NATURAL

VENTILATION
 Definition
 Natural ventilation uses the natural forces of wind and
buoyancy to introduce fresh air and distribute it
effectively in buildings for the benefit of the occupants.
 Movement of air within the building, between the
buildings and outdoors.
 Natural ventilation ensures the supply of adequate
breathing air, adequate ventilation of contaminants,
adequate thermal conditioning and moisture dissipation,
and contribute to well-being through a connection to the
dynamics of nature.
 The relationship happens on three scales:
 Site scale
 Building scale
 Component scale
 IMPORTANT TERMS

 Air changes per hour (ACH): The volumetric flow rate of supply
air, divided by the volume of the ventilated space.
 Exfiltration/infiltration: Air flow through unintended leakages
out/into buildings.
 Hybrid ventilation (Mixed-mode ventilation): Combined natural
and mechanical ventilation (also called mixed-mode ventilation).
 Indoor air quality (IAQ): broadly defined by the purity of the air
but often CO2 is used as an indicator.
 Natural ventilation: Use of natural forces, i.e., pressure differences
generated by wind or air temperature, to introduce and
distribute outdoor air into or out of a building.
 Ventilation effectiveness: The ability of a ventilation system to
exchange the air in the room. Also the ability to remove airborne
contaminants
FUNCTIONS OF VENTILATION

It has three distinctly different functions:

1. SUPPLY OF FRESH AIR
2. CONVECTIVE COOLING
3. PHYSIOLOGICAL COOLING
• There is a radical difference in the form of provisions for
1 and 2 and for 3
• The first two functions will be considered as 'ventilation'
but the last function is considered separately as 'air
movement'.
Functions
 Supply of fresh air
 Sufficient oxygen
 Dilute odor
 Dilute co2 levels

 Physiological cooling
 Indoor comfort levels

 Heat balance to thermal mass in the

building structure
 Night time cooling of the building
 Convection cooling when outer air is at lower temperature than
indoor
CONVECTIVE COOLING

▪ Transfer of heat energy by the movement of matter

▪ The exchange of indoor air with fresh out-door air can provide
cooling, if the outdoor is at a lower temperature than the indoor
air.
▪ The moving air acts as a heat carrying medium.
PHYSIOLOGICAL COOLING
The movement of air past the skin surface accelerates heat dissipation
in two ways:

•Increasing convective heat loss

•Accelerating evaporation

•Cooling by air movement is most needed where there are no other

forms of heat dissipation available, when the air is as warm as the skin
and the surrounding surfaces are also at a similar temperature.

•In very low humidity (below 30%) this cooling effect is not great, as
there is an unrestricted evaporation even with very light air movement.
•In high humidity (above 85%) the cooling effect is restricted by the
high vapour pressure preventing evaporation, but greater velocities
(above 1.5 to 2 m/s) will have some effect.
•It is most significant in average humidity (35 to 60%).
 IMPORTANT NOTES:

 Cross ventilation through rooms is increased by large openings

on both windward and leeward sides.

 Rate at which air flows through a room, carrying away heat

with it, is a function of area of inlet & outlet, wind speed, &
direction of wind relative to openings.

 Amount of heat removed by a given rate of air flow depends

on temperature difference between inside & outside.
 IMPORTANT NOTES:

 Most effective cross ventilation occurs when inlets are placed

in high pressure area & outlets in low pressure area.

 Rate of air flow depends on pressure diff. between inlet &

outlet.

 Maximum rate of ventilation occurs when area of inlet & outlet

is large & wind is relatively perpendicular to windows.
 ADVANTAGES

▪ Improved air quality

▪ Increased energy efficiency

▪ Reduces energy consumption

▪ Reduces gas emissions

▪ Reduces Ozone depletion

▪ Economical
Ventilation Types

▪ Natural ventilation

▪ Mechanical ventilation
 Natural ventilation
 Process of supplying and removing air through an
indoor space without using mechanical systems.
 It refers to the flow of external air to an indoor space as
a result of pressure or temperatures differences.
 Passive strategy using both- wind and temperature
differences to cool or ventilate spaces

Types of natural ventilation occur in buildings:

 wind driven ventilation
 buoyancy-driven ventilation.
 Wind driven ventilation
 Wind driven ventilation depends on wind behavior, the
building envelope and the openings or other air
exchange devices such as inlets or chimneys.

Some of the important limitations of wind driven

ventilation:
 Unpredictability and difficulties in harnessing due to
speed and direction variations
 The quality of air it introduces in buildings may be
polluted. Ex: proximity to an urban or industrial area
 May create a strong draught, discomfort.
 Buoyancy-driven ventilation
▪ Occurs as a result of the directional buoyancy force that results from
temperature differences.
▪ When there is a temperature difference between two adjoining volumes of
air the warmer air will have lower density and be more buoyant thus will rise
above the cold air creating an upward air stream.
 Buoyancy-driven ventilation
Advantages
▪ Does not rely on wind speed and wind direction: can take place on a still, hot
summer days when it is most needed.
▪ Stable air flow (compared to wind)
▪ Greater control in choosing areas
of air intake
▪ Sustainable method

Limitations :
▪ Lower magnitude compared to wind ventilation on the windiest days
▪ Relies on temperature differences
▪ Design restrictions (height, location of apertures) and may incur extra costs
(ventilator stacks, taller spaces)
▪ The quality of air it introduces in buildings may be polluted. Ex: Proximity to an
urban or industrial area
STACK VENTILATION
 Stack Ventilation through rooms is increased by greater
distance between high & low openings.
 When wind is not available, stack ventilation, which does not
require wind to move air through a building, can provide a
similar effect. It also has the advantage of orientation
independence.
 In a room cooled by stack ventilation, warm air rises, exits
through openings at top of room, & is replaced by cooler air
entering low in room.
 Rate at which air moves through room, carrying heat away
with it, is a function of vertical distance between inlets &
outlets, their size, & diff. between outside temp. & average
inside temperature over height of room.
 Several strategies can be used to enhance this gravity
ventilation system; all deal with design of a building section.
Stack effect
▪ Wind catchers- passive cooling systems
▪ To draw air up and down the towers and through the building
▪ The stack effect relies on thermal forces, set up by density
difference (caused by temperature differences) between the
indoor and out-door air.
▪ It can occur through an open window (when the air is still): the
warmer and lighter indoor air will flow out at the top and the cooler,
denser outdoor air will flow in at the bottom
Ways of natural ventilation in buildings
Single sided Cross ventilation

Stack effect
 Single sided
▪ Openings on only one external wall
▪ Air exchange by wind turbulence
▪ Outward openings interacting with local
external air streams or local stacks
FACTORS AFFECTING VENTILATION IN A BUILDING

1. ORIENTATION of building

2. External features:
a) LANDFORM / TOPOGRAPHY of the site
b) Vegetation/ landscape elements

3. EFFECTS OF OPENINGS in a building

a) Cross-ventilation
b) Position of openings
c) size of openings
d) Controls of openings
 ORIENTATION OF BUILDING
▪Strongly relates a building to the natural environment—the sun,
wind, weather patterns, topography, landscape, and views.
▪Decisions made in site planning and building orientation will have
impacts on the energy performance of the building over its entire life
cycle.

a) Direct Air
flow

b) Reduce
Surface
heat
gain
 ORIENTATION OF BUILDING
▪ The greatest pressure on the windward side of a
building is generated when the elevation is at right
angles to the wind direction, so it seems to be obvious
that the greatest indoor air velocity will be achieved in
this case.
▪ A wind incidence of 45° would reduce the pressure by
50%.
▪ Ascertain the prevailing wind direction from wind
frequency charts of wind roses and must orient the
building in such a way that the largest openings are
facing the wind direction.
ORIENTATION OF BUILDING
▪Figure a shows the outline of air flow at 90° and Figure b at 45°, to
a building square in plan.
▪In the second case a greater velocity is created along the
windward faces, therefore the wind shadow will be much broader,
the negative pressure (the suction effect) will be increased and an
increased indoor air flow will result.
Ventilation Studies (CFD Simulations of Wind Flow at Different Heights)

0m above ground 20m above ground

40m above ground 60m above ground

Velocity 0.00 0.91 1.82 2.73 3.64 4.55 5.45 6.36 7.27 8.18 9.09 10.00 (m/s)

Campus Building II – Research and Training Facility- Singapore

 External features : Vegetation Pattern
Vegetation and trees in particular
 Effectively shade and reduce
heat gain.
 Increasing and decreasing air
speed or directing airflow
 Also causes pressure differences
 Direct air into a building or
deflect it away.
EXTERNAL FEATURES : VEGETATION PATTERN

 Plants , shrubs and trees absorb radiation by

photosynthesis.

 Cools the environment.

 Trees and hedges also affect airflow.

 Thick vegetation effectively cuts it off.

 Placement of trees and hedges

 Can direct and increase air speeds.

 Plant trees/ hedges to make a

narrowing 'path' for the air.

 Reduced area increases air speed.

 Minor pressure differences which

changes the air path.
3: EFFECTS OF OPENINGS

•Staggered
•Inlet must be smaller
than outlet
•Avoid parallel placing
•Avoid partitions near
windows
•Avoid adjacent
windows
•Avoid outlet larger than
inlet

Ideal placing
 'venturi effect'
 The largest air velocity will be obtained through a small inlet
opening with a large outlet due to the total force acting on a small
area, forcing air through the opening at a high pressure,

 Like the broadening funnel (connecting the small inlet to the large
outlet), the sideways expansion of the air jet further accelerates the
particles
 Controls of openings
 Sashes, canopies, louvres and other elements controlling the openings, influence
the indoor air flow pattern.
DESIGN TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE NATURAL
VENTILATION
 In fig (a) Air stream
separates at the face of the
tall block , part of it moving
over the roof and part of it
down to form a large vortex
which in turn causes
pressure build up ,increased
velocity at ground level at
the sides of tall block , this
could serve a useful
purpose.

In fig (b) Low building

located in the wind shadow
area of a tall block, the
increase in height of the
obstructing block will
increase the air flow through
the low building , in a
direction opposite the wind .

REVERSE FLOW BEHIND A TALL BLOCK

 In fig (a) If the blocks are in
grid or linear pattern,
stagnant air zones leeward
from the first row will overlap
the second row.
A spacing of six times the
building height is necessary
to ensure adequate air
movement.

In fig (b) If the blocks are

staggered in a checker board
pattern the flow field is much
more uniform, stagnant air
zones are almost eliminated
Lack of Cross Ventilation.

Absence of outlet opening-- Windward opening and no outlet opening ---

- No effective air movement pressure built inside the building making it worse.

For effective Air Flow , the air movement must be directed at the body surface.
I e through the space mostly used by the occupants ----“living zone “
----“living zone “
 Humidity control
•Dehumidification is only possible by mechanical means

•Warm-humid climates, some relief can be provided by air

movement.

•In hot-dry climates humidification of the air may be necessary,

which can be associated with evaporative cooling. In these climates
the building is normally closed to preserve the cooler air retained
within the structure of high thermal capacity, also to exclude sand
and dust carried by winds. However, some form of air supply to the
building interior is necessary.
The large intake opening captures air movement above
the roofs in densely builtup areas. The water seeping
through the porous pottery jars evaporates, some drips
down onto the charcoal placed on a grating, through
which the air is filtered. The cooled air assists the
downward movement – a reversed stack effect.
The air conditioners of hyderabad sind

Lower sind district, unususal roof scapes

April to june- temperatures range above 120
degree F. lowered by an afternoon breeze to
a pleasant 95degree.
To channel the wind into the building,
windscoops’ badgirs’ are installed on the
roofs, one to each room. Since the wind
always blows from the same direction, the
position of windscoops is permanently fixed.
in multistoreied housees they reach all the
way down, doubling as intramural
telephones.
Although the origin of this of this contraption
is unknown, it has been in uses at least five
hundred years.
THANK YOU