) small-scale tests on water models to ensure that the contamination does not pass through the air curtain, and (ii) an analytical development integrating the main physical characteristics of plane jets. In the solution developed, the airflow is extracted from the contaminated compartment to reduce the curtain airflow rejected to the exterior of the compartment. In this research work, it was possible to determine the minimum exhaust flow necessary to ensure the aerodynamic sealing of the air curtain. This article addresses the methodology used to perform the small-scale water tests and the corresponding results.

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“…The ability to deal with complex flows within built environments has made CFD an important tool in improving building health and safety ( [9], [10]); ensuring thermal comfort for the occupants ( [11], [12]); testing energy efficient designs ( [13], [14]); and applying required environmental conditions ( [15], [16]). …”

Section: Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%