TA-23-C069 – CFD Analysis of Demand Control Ventilation (DCV) for Laboratory Facilities

The demand control ventilation systems can help reduce the high energy demands and the operating costs of HVAC systems for laboratories by selectively increasing the supply airflow rate only when required under critical events such as an accidental spill or leakage of chemicals. This study with the help of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations evaluates the impact of DCV on the environmental conditions in a laboratory under an accidental spill scenario. These analyses indicate that DCV can reduce the recovery time required to bring the lab environment to normal conditions after an accidental spill of chemicals. Thus, it is not necessary to operate the labs constantly under high air change rates. However, DCV may not reduce the short-term exposure right at the onset and may require a long time to show the impact in reducing the concentration levels at various locations in the lab. The impact of DCV in reducing the exposure can be realized during the decay phase only after the generation of chemical vapors (source) stops.