UNIVERSITY OF MALTA

FACULTY FOR THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

M.SC. ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN
YEAR 1
MAY/JUNE 2015 EXAMINATION SESSION
Unit Code: EVD 5104

Unit Title: VENTILATION

Date: Friday 19th June 2015

Reading Time: 17:00 17:05

Examination Time: 17:05 19:35
________________________________________________________________________
PAPER CONTAINS FIVE QUESTIONS. ANSWER ANY FOUR QUESTIONS.
START THE ANSWER TO EACH QUESTION ON A FRESH PAGE.
A LIST OF EQUATIONS IS PROVIDED AT THE END OF THIS PAPER.
THE USE OF CALCULATORS IS PERMITTED.

QUESTION 1
Topic: General Aspects of Ventilation
a) Since historical times ventilation has always been given extreme importance in
ensuring the well-being of building occupants. In this regard explain how is ventilation
defined and what are its 2 main purposes.
(6 marks)
b) As a potential expert in the building sector you will often be required to justify the use
of natural ventilation as a low energy building strategy. In this context:
i. Distinguish between stack-induced and wind-induced as the 2 drivers of natural
ventilation?
(6 marks)
ii. List and explain 3 limitations of using natural ventilation as a design strategy in
building design.
(6 marks)
c) Using your coursework as an example, discuss what you consider being the most
important points in integrating natural ventilation as a design strategy.

QUESTION 2
Page 1 of 6

(7 marks)

Topic: Natural Ventilation - Stack

The figures shown below refer to the University of Washingtons (Seattle, USA) new
Molecular Engineering & Sciences Building built in 2009. Given the prevailing outdoor
conditions, the building was designed to be predominantly conditioned through natural
ventilation. Based on your knowledge on stack ventilation and with specific reference to
the stack pressure PS, and the air flow rate due to stack pressure QS equations (shown in
the List of Equations), provide an analysis of the building, indicating:
i. How the building manages to maximise stack ventilation through the design features
present; and

(15 marks)

ii. How you as a building designer would have designed the openings such that the
ventilation rate entering each floor is equal in all floors.

(10 marks)

Figure 1: University of Washingtons (Seattle, US) new Molecular Engineering & Sciences Building

Figure 2: Section through Floor

(Source: Affiliated Engineers Inc.)

Page 2 of 6

minOn (Hour ( h o)) =

( E App (z ) , Hour ( h o)E Stand By ) x 3600

( POn App (z )P StandBy ) x 60

QUESTION 3

Topic: Natural Ventilation - Wind

a) Distinguish between single and cross-sided ventilation.

(10 marks)

b) Describe 3 design features which may be used in the design of buildings to promote
wind-induced ventilation. Your answer should include the sketches and where
applicable specific reference to the wind pressure PW, and the air flow rate due to
wind pressure QW equations (shown in the List of Equations).

(15 marks)

QUESTION 4
Topic: Contaminants, Odours and Indoor Air Quality
a) Distinguish between an odour and a contaminant.

(5 marks)

b) Distinguish between a particulate and a gaseous contaminant.

(5 marks)

c) Indicate, explaining your rationale, which type of environmental control system

would be most adequate for an indoor smoking room.

(5 marks)

d) A client asks you to find a solution for bad odours present in a particular office space.
After an inspection you identify that the bad odour is due to a gaseous contaminant
entering the building from the mechanical air ventilation system. Your client also
tells you that increasing the ventilation rate to dilute the gaseous contaminant has
proved to be ineffective. What other type of environmental control system would you
adopt to counter this gaseous contaminant?

(10 marks)

QUESTION 5
Topic: Mechanical Ventilation
a) In the context of distinguishing between Total Supply Air Volume and Outdoor Fresh
Air Requirement explain how a re-circulating mechanical ventilation supply system
is considered to be an energy-efficient system.
(6 marks)
b) The pressure loss inside a duct is given by the Darcy-Weisbach equation for friction
loss and the dynamic loss equation due to the fittings present (shown in the List of
Equations). With specific reference to these equations explain how the following
physical parameters (f, v, L, Dh and Ci) have a bearing on these losses and how they
Page 3 of 6

dictate certain design decision for the required ductwork.

(10 marks)
c) Define the term Space Air Diffusion.
(1 mark)
d) Through the use of sketches distinguish between a mixing and a displacement
ventilation strategy in terms of:
i. The architectural requirements;
ii. The thermal comfort;
iii. The application; and
iv. The energy-efficiency of each ventilation strategy.

Page 4 of 6

(8 marks)

LIST OF EQUATIONS
Stack Ventilation (Question 3)

| (

PS = gH

Where

T ext T
T

| (

)|

QS =A eff C d 2 gH

T ext T
T

)|

Aeff, is the effective area (m2)

Cd, is the coefficient of discharge
g, is the acceleration due to gravity (m/s2)
H, is the vertical separation distance between two openings (m)
, is the air density (kg/m3)

Text and Tin are the external and internal temperature (K)

Wind-Induced Ventilation (Question 4)

1 2
PW = v ( C p )
2
Where

QW = A eff Cd v C p

Aeff, is the effective area (m2)

Cd, is the coefficient of discharge
v, is the wind velocity (m/s)
, is the air density (kg/m3)

Cp, is the change in the pressure coefficient between entry and exit

Mechanical Ventilation (Question 5)

Darcy-Weisbach Equation for Friction Losses
Pf =

Where

fL v 2
2 Dh

Equation for Dynamic Losses

1
2
Pdyn= C i v
2

f, is the friction factor based on duct surface and air velocity

L, is the length of the duct (m)
, is the air density (kg/m3)
v, is the air velocity inside the duct (m/s)

Page 5 of 6

Dh, is the hydraulic diameter (m)

Ci, is the local dynamic loss coefficient

Page 6 of 6