Benefits of a hygienic, efficient and smart solution for ventilation systems in the era of the “New Normal”

Abstract

Ventilation with external air is one of the most effective strategies to eliminate pathogens from indoor environments. The Air Handling Unit (AHU) is the heart of the ventilation system in commercial buildings and it is designed to achieve this goal. The guidelines for the reduction of the risk of spreading the Sars-CoV2-19 virus have introduced new operating criteria for ventilation systems, which counterbalance a better healthiness of the air in rooms with a higher energy consumption. Unfortunately, there is no standardized and shared approach to date for the designer to use as a starting point to balance these two different needs. Therefore, engineers should be aware of and pay a greater attention to the identification of practical and effective design solutions. This document proposes a technological solution for AHUs based on three key principles: Hygiene, Energy Saving and Digitization. We propose a complete and integrated architecture for the recovery of energy, humidification, system control and continuous monitoring of operating conditions, capable of ensuring health and safety, on the one hand, in compliance with the main guidelines, such as VDI 6022, and of increasing the overall efficiency of the equipment, on the other hand. The analysis compares this innovative solution with several conventional functional schemes or with systems otherwise linked to the new requirements emerged with the pandemic, and shows the resulting economic benefits, even for different climate conditions. The result shows how the selection of integrated systems for the control of ventilation, energy recovery and humidification is a winning solution that ensures healthy environments, while simultaneously reducing operating costs