What is the air change rate?
Those dealing with room ventilation and aeration are very familiar with the concept of air change rate. The knowledge of its importance has also spread greatly in recent months since the Covid-19 outbreak, forcing us to take an ever greater interest in the quality of the air we breathe.
To begin discussing this topic, however, it is good to start with a clear definition of air change rate. In the context of room ventilation, we call air change rate the ratio between the volume of air that is introduced in one hour into the room to be ventilated and the volume of the room itself. In other words, we can say that the numerical value of the air change rate – which is measured in cycles per hour – tells us how many times in one hour the air in an enclosed space is completely renewed. If, for example, we read on one of the technical tables in the regulations concerning ventilation of workplaces that in a foundry an air change rate value of 30 is usually recommended, this means, in actual terms, that the air in this particular work environment should be completely renewed 30 times in an hour, i.e. once every two minutes
The air change rate is a numerical value indicating how frequently the air must be renewed in a given space in one hour
Since, as everyone knows by now, viruses are mainly airborne and spread through the mist produced by human breath, it is evident that maintaining a high air change rate is a very effective preventive measure for reducing the possibility of contagion and therefore fighting the spread of many viral infections. Therefore, it is not surprising that all global health institutions recommend increasing the air change rate as much as possible in all types of work and community environments to fight the spread of Covid-19.
Art-Eco, who deals in evaporative adiabatic coolers, has always emphasised how lowering the temperature of an environment while ensuring adequate humidity levels and continuous air change is good for the health of all those who work or spend time in such environment for any reason. On the other hand, all of our machines, as we will see better below, are capable of achieving this twofold and important result; both for the well-being and health of those spending time in those spaces, and for the reduction of temperature, with a considerable increase in air change rate.
Evaporative adiabatic coolers and air change rate
An evaporative cooler is a machine that operates in a very simple manner, using a completely natural process without the need for external gases. In an evaporative adiabatic cooler, an industrial fan pushes a flow of air from the outside through a honeycomb panel over which water flows continuously.
The air in contact with water spontaneously gives up some of its heat to the water and becomes cooler, and then replaces the warmer air already in the environment, which escapes through openings such as doors and windows.
It is therefore clear that, thanks to its operating principle, an evaporative adiabatic cooler system necessarily guarantees a continuous air change and, thanks to the possibility of adjusting the speed of the fans and therefore the input air flow rate, it also allows the air change rate in the cooled environment to be adjusted, depending on the number and type of openings to the outside.
The benefit of Art-Eco evaporative coolers is therefore twofold: with their operation, they are able to decrease the air temperature in a given space whilst at the same time increasing the air change rate, preventing the proliferation of viruses and other pathogens, as well as eliminating stale air and unpleasant smells.
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The air change rate in different work and social gathering environments
One of the most common applications of Art-Eco evaporative adiabatic coolers is certainly inside factories, warehouses and processing departments, where the need to cool the workplace is often combined with the need to have open doors and windows, to ensure a significant air change.
These spaces often contain machinery that raises the heat load and produces fumes that can be harmful and release bad smells. As already pointed out, in these cases the need to cool the area is linked with that of ensuring an air change rate of no less than 30-40 cycles per hour.
Our coolers have the dual advantage of reducing temperature and promoting better ventilation
Workplaces, however, are not the only environments where Art-Eco evaporative adiabatic coolers can be used successfully. With their ease of use and cost-efficiency, portable coolers are particularly popular for reducing temperatures in places of worship, entertainment venues and trade fairs, wherethe recommended air change rates of around 10-15 cycles per hour are certainly lower than in production facilities but still call for the use of forced ventilation.
We have always known that frequently changing the air in any environment is a good thing but now precise epidemiological studies indicate that maintaining a high air change rate reduces the risk of spreading viral infections such as Covid-19. For this reason, installing an Art-Eco evaporative adiabatic cooler system is an even more important – if not decisive – solution for ensuring well-being and health in any working or social environment.
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