On many occasions, when a company buys or rents an industrial building, it ignores the state of the existing ventilation system in the facilities, something that can lead to problems and procedures that slow down the start of business activity. The importance of industrial ventilation lies in the regulations that must be met to avoid possible penalties.
To avoid this type of problem and as experts in the calculation of industrial ventilation, we have prepared this post in which you will find a small guide with all the legal aspects and necessary recommendations so that the calculation of the industrial ventilation system of your company does not become in an older concern.
Industrial ventilation regulations
Although there is no specific regulation in relation to the calculation of industrial ventilation, it is necessary to respect a minimum level of quality in the air so that the operators who work in the warehouse breathe adequate quality air within their possibilities.
In Royal Decree 427 the scope of ventilation of industrial buildings is mentioned, according to this regulation, for the calculation of the ventilation of an industrial building it should be taken into account that it is necessary to apply an air renewal of 30 m3 per worker every hour in In the event that there are no tobacco fumes in the ship (something mandatory today and that brings to light the antiquity of the regulations) in the hypothetical case that there were tobacco smoke in the ship, the renewal of the air would increase to 50m3 per worker and hour.
Taking into account the normal working circumstances in industrial buildings, the levels proposed by Royal Decree 427 are insufficient to maintain a comfortable air quality and prevent the environment from becoming stale. This is so given that the air renewal is only taken into account per person in the regulations and not the size of the building or the air pollution capacity.
Thus, the calculation of ventilation and extraction in an industrial warehouse is not the same for a team of 30 people working in a 2500m2 warehouse welding metal, as the same people in a smaller space used as a warehouse and in which there is hardly any machinery.
There are different criteria to apply depending on the size of the facilities, the work carried out inside and the number of workers operating inside.
How to calculate the ventilation and extraction of an industrial building
At this point, you will surely wonder what aspects should be taken into account when establishing the ventilation of an industrial warehouse. As experts in the calculation of ventilation and extraction of industrial buildings at MET MANN we recommend taking into account the following key points.
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It is necessary to take into account the context of the enclosure when establishing the calculation of the necessary ventilation depending on the activity carried out inside, the pollution contributed by the machinery, the temperature, the number of workers and of course, the extension of the enclosure.
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Once all the above factors have been considered, a minimum number of renewals per hour must be carried out, in such a way that the air is completely renewed between 4 and 10 times in each hour of activity.
In this way, assuming that we have a space of 50 meters long, 20 wide and 6 high, the calculation will be carried out as follows:
Calculate the total cubic meters
50m x 20m x 6m = 6000m3
These 6000m3 correspond to the total volume of the enclosure that must be taken into account.
Calculate the volume to renew per hour based on the number of desired renewals
6000m3 x 4 = 24.000m3
To completely renew the air in the facilities a total of 4 times per hour, it is necessary to establish an air flow of 24,000m3 for which an industrial ventilation system will be necessary.
An industrial ventilation system is based on points of entry and exit of air to the outside that create a current that pushes the stale air towards the exit. The fresh and renewed air enters the interior through vents and sweeps the stale air upwards, where there are extractors that return it to the outside.
Ventilation system design
For the installation of a suitable ventilation system in industrial buildings it is necessary to take into account a series of factors in addition to the air flow necessary for the renewal of interior air. To optimize this process, the type of fans, the location of the extractors and ventilation grilles must be taken into account, in such a way that the air current removes the stale air without producing any air recirculation.
If you consider that your facilities are not adequately conditioned or you have doubts about the calculation of the ventilation and extraction of your industrial warehouse at MET MANN we can help you. We are experts in the study and installation of this type of ventilation systems in industries and warehouses of all kinds.
Do not hesitate to contact us so that our specialists can advise you on how to improve working conditions in your industrial warehouse.