Analysis of Contaminant Flow Path and Laboratory Ventilation Effectiveness (ST-16-C004)

The main goal of laboratory ventilation systems is to maintain certain levels of contaminant concentrations to provide safe environment for all personnel at all locations within the laboratory space. Laboratories frequently employ high ventilation rates with single pass outside air without any recirculation which makes laboratory ventilation systems energy intensive. The locations of supply and exhaust air play important role in determining the flow path of the supply air. Ideally the supply air should effectively sweep the laboratory space over the contaminant sources and dilute the contaminant levels without significant air recirculation. This paper with the help Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis will evaluate the impact of various parameters on the effectiveness of contaminant removal. These parameters include the supply airflow rate, supply and exhaust locations, contaminant generation rates and locations of contaminant sources, and type of exhaust systems involving exposure control devices. Ventilation effectiveness will be evaluated by analyzing three dimensional distribution of contaminant concentration along with the three dimensional airflow patterns in the space. This analysis will provide valuable insights to practicing and design engineers related to the design and operation of laboratory ventilation systems.