AIR MOVEMENT

Room Air Movement

Air movement in rooms (often called room air diffusion) can have a significant impact on
occupant comfort. The source of air movement is typically due to one of three mechanisms:
natural airflow through windows and doors, local mechanical air movement from in-room fans,
and an HVAC system. In this section, we introduce the behavior of room air movement due to the
HVAC system.

Diffuser Characteristics

The air from an HVAC system is typically introduced into a room through diffusers at a few
specific locations. Diffusers are classified into five groups.
Group A. Outlets mounted in or near the ceiling that discharge air horizontally.
Group B. Outlets mounted in or near the floor that discharge air vertically in a
nonspreading jet.
Group C. Outlets mounted in or near the floor that discharge air vertically in a spreading
jet.
Group D. Outlets mounted in or near the floor that discharge air horizontally.
Group E. Outlets mounted in or near the ceiling that project primary air vertically.
Basic airflow patterns of the most common diffusers are shown in Figure 3-1 through Figure 3-5.
Each figure gives a schematic characterization of the airflow pattern from the diffuser for typical
heating and cooling applications in both plan and section views. The figures also include typical
vertical temperature profiles.
The characteristics of different types of diffusers suggest different typical applications. Table 12
5 describes some typical applications.
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Figure 1 Air Motion Characteristics of Group A Diffusers

Figure 2 Air Motion Characteristics of Group B Diffusers

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Figure 3 Air Motion Characteristics of Group C Diffusers

Figure 4 Air Motion Characteristics of Group D Diffusers

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Figure 5 Air Motion Characteristics of Group E Diffusers

Noise

Noise produced by air diffusers can be annoying to occupants. Noise characterization and control
in buildings is a complicated subject with significant dependence on sound frequency and room
characteristics. However, given the lack of distinguishing frequency characteristics of most
diffuser noise, relatively simple methods have been found to be acceptable for describing diffuser
noise. A widely used method of providing general information on the spectrum content of noise
for air diffusers is the noise criterion (NC). For a given diffuser, the NC is a function of the
airflow rate. In general, values of NC below 30 are considered quiet, while values of NC greater
than about 50 are noisy.
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Table 1: Typical Diffuser Applications

Type Typical Application Comments

High Sidewall (Group A) General purpose Potential for stratification in
Mild to hot climates heating, especially with
cold floors
Good cooling performance
Ceiling (Group A) Cooling applications Very popular in commercial
applications
Potential for stratification in
heating
Good cooling performance
Linear or T-bar (Group A) VAV cooling applications Very popular in commercial
applications
Good cooling performance
at reduced airflow
Poor heating performance
Group B Heating Satisfactory for both
Some cooling cooling and heating
Nonspreading jet increases
jet velocity to improve
cooling performance
Group C Heating Best heating performance
Spreading jet reduces
cooling performance
Group D Specialized Good for displacement
ventilation
Group E Specialized Good for cooling large
glass areas

Diffuser Selection

The selection of particular diffusers for a particular room is generally based on the ability of the
diffuser to deliver the required airflow with acceptable noise while ensuring uniform distribution
of the air in the space. Referring to the schematic diffuser characteristics shown in Figure 1
through Figure 5 the diffuser should be able to mix the air in the room to achieve uniform
temperature without causing uncomfortably high air velocities over the occupants. The shaded
airflow jets in the figures represent areas with high air velocity. In general, the air velocity
decreases farther from the diffuser as the flow area of the jet expands and air from the room is
entrained.
Manufacturers describe the air-throwing ability of their diffusers in terms of the diffuser throw.
The throw, xv, is defined as the distance from the diffuser at which the velocity drops to a certain
level. That is, x50 is the distance away from the diffuser at which the velocity drops to 50 fpm.
Similarly, x100 is the distance at which the velocity drops to 100 fpm. (Note that x100 < x50.)
The required throw for a diffuser depends on the placement of the diffusers in the room and the
dimensions of the room. A rough indication of the required through can be inferred from the
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characteristics shown in Figure 1 through Figure 5. For example, a high sidewall diffuser should
be expected to through the air to a distance somewhat greater than the distance across the room.
By comparison, a ceiling diffuser is typically does not have to throw air as far. We can define a
characteristics length as the defining linear dimension of the room. Diffusers are typically
selected to provide a throw to 50 fpm based on the characteristic length, L.

Table 2: Typical Design Criteria for HVAC Diffuser Noise

Occupancy Acceptable NC
Hotel rooms 30 35
Conference rooms 25 30
Private offices 30 35
Public circulation areas 40 45
Restaurants 40 45
Concerrt halls 15 20

Table 3: Approximate Diffuser Selection Criteria for Group A Diffusers

Type Characteristic Length Required Throw

High Sidewall Distance to wall 1.0 < x50/L < 2.0
perpendicular to jet
Ceiling Distance to closest wall or 0.7 < x50/L < 1.5
intersecting air jet
Ceiling slot or T-bar Distance to wall or 0.3 < x100/L < 1.2
midplane between diffusers

Alternative Air Circulation Strategies

The discussion so far has focused on HVAC system designs that seek to fully mix the air in the
occupied space, providing a uniform indoor environment at comfort conditions. Several
alternatives have emerged recently as alternatives to this fully mixed zone approach.

Displacement Ventilation

In displacement ventilation, conditioned air with a temperature slightly lower than the desired
room air temperature in the occupied zone is supplied from air outlets at low air velocities (100
fpm or less). The outlets are located at or near the floor level, and the supply air is introduced
directly to the occupied zone. Returns through which the warm room air is exhausted from the
room are located at or close to the ceiling. The supply air is spread over the floor and then rises as
it is heated by the heat sources in the occupied zone. Heat sources (e.g., person, computer) in the
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occupied zone create upward convective flows in the form of thermal plumes. These thermal
plumes tend to remove heat and contaminants within the plume of the occupied zone.
In contrast to mixing ventilation, displacement ventilation is designed to minimize mixing of air
within the occupied zone. The objective of the displacement ventilation is to create conditions
close to supply air conditions in the occupied zone. This type of ventilation was originally used in
industrial buildings as an effective method for removing contaminants in the occupied zone. It is
now also used for ventilating and cooling office buildings. However, local discomfort due to draft
and vertical temperature gradient may be critical. It has been suggest that the maximum
convective cooling load in office buildings with displacement ventilation not exceed about 8
Btu/h ft2 so that the maximum vertical temperature gradient in the occupied zone will not be
larger than 5F.

Figure 6 Schematic of Displacement Ventilation (ASHRAE 2001)

Underfloor Air Distribution

Underfloor air distribution systems are installed with a raised floor through which conditioned air
is delivered to the space through floor grilles or as part of the workstation furniture and partitions.
Sometimes called localized ventilation, these systems supply air to local areas that are often near
building occupants or other specific locations in the space. In comparison to conventional ceiling-
based air diffusion, underfloor air distribution systems generally have a larger number of supply
diffusers directly in the occupied zone of the building (e.g., in floors, desks, workstation
partitions, or theater seats). Air typically returns at or close to ceiling level, so that localized
systems benefit from the same overall upward movement of air in the room as displacement
ventilation systems. In cooling applications, this air movement efficiently removes heat and
contaminant sources from the room.
Underfloor air distribution differs from displacement ventilation in that (1) it generally uses
higher supply volumes, which enable higher cooling loads to be met; and (2) it supplies air at a
higher velocity through smaller diffusers. Because air is delivered directly to the occupied zone,
the supply air temperature is usually warmer (above 63 to 64F) than that maintained for
conventional ceiling distribution in order to avoid occupant discomfort due to drafts.
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Figure 7 Underfloor Air Distribution System