Research

Natural Ventilation
Stack Ventilation
Stack ventilation is where air is driven through the building by vertical
pressure differences developed by thermal buoyancy. The warm air
inside the building is less dense than cooler air outside, and thus will try
to escape from openings high up in the building envelope; cooler denser
air will enter openings lower down. The process will continue if the air
entering the building is continuously heated, typically by casual or solar
gains.
Stack ventilation and wind ventilation are the two natural ventilation
mechanisms and as the same openings may contribute to both, they may
not be considered in isolation.
The effectiveness of the stack effect is dependent on the height of the stack and the outside, and the effective area of the openings.
Ventilation in buildings has three main purposes:
1.
2.
3.

To maintain a minimum air quality (1 2 ac/h)

To remove heat (or other pollutant) (2 15 ac/h)
To provide perceptible air movement to enhance thermal comfort (0.5 2 m/s)

In winter typically only (1) is required, (2) is the typical summer condition in the UK and (3) would be required when the outside
air temperature is already at the lower comfort limit.
Stack ventilation can operate when no wind pressure is available. It can also operate in deep plan buildings where the distance
from openings in the perimeter, and the presence of partitions, make wind-driven cross ventilation impractical.
The stack effect can only take place when the average temperature in the stack is greater than the outside air.

Three distinct situations can be identified (1) where the stack is formed by the occupied part of the building itself, (2) where
the stack exists in the occupied space but where the space is tall (such as in an atrium) and the heated air is well above the
heads of the occupants, and (3) as a separate element.

When used for cooling, in case (1) the temperature increment may decrease the thermal comfort of the occupants. This may
necessitate large openings to keep the temperature increment to a minimum. In case (2), since there are no occupants in the stack
zone itself, the temperature increment may be larger. In case (3), there is no effect on the occupants, and the temperature may
be deliberately enhanced by solar gains, as in the so-called solar chimney. It is important to reiterate that it is the average
temperature of the whole column of air that matters, so any heat input must be made as close as possible to the base of the
chimney.

Typically the stack effect is quite weak, and therefore openings and ducts must be large, to minimise resistance.
The stack effect is dependent upon the difference between the average temperature of the stack over the full stack
height, NOT the temperature of the air as it leaves the top of the stack.
The pressure difference within the stack varies with height resulting in diminishing air flows from spaces opening on
to the stack, as their height above ground floor increases.
The stack normally provides extraction of the warm air. Equal consideration must be given to the provision of
openings and flow routes for the supply of fresh air.
In tall spaces (multi-room height) the temperature of the air may be hotter in the upper zone. This is referred to as
stratification. For a given average temperature, this means that there is a cooler zone at the bottom, which is good
news if this is the only occupied space. However it means that rooms facing the upper zone may experience unwanted
heat gains, as well as reduced stack effect due to their smaller stack height.

http://www.architecture.com/RIBA/Aboutus/SustainabilityHub/Designstrategies/Air/1-2-1-2-Naturalventilationstackventilation.aspx

Wind Towers/Wind Catchers

Wind towers or wind catchers are small towers installed on top of buildings. Wind towers
have different shapes and structures. For centuries wind towers have been used for
ventilation and cooling of buildings in the hot and arid or humid areas. By leading the
outside air into the building, wind towers serve as a natural ventilation system for
workplaces and houses.
There are two new designs of wind towers
introduced by Bahadori: the wind towers
with wetted columns, and the wind
towers with wetted surfaces. Wind towers
with wetted columns consist of unglazed
ceramic conduits stacked lengthwise on top of one another or thick dampers.
Water is uniformly sprayed on the surface of the column, dampening the entire
column. The excessive water leaving the column is collected in a sump located at
the bottom of the wind tower and can be reused using a pump. This way, the
proposed design can utilize the evaporative cooling potential to deliver much
cooler air to the building.
There are two new designs of wind towers introduced by Bahadori: the wind
towers with wetted columns, and the wind towers with wetted surfaces.
Cross-section of a wind tower with wetted columns

Cross-section of a wind tower with wetted surfaces,

with a solar chimney

Wind towers with wetted columns consist of unglazed ceramic conduits stacked
lengthwise on top of one another or thick dampers. Water is uniformly sprayed on
the surface of the column, dampening the entire column. The excessive water
leaving the column is collected in a sump located at the bottom of the wind tower
and can be reused using a pump. This way, the proposed design can utilize the
evaporative cooling potential to deliver much cooler air to the building.
In the areas where wind speed is low, wind towers with wetted surfaces can be
used. The surface of the wind tower consists of a series of straws or cellulose called
pads commonly used in evaporative coolers. These pads are placed at the
apertures on top of the wind tower and are kept wet by spraying water on them.
The air passing through these pads is evaporatively cooled and therefore its density
is increased. Since the cooler air is heavier than the ambient air, there will be a
downward circulation of the air. The wind tower is combined with an air heater or
solar chimney. In this design, the airflow conducted outside through doors and
windows of the rooms and solar chimney. In winter, when wind towers are not
operating, the solar chimney can naturally warm the room.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032114008351