Improved Air Quality Alternatives

within EW Tankhouse by Improving

Background Ventilation
Jorge Mella, Cristian Martnez, Pablo Stuado, Gabriel Arvalo
R&D Team, SAME Ltda.

SAME

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

SAME Holding
Problem Description
Objectives
Methodology
Results / Conclusions

 General Ventilation
Dust Control
Gas Control

 Acid Mist Control

Systems
Composite Materials

Problem Description

Acid Mist Extraction and Abatement System

Local exhausting system:
High Energy Hoods
Ducting system
SAME wet scrubber
Hoods washing system.
Background ventilation
Natural/assisted ventilation

Problem Description

Must exhaust fugitive emissions

Cathodes harvesting
Momentary loss of hoods efficiency.

Harvesting

Fugitive emissions

Problem Description

Problem Description

1. Is it possible to improve the number of air renewals per

hour?
2. Is natural background ventilation dependant on
environmental conditions?
If yes, how to make background ventilation more
environmentally independant?

Objectives

1. Decrease head losses on gravitational fans

2. Ensure more homogeneous ventilation within EW tankhouse
3. Assisted natural ventilation to obtain more stable ventilation
(less prone to environmental effects)
Air ejectors as an alternative for assisted natural
ventilation

SAME

Boundary conditions measurement campaign

CFD model based on actual conditions
Suggest background ventilation improvements based
on results
Quantify improvements (CFD model based on improved
scenario)

Results

Results

Temperature measurements (IR camera) at tankhouse walls and hoods surface

Results

Louvers inlet air velocity measurement

Results

EW tankhouse simplified geometrical model (left) and geometry meshing (right)

Results

Streamlines within EW tankhouse volume

Results

Louvers

Average speed (measurements)

[m/s]

Average speed (CFD)

[m/s]

West

1.65

1.52

North

1.31

1.59

East

1.42

1.43

Volume
[m]

Continuous
Grav. Fan flow
[m/s]

Segmented
Grav. Fan flow
[m/s]

Roof louvers flow

[m/s]

Renewals/h

Cathodes
Handling
Area

90000

68.94

97.3

6.6

Cells Area

105000

137.2

64.2

6.9

Whole EW
Tankhouse

195000

206.1

64.2

97.3

6.8

Area

Results

Background ventilation day/night dependancy

Gravitational fans head loss
Misuse of fresh air due to air flow
inhomogeneity

Conclusions

CFD model for day time conditions agrees with measured temperature/air velocity
measurements.

During daytime, in the order of 6.8 renewals per hour are generated within EW
tankhouse. However, renewals per hour are not homogenoeus, mainly because of
natural convection.

During nighttime, measured air velocities at louvers show that renewals per hour
drop to ~50% compared to daytime.

It is recommended using assisted natural ventilation in order to guarantee same

renewals per hour between daytime/nighttime.

It is proposed to improve air flow homogeneity within EW tankhouse, avoiding

fresh air misuse (short circuits).

Improvements Results

Aerodynamic shape leads to ~50%

improvement in exhaust air flow capability.

Improvements Results

Floor blockage
as simple as using
rubber sheets (old belts)

More homogeneous air flow

within EW tankhouse

Case

Average temperature
at 1.5 [m] from cells level
[C] (K)

Standard deviation
(spatial fluctuations)
[C]

Base

28.59 (301.59)

0.57

28.86 (301.86)

0.83

28.09 (301.09)

0.27

Improvements Results

Air ejectors working principle

Improvements Results

Air ejectors applied to gravitational fans (5:1 air flow ratio)

Improvements Results

Air ejectors applied to improved gravitational fans (8:1 air flow ratio)

Improvements Results

Km

Pm

1
Ve2
2

Preliminary manifold design (singular head losses coeff. K=1.8)

Improvements Results

Optimized ejectors manifold (K=1.04)

Improvements Results

Q s
C1 As / Ap C2

Qp

Air ejectors induced air flow ratio v/s

exhaust-to-ejectors area ratio.

Improvements Results

~15%

Centrifugal fan P-Q curve (left). Optimized air ejectors flow ratio, based on
centrifugal fan performance (right)

Improvements Results

Renewals per hour gain v/s natural renewals per hour

SAME
I.

Summary of different improvements tested in this study:

Gravitational fans with aerodynamic deflectors.
More homogeneous air flow by imposing local floor blocked-off regions.
Air ejectors for driving assisted natural ventilation.

II.

Gravitational fans exhaust air flow enhanced ~50% by using aerodynamic deflectors.

III. Notoriously more homogenoeus air flow by using partial floor blockage at
walkways.
IV. It has been probed that air ejectors can be successfully used for driving assisted
natural ventilation within EW tankhouses.

Less dependancy between daytime/nighttime.

More homogeneous exhaust air flow (compared to stacks/axial fans).
~25% less energy consumption compared to using axial fans.
Easy setup and maintenance (all mechanical equipment at floor level).
Can be started only at hours with poor natural ventilation.

Thank You
Questions?
(For further information, visit us during poster
session at the end of this presentation)
Ph.D. Gabriel Arvalo R&D Team Leader
gabriel.arevalo@same.cl