Ventilating manufacturing facilities, whether it’s heavy-duty steel rolling mills or lighter-duty manufacturing plants, is essential to control indoor air quality (IAQ).
Manufacturing processes create byproducts, and the removal of these byproducts is essential for the safety of staff, the quality of raw materials, and the longevity of the manufacturing equipment.
Common byproducts of manufacturing are dust, fumes, odors, mist, liquid waste, and noise. Each of these byproducts has varying risks and impacts on production.
Many dust and fumes are combustible; liquids can be corrosive; mists create maintenance issues and slip hazards. It is best practice to maintain exceptional indoor air quality to keep processes running and people working in a safe environment, as intended.
This article discusses the ventilation requirements of a manufacturing facility and the equipment necessary to address them.
Many factors should be considered before understanding what ventilation equipment is needed. The main factors to consider when ventilating a manufacturing facility include:
3rd party officials, such as indoor air quality, monitor some factors. This is due to manufacturing factories producing a product that necessitates airborne waste, particularly airborne dust, mists, and gasses that are hazardous.
OSHA, EPA, and State DEPs are watchdogs, monitoring potential air, water, safety, and noise issues. Adhering to published codes and regulations is a continuing responsibility.
Dust collection systems facilitate the air purification process within a manufacturing structure. A dust collector keeps employees and equipment within the manufacturing facility safe. This is achieved through controlling indoor air pollution by treating atmospheric discharge from machinery.
The types of byproducts emitted from machinery help determine the type of dust collector suitable for the manufacturing facility. The size of the dust, element type, and quantity all play a significant role in determining which dust collector is required.
Find out more about dust collectors.
Learn about the differences between various dust collectors.
Government regulations prevent certain levels of exposure to oil and mist. This is due to the harmful impact oil mist has on employee safety and health. Furthermore, excess mist and oil negatively impacts overall plant maintenance such as causing damage to HVAC systems, surfaces, and electrical components.
Mist & oil collectors are available as primary and secondary mist collectors.
Primary mist collectors are mounted or attached to the machine at the source to filter contaminants. Whereas secondary mist collectors are stand-alone. They can be hung from the ceiling or on a stand.
Learn more about mist collectors.
Exhaust fans for the manufacturing industry play a vital role in ventilation. Exhaust fans solve the major ventilation issues such as:
Exhaust fans used in industrial manufacturing facilities also supplement other ventilation equipment in order to achieve the required indoor air quality.
There are many different types of exhaust fans available to suit any manufacturing facility.
Read more about exhaust fans.
Centrifugal blower fans are suitable for manufacturing factories due to the ability to manage materials in the airstream as well as chemically corrosive air flow. Furthermore, centrifugal fans produce much higher pressure than axial fans.
Configuration of the centrifugal fan largely depends on the environment, and more importantly, the application in the production facility.
Read more to understand centrifugal fans.
Implementing exhaust fans and other mechanical ventilation methods to remove heat leaves a manufacturing facility with negative pressure. This negative pressure increases pressure on the structure and the demand for heating and air conditioning systems throughout the space.
The net result of negative pressure within a manufacturing facility is limitations on the exhaust rate, unstable pilots, poor air circulation, doors that are difficult to open or close, and excessive energy bills due to the excessive load on the HVAC equipment.
All of these conditions can be resolved by introducing make-up air equipment. This is a fan designed to “make-up” the air that has been exhausted.
Make-up air units are available in several configurations to supplement the ventilation in an industrial manufacturing plant. Depending on your climate, a make-up air unit can be provided with various heating and/or cooling types.
Learn more about the different types of make-up air units.
Read a case study on how make-up air units helped reduce energy costs.
The most cost-effective method to ventilate a high heat producing manufacturing plant is by implementing natural ventilation. By strategically placing vents, dampers, and louvers throughout the facility we can use the natural convection properties to relieve the heat within the space.
The result is cooler temperatures and improved indoor air quality.
A manufacturing plant can be designed using 100% natural ventilation or a hybrid system using some form of mechanical ventilation equipment to either introduce or remove air from a space. This is often referred to as pressure or gravity ventilation.
Read more about natural ventilation equipment.
HVLS (High Volume Low Speed) fans for the manufacturing industry help by destratisfying the air. With higher temperature air being trapped near the ceiling, and cooler air near the floor, HVLS fans will blend the air.
This mixture of air creates a constant temperature from floor to ceiling and promotes significant energy savings. Typical results allow for the thermostat to be lowered by several degrees during the cooler months and raised several degrees during the warmer months.
These results most often provide a return on investment in which they pay for themself in a short period of time.
Read more about HVLS Fans.
We’ll be happy to help explain which model and make is best for your application.
