Industrial air extractor. Ventilation systems in this sector

The industrial air extractor and generally ventilation as a system that guarantees health conditions inside industrial warehouses, is useful for controlling humidity and other undesirable environmental conditions such as the presence of contaminants. Among these, a very important group is that of formaldehydes, which come from wood agglomerates bonded with resins and some insulating materials. Radon is also particularly dangerous. It is a naturally occurring gas that is released from radium contained in some materials such as granite, pumice stone, and phosphate rocks. These two groups of contaminants are complemented by carbon dioxide and solid particles in suspension. Therefore, the role of an industrial air extractor is to evacuate these types of substances when their presence in the environment poses a risk to the health of the occupants.

This potential risk to people's health, associated with a substance present in the air, is indicated by its Limit Value. The TLV is defined as the concentration of a substance in the air to which it is considered that all workers can be exposed daily without suffering adverse effects. The TLV-TWA is defined as the time-weighted average concentration for an 8-hour workday, which will not produce harmful effects on health in most workers. These TLV values published by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists are commonly used as reference values to ensure labor safety conditions in industrial buildings. They are reviewed annually to incorporate new harmful substances and new knowledge about those that are already known.

Industrial air extractor and its different systems

Air extraction systems are classified into two general groups:

1. General Extraction Systems: can be used to control the thermal environment or for the removal of harmful substances generated in a specific area by sweeping the space with large amounts of air. When a dilution system is used, that is, this system is employed for the control of contaminants, they must be mixed with a sufficient amount of air so that the concentration is reduced to safe levels.
2. Localized Extraction Systems: seek to capture the contaminant very close to its source. This is usually the most commonly used method because it is the most effective, and by using smaller flow rates, it allows for reduced energy consumption of the installation. It consists of up to four types of basic elements: the capture elements, the duct system, the filter, and the fan. The goal of the capture element is to capture the contaminant by trapping it in an airflow directed towards the extraction hood. In the filter, the contaminant is separated from the air. The fan must overcome all the pressure losses due to friction at the inlet of the hood and at the joints between the ducts, all while producing the expected airflow to ensure proper ventilation. At the fan outlet, there is usually a duct arranged in such a way that the air discharged by it cannot be reintroduced into the room by the air supply system, or by the air conditioning or heating system.