How Natural Ventilation Works

The easiest way to describe how natural ventilation works is that it cools a space without mechanical energy. It effectively provides efficient cooling via passive ventilation. Natural ventilation is an extremely user-friendly way to remove stifling air from an indoor space, with no maintenance costs or upkeep.

How Natural Ventilation Works – Science

Now, we all know how wind ventilation works. Every time you open a window in your home, you are using wind ventilation to “air the house out.” This works by air flowing in through one window and exiting through another while removing the warm inside air and substituting it with cool outside air. This is a highly effective way to cool down a house in the evening after a sizzling summer day or to remove odors from cooking, smoking, or painting. Opening several windows and allowing the wind to take them away does the job.

Large buildings, like commercial and industrial facilities, have been using this concept for centuries. Opening windows and allowing a breeze to come through while removing the warm air is a remarkably effective way to cool a large space. This is basic natural wind-driven ventilation 101, and virtually everyone has used it at one time or another.

The other type of ventilation, called stack or buoyancy ventilation, relies on the fact that heated air rises, and if it is allowed to escape, it will pull air in from another lower opening to replace it.

You can think of stack ventilation in much the same way that a wood burning stove. A stove pulls air inside to maintain combustion. Hot exhaust gasses flow upward and out through a chimney, known appropriately as the chimney effect, and this action pulls air into the stove through lower front air vents. Hotter exhaust air flows out of the chimney and rises faster the hotter it gets. This exact same principle works in a stack air system.

How Building Air Flows

Hot air in a building, whether it is a factory, office, or industrial complex, is buoyant and rises to the ceiling. On the other hand, cooler air sinks down to the floor. It does this because hot air has a lower pressure than cool air. Much like oil floats on water, stifling air floats on cool air. Warm air balloons use that buoyancy effect to get off the ground and fly. Heated air rises to the inside top of the balloon because it has less pressure than cooler ground air. Eventually, the buoyancy of the hot air in the balloon will be so great that the balloon will rise off the ground and fly.

In a building, if there is no way out for the hot air it will collect at the air and stagnate. Most buildings use mechanical solutions like air conditioning to circulate air. However, these devices are not ideal for large factory spaces. Mechanical solutions, like powered exhaust fans, increase energy bills. Additionally, a powered system leads to more maintenance hassles. This is because if it breaks down costly repairs will be needed.

Instead, by capitalizing on the fact that hot air rises, you can invest in a system that will help you remove hot air quickly, safely, and effectively. A natural ventilation system will help to keep a constant flow of fresh air circulating throughout the entire building.

Natural Ventilation in Buildings

New buildings are designed for natural ventilation. However, older buildings require retrofitting. By drawing in air at floor level and allowing it to exit through vents in the roof, a more effective and more efficient system is developed. In fact, some modern commercial and industrial buildings have central ventilation ducts through which heated air can escape naturally. The stifling air flows upwards while cooler air comes in from side mounted louvers at the lower levels. This type of natural airflow reduces the costs associated with mechanical ventilation.

Retrofit ventilators to see new results on old buildings. A new vent will allow for the hot air to rise out of the building. This type of system uses the chimney effect to efficiently channel the hot air out of a building. You can install natural ventilation products quickly and easily. However, they still have an enormous impact on how natural ventilation works in building temperatures, operating costs and more.

How Natural Ventilation Works – Products

For the best in modern natural ventilation techniques, Moffitt Corporation has you covered. Moffit specializes in natural ventilators, also known as gravity ventilators. Natural ventilators reduce energy and maintenance costs. They are often more cost effective than powered equipment. Products include:

• The MoffittVent, which vents large volumes of hot air while keeping rain and snow out of the building. This strong and sturdy device stands up to heavy industrial conditions and operates effectively at virtually any wind speed.
• The MatrixVent natural louvered vent uses aerodynamically designed baffles and louvers to provide persistent and consistent weatherproof ventilation. This device is lightweight and has a low wind load, making it optimal for retrofit applications.
• The turbine vent that uses rising stifling air to spin the turbine to increase airflow, naturally. You can install turbine vents into the old exhaust fan openings. As a result, turbine vents the perfect retrofit solution.

Moffitt Corporation manufactures ventilators, louvers, and similar passive ventilation devices. Many different types of commercial and industrial facilities use these natural ventilation products every day, without fail. When it comes showing how natural ventilation works in a commercial or industrial setting, Moffitt Corporation is leading the way. They have become the “green” go-to solution for all your industrial and commercial natural ventilation needs, nationally and internationally.