Vertical airflow

A series of trays were fabricated to hold each sample in accordance with ASTM C 666, namely to surround the samples with between 0.8 mm (1/32 in.) to 3.2 mm (1/8 in.) of water. Additional design goals for the trays were to minimize the volume of water and maximize convective heat transfer with the air inside chamber. Each tray can hold eight samples and every other slot were machined all the way through to allow airflow vertically through the trays. 

FIGURE 7.7 Schematics of air supply (o) with inclined jets toward the occupied zone (b) with horizontal jets and occupied zone ventilated by reverse flow (c) with vertical jets. Shaded areas show the effect of buoyant forces on airflow pattern when supply air is excessively heated over the room air" ... 

To create unidirectional low-turbulence flow, air is supplied with a low velocity supply diffusers and exhaust openings have large surfaces (e.g., filter mats). Airflow can be either vertical (air supplied from the ceiling and exhausted through the floor or vice versa (Fig. 7.1 la)), or horizontal (air supplied through... 

In reality, heat sources are seldom a point, a line, or a plane vertical surface. The most common approach to account for the real source dimensions is ro use a virtual source from which the airflow rates are calcu-lared " " see Fig. 7.64. The virtual origin is located along the plume axis at a distance on the other side of the real source surface. The adjustment of the point source model to the realistic sources using the virtual stmrce method gives a reasonable estimate of the airflow rate in thermal plumes. The weakness of this method is in estimating the location ol the virtual point source. 

A similar temperature and contaminant distribution throughout the room is reached with stratification as with a piston. The driving forces of the two strategies are, however, completely different and the distribution of parameters is in practice different. Typical schemes for the vertical distribution of temperature and contaminants are presented in Fig. 8.11. While in the piston strateg) the uniform flow pattern is created by the supply air, in stratification it is caused only by the density differences inside the room, i.e., the room airflows are controlled by the buoyancy forces. As a result, the contaminant removal and temperature effectiveness are more modest than with the piston air conditioning strategy. 

It the main reason for the stratification strategy is contaminant control in [he occupied zone, the same strategy should be applied in winter conditions, too. Thus, the selected hearing method has to fulfill two requirements to siip-pttrt the creation of the vertical stratification and not to create disturbing airflows into the hall. In this case one option would be the floor heating method see Fig. 8.16c. Additionally, one should consider the prevention of boundary layer flows along the outer walls using, for example, passive methods. -... 

Low-momentum air supply systems designed for local ventilation purposes mainly use vertically downward airflow. Some systems with an inlet of low-momentum horizontal airflow for a whole workroom are on the borderline between general and local ventilation and are therefore briefly described here. A more complete description will be found in chapters 7 and 8 dealing with general ventilation. 

The purpose of open unidirectional airflow benches is to protect products from particulate contaminants by creating a controlled environment. These benches are used, for example, in electronic, biological, pharmaceutical, and food industries. It should be mentioned that within pharmaceutical production, aseptic sterile processes must be carried out in a Class 100 environment (U.S. Federal Standard 209 E, Airborne Particulate Cleanliness Classes in Cleanrooms and Clean Zones). To avoid particle contamination in the bench, horizontal or vertical airflow with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA)-filtered air is used. The air velocity is normally 0.4-0.5 ra s". Some examples of typical arrangements of open unidirectional airflow benches are shown in Fig. 10.51. 

In vertical unidirectional airflow benches, the area along the vertical wall in front of the operator is usually entirely or partially open. When the other side walls reach down to the working surface in the bench a stagnation flow with stationary vortices is usually created as shown in Fig. 10.53. 

FIGURE 10.54 An example of observed stagnation region in a bench with vertical unidirectional airflow. 

The running of a cool airflow under a warm wind is another cause of temperature inversion. As a rule, the presence of an inversion implies a highly stable atmosphere one in which vertical air movements is rapidly damped out. In such a situation, fog and airborne pollutants collect, being unable to move freely or be dissipated by convection. 

Filtered air may be used to purge a complete room, or it m be confined to a specific area and incorporate the principle of laminar flow, which permits operations to be carried out in a gentle current of sterile air. The direction of the airflow may be horizontal or vertical, depending upon the type of equipment being nsed, the type of operation and the material being handled. It is important that there is no obstruction between the air supply and the exposed product, since this may resnlt in the deflection of microorganisms or particulate matter fiom a non-sterile surface and canse contamination. Airflow gauges are essential to monitor that the correct flow rate is obtained in laminar flow units and in complete suites to ensure that a positive pressure fiom clean to less clean areas is always maintained. 

The greatest risk of contamination of a pharmaceutical product comes from its immediate environment. Additional protection from particulate and microbial contamination is therefore essential in both the filling area of the clean room and in the aseptic unit. This can be provided by a protective work station supplied with a unidirectional flow of filtered sterile air. Such a facility is known as a laminar airflow unit in which the displacement of air is either horizontal (i.e. from back to front) or vertical (i.e. from top to bottom) with a minimum homogenous airflow rate of 0.45 ms" at the working position. Thus, airborne contamination is not added to the work space and any generated by manipulations within that area is swept away by the laminar air currents. 

Figure 14.1 presents the main components of a typical in situ SVE system.910 Vertical extraction wells are installed inside the contaminated zone at appropriate distances from one another. The SVE wells are typically constructed of PVC pipe, with a screened interval, which is placed within the contaminated zone. The wells are connected to blowers or vacuum pumps, which induce a continuous airflow through the pores of the unsaturated zone. The soil surface is sometimes covered with an impermeable seal, made from high density polyethylene (HDPE) or bentonite clay for example, to prevent the vertical influx of air from the surface, which might cause short-circuiting problems, and promote horizontal gas flow through the contaminated area. The airstream, which contains the contaminant vapors, passes initially through an air-water separation unit to remove the entrained moisture and is then directed to the gas treatment unit, where the contaminants are thermally destroyed or removed by adsorption. 

The sampling probe shall be positioned pointing into the airflow. If the direction of the airflow being sampled is not controlled or predictable (e.g., nonunidirectional airflow), the inlet of the sampling probe shall be directed vertically upward. At a minimum, sample the above-determined volume of air at each sampling location. 

Modeling results of subsurface pressure gradients were used to simulate subsurface soil gas velocity throughout the unsaturated zone profile. Figure 15 shows vertical profiles of unsaturated-zone air velocities for 12-hr time periods for August and October 1996. Results show that subsurface airflow is almost never zero, as is assumed in a diffusion-only transport model. Air-phase solute transport models based solely on diffusion would therefore not be able to accurately predict contaminant flux from the subsurface. 

Nut and Fiber Separation. When the oil is extracted from the digested fruit, a cake of nuts and fiber is produced. This is fed, via a breaking conveyor, to a vertical column having an upward airflow at a velocity of 6 m per second. At this velocity all the fiber is moved upward or held in suspension, and the nuts drop to the bottom of the column. The fiber is led to a cyclone for use as a boiler fuel while the nuts pass to a rotating polishing dmm installed at the bottom of the column. This drum can also be used to remove any large pieces of stalks, stones, or metal that have gotten into the system. 

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