When is natural ventilation the right solution for power plants?

Posted by Paul Langford on 16/08/16 12:00

The quick answer is: in most cases. Power plants generate large amounts of internal heat and tend to be in tall buildings, which present ideal conditions for natural ventilation to work at its most efficient.

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Topics: Natural ventilation, CFD, Energy saving, Climate Control, Industrial ventilation, Power Plants

Natural ventilation in power generation facilities.

Posted by Graeme Clark on 23/09/14 11:30

I recently wrote about my view that natural ventilation should always be the first choice for power generation facilities. This leads me to another common discussion point: the choice between wall louvres and roof ventilators for high level extract.

Common concerns for design teams and contractors over roof ventilators include maintenance, planning constraints and rain ingress. However, a high quality roof ventilator will be maintenance free, low profile and 100% watertight.

Why are roof ventilators better than wall louvres for high level extract?

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Topics: Natural ventilation, Louvre, Power Plants

Why natural ventilation is best for power generation facilities.

Posted by Graeme Clark on 29/07/14 11:30

In my opinion, a natural ventilation system should always be the first choice for power plants, energy from waste, biomass, hydro stations, transformer stations and other similar buildings for 2 reasons:

1) The Environment 

The number and frequency of extreme weather events has been on the increase throughout the world. The climate is changing, of that there is no doubt, and the most popular theory is that this is due to the rise in CO2 emissions. 

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Topics: Natural ventilation, Energy saving, Climate Control, Power Plants

3 more considerations for good design in natural ventilation systems for power generation plants

Posted by Graeme Clark on 12/06/13 11:55

We saw in one of our early blog posts that power generation facilities such as Energy from Waste (Efw), Biomass, CHP, and Anaerobic Digestion plants are ideally suited for natural ventilation systems to dissipate heat, dilute fumes, and clear smoke in the event of a fire. In further articles, we covered the design and product selection of natural ventilation systems:

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Topics: Natural ventilation, Energy saving, Power Plants

How to choose the best natural ventilation system type

Posted by Graeme Clark on 19/12/12 08:57

We regularly work with consultant engineers and architects on the design of natural ventilation systems for power plants – and the number of projects is on the increase.

Natural ventilation has a number of advantages over mechanical ventilation and number one on the list is often to achieve a reduction in the amount of energy required to manage heat levels.

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Topics: Natural ventilation, Industrial ventilation, Power Plants

Why adding attenuation should not be an afterthought

Posted by Graeme Clark on 03/10/12 08:51

Following on from our recent blog on attenuation, we have recently been working on a project that offers an excellent example of why attenuation should indeed not be an afterthought.

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Topics: Natural ventilation, Power Plants, Noise reduction, Aerodynamic Performance

Heating a boiler room when temperatures drop below zero

Posted by Graeme Clark on 12/06/12 11:34

Boiler rooms need to be ventilated even when the outside temperature drops below zero, which means bringing in freezing air. These are typically unmanned areas, so it is acceptable for them to be colder than usual. However, very low temperatures could cause issues to the process equipment, such as freezing pipes or condensation.

What is the best way of ensuring the internal temperature at low level doesn’t drop too low? There are different options, depending on the building.

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Topics: Climate Control, Power Plants, Heating

Why attenuation shouldn’t be an afterthought

Posted by Paul Compton on 31/05/12 09:59

If you are in the early stages of designing a ventilation system for a power generation plant, have you already thought about attenuation? Is the power plant near a residential area? Do you need to ensure that the ventilation system doesn’t allow unacceptable noise levels to come out of the building? It is important to make these considerations early on, as attenuation can have a big impact on the design.

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Topics: Natural ventilation, Climate Control, Power Plants

Smoke ventilation in power plants: smoke clearance or fire safety?

Posted by Graeme Clark on 03/05/12 08:46

Fires do not often break out in power stations, but they do happen. And when they do, it can prove very challenging to bring them under control, as the recent fire at the Tilbury Power Station in Essex showed.

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Topics: Smoke Control, Regulations, Smoke ventilation, Power Plants

Insulated Fire Curtains and PAS 121 - In the Zone?

Posted by Conor Logan on 16/04/12 15:36

Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 121 has sparked some confusion as regards the difference between an insulated fire curtain and an insulated zone fire curtain. Hopefully in this blog and whitepaper we will be able to remove the confusion from the subject.

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Topics: Smoke Control, Fire Containment, Smoke Containment, Regulations, Power Plants, Curtains

Why ventilation system designs for power plants should be guaranteed

Posted by Graeme Clark on 05/04/12 14:38

For power generation plants to work efficiently, temperatures within the building must be maintained below a maximum level above which the operation of the process equipment will be affected.

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Topics: CFD, Industrial ventilation, Power Plants

Controlling pressure drops in ventilation for power generation

Posted by Paul Compton on 28/03/12 09:50

Controlling the pressure drop (Pd) across the openings when designing a natural or mechanical ventilation system for a power generation plant is central to ensuring it works effectively.

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Topics: HVAC, Industrial ventilation, Power Plants

Why CFD is the answer when designing power plant ventilation schemes

Posted by Graeme Clark on 15/03/12 16:01

Power generation plants are complex building installations. When designing a ventilation scheme for this type of facility, the necessary calculations can’t be done on the basis of drawings alone. You need the right expertise in climate control and the right tools – a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis carried out by an expert is the best answer.

A powerful tool for a complex problem

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Topics: Natural ventilation, CFD, HVAC, Power Plants

Is there a place for mechanical ventilation in power plants?

Posted by Graeme Clark on 17/01/12 09:40

In most cases, natural ventilation is the right answer for power generation plants. However, there are instances where mechanical ventilation may be the best choice.

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Topics: Natural ventilation, HVAC, Climate Control, Industrial ventilation, Power Plants