Mechanical Ventilation
Also known as forced ventilation, mechanical ventilation is used to control the quality of air in an enclosed environment, be it temperature, moisture or circulation. One common example of these systems can be the Kitchen exhaust that which controls the humidity and odor levels in the kitchen, also transporting excess smoke from cooking out of the kitchen. However, Fans do not provide fresh air from outside to circulate the room but instead simply make use of the existing air and circulate it around the room.
There are also those mechanical ventilation systems that pull in fresh air from outside and release it into the enclosed area to ensure a good quality of air. They can have additional capabilities such as heating or cooling the air that would require an additional form of energy to operate. One such system that is very common in homes or buildings is the heating, ventilating and Air condition (HVAC) system. Depending on the safety requirements, advanced ventilation systems may also be used in some industries such as mining underwater or manufacturing. For example, in underwater conditions such as those in submarines where workers have to be under the sea for prolonged periods of time, there are laws that govern the quality of air available to these workers and therefore more advanced ventilators must be used.
Car Parc Ventilation
As per this standard, the target of a car park ventilation system and Technik Rooms is to limit Carbon Monoxide (CO) concentrations to levels specified in Worksafe and National Health and Medical Research Criteria (NHMRC).
For car parks with 40 or less car spaces, energy saving measures additional to variable speed operation are allowed. The airflow rate can be halved if all vehicles remain parked and engines don’t operate for more than 2 hours. If the car park is also unoccupied at the same time, the system can be shutdown.