Labs21 Advanced Course: Laboratory Ventilation Design
The Labs21 Advanced Course on Laboratory Ventilation Design is part of a series of advanced course modules on sustainable, energy-efficient laboratory topics, which are based on the Labs21 Best Practice Guides.
Laboratory ventilation systems need to provide safe and comfortable working environments that promotes the facility's research mission. This course focuses on two elements for reducing energy use. First, a decision-making process for optimizing the laboratory ventilation rate is presented. Second, pragmatic and quantitative design features and elements for reducing air distribution energy-use are explored.
Optimizing Laboratory Ventilation Rates
What is a laboratory's ventilation rate intended to achieve? This essential question has been usually answered with a doctrine of "more is better." Laboratory energy use is fundamentally linked to large volumes of airflow provided into, through, and out-of the facility. But these high-airflow systems can require copious amounts of energy that drive up operating costs under routine conditions.
This highly interactive module scrutinizes the design challenges of crafting a "balanced" laboratory ventilation system that both handles the "worst" scenario (possible) safely and manages "routine" scenarios (probable) efficiently. Attendees review the process steps for determining an effective laboratory ventilation rate with regard to worker safety and space conditioning. A variety of "good" and "better" design practice methods are presented and analyzed that reduce HVAC system life-cycle costs.
Low-Pressure-Drop HVAC Design
For an air system flowing at a particular rate, what design element has the greatest impact on its energy use? The pressure drop that the air system encounters to deliver conditioned air to the facility is directly proportional to the required fan horsepower energy.
In the second workshop module, low-pressure-drop HVAC system design strategies for laboratories that lower energy use are examined. A range of design experiences and practices to reduce airflow pressure drop are reviewed and quantified. Performance examples applying "good" and "better" low-pressure drop design practice are introduced. Case studies of operating laboratories are presented including their resulting energy savings.
While open to all attendees, it is recommended that participants have a basic understanding of laboratory ventilation and design issues, or have taken the Labs21 Introductory Course.
Note: This course is worth 6 Professional Development Hours (PDHs) for professional engineers and 6 Continuing Education Credits (CECs) from the American Institute of Architects for registered architects.