Abstract
This article presents a review of the main aspects regarding the current rules of classification societies, standards, and practice regarding the design and construction of ventilation and air conditioning systems for different compartments in different types of ships. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper also presents the usual practice of the actual heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems used on large ships, which recirculate the air between living compartments, in comparison with the new requirements to avoid the risk of spreading diseases. According to the rules, the technical compartments are provided with independent ventilation systems that ensure high air flow rates; therefore, the spread of diseases through this system is not an issue. The living spaces are provided with common ventilation and air conditioning systems that recirculate the air in all compartments served. The current practice of air recirculation in various living rooms leads to the spread of diseases, which should therefore be analyzed and improved by adding high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters and UV disinfection or be replaced with individual systems that provide local heating or cooling without air recirculation between different rooms and fresh air supply with complete evacuation. For existing ships, different solutions should be analyzed such as reducing or cancelling recirculation and increasing filtration.
Highlights
Ship ventilation systems have different requirements depending on the destination of the compartments and the type of ship
There are compartments in which natural ventilation is sufficient while other compartments require forced ventilation using extraction and/or the introduction fans, and for other compartments, the ventilation is provided through an air conditioning system
From an energy point of view, the solution can be improved with heat recovery devices without leakage between tion pipe sizes, the big air handling unit (AHU) unit being replaced with a smaller one, and high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters not being necessary; the pressure of the fans should not be increased, the control of temperature inside the room is better, etc
Summary
Ship ventilation systems have different requirements depending on the destination of the compartments and the type of ship. It should be mentioned that, in the case of common ventilation and air conditioning systems, which mix the air from rooms with fresh air and recirculate it back to the rooms, the spread of diseases through the air conditioning system could be high. In general, most viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, are combined with water and other components as droplets, as well as aerosol particles that have a size of 0.25–0.5 μm In this case, the HEPA filters have a good efficiency of filtration. Recirculation should be avoided, but this increases the energy consumption a great deal In this case, and for other alternatives, heat recovery devices should be added to transfer the energy from the exhausted air to the freshly supplied air. Regarding the technical spaces of ships, the risk of viral transmission of COVID-19 or other viruses through the ventilation system is low because these rooms are provided with independent ventilation with a high air-change rate
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