The Use of Air Curtains and Protective Air Showers to Control Contaminant Transport in Laboratories

Duncan Phillips, Rowan Williams Davies & Irwin, Inc.

In general, laboratories are spaces within which large volumes of air are used to either balance fume hood exhaust requirements; provide heating and cooling capacity; or in some cases to provide a pretense of safety through the "more air is better" strategy of contaminant control.

There are circumstances in which the controlled use of airflow can enhance fume capture and/or prevent migration of contaminants within a space. This is used in operating rooms to provide a sterile field around the operating table as well as at doorways to limit the intrusion of outdoor air into a manufacturing space. The strategic placement of make-up air can also be used as part of a contaminant capture system for a specialized fume hood.

This presentation will briefly review the physics of air curtains and air showers and then demonstrate how these strategies have been successfully applied to contaminant control in laboratories and laboratory-like situations.

Biography:

Duncan Phillips joined Rowan Williams Davies & Irwin, Inc., Consulting Engineers (RWDI) in 2000. He is a project director/senior specialist for Ventilation and CFD. He is an associate of the firm. His role at RWDI as the senior member of the CFD and ventilation team is to technically oversee the execution of client-based projects. These projects include assisting in the design of buildings (e.g. laboratories, healthcare facilities, and stadia) to implement high-performance ventilation systems (e.g. natural ventilation and displacement ventilation) for applications ranging from contaminant control and thermal comfort to thermal load management and sustainable building design.

Phillips has a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. During his graduate work, he investigated the measurement and quantification of room air and contaminant mixing within occupied spaces. This work involved both the development of instrumentation for, and measurements of, contaminant transport. Phillips is a registered Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario.

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