Duct
Ducts are used in heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning (HVAC) to deliver and remove air.
The needed airflows include, for
example, supply air, return air, and exhaust
air.
Ducts commonly also deliver ventilation air as
part of the supply air.
As such, air ducts are one method of ensuring
acceptable indoor air quality as well as thermal
comfort.
A duct system is also called ductwork.
Planning (laying out), sizing, optimizing,
detailing, and finding the pressure losses
through a duct system is called duct
design.
Materials
Ducts can be made out of the following
:materials
Galvanized steel
Galvanized mild steel is the standard and most
common material used in fabricating ductwork. For
insulation purposes, metal ducts are typically lined
with faced fiber glass blankets (duct liner) or
wrapped externally with fiber glass blankets (duct
wrap). When called for, a double walled duct is
used. This will usually have an inner perferated
liner, then a 1-2" layer of fiberglass insulation
.contained inside an outer soild pipe
Rectangular ductwork commonly is fabricated to
suit by specialized metal shops. For ease of
handeling, it most often comes in 4' sections (or
joints). Round duct is made using a continuous
spiral forming machiene which can make round duct
in nearly any diameter when using the right forming
die and to any length to suite, but the most common
stock sizes range evenly from 4" to 24" with 6"-12"
being most commonly used. Stock pipe is usually
sold in 10' joints. There are also 5' joints of nonspiral type pipe available, which is commonly used
in residential applications. These are snapped
together with a pipe-lock seam and uses a crimped
and beaded small end (the outlet of the direction of
.airflow) for connections
Aluminium
Aluminium ductwork is lightweight and quick to
install. Also, custom or special shapes of ducts can
.be easily fabricated in the shop or on site
The ductwork construction starts with the tracing of
the duct outline onto the aluminium preinsulated
panel. The parts are then typically cut at 45, bent if
required to obtain the different fittings (i.e. elbows,
tapers) and finally assembled with glue. Aluminium
tape is applied to all seams where the external
surface of the aluminium foil has been cut. A variety
of flanges are available to suit various installation
requirements. All internal joints are sealed with
.sealant
Aluminum is also used to make round spiral duct,
.but it is much less common than galvinzed steel
Polyurethane and phenolic insulation
panels (pre-insulated air ducts)
Traditionally, air ductwork is made of sheet metal
which was installed first and then lagged with
insulation. Today, a sheet metal fabrication shop
would commonly fabricate the galvanized steel duct
and insulate with duct wrap prior to installation.
However, ductwork manufactured from rigid
insulation panels does not need any further
insulation and can be installed in a single step. Both
polyurethane and phenolic foam panels are
manufactured with factory applied aluminium
facings on both sides. The thickness of the
aluminium foil can vary from 25 micrometres for
indoor use to 200 micrometres for external use or
.for higher mechanical characteristics
There are various types of rigid polyurethane foam
panels available, including a water formulated panel
for which the foaming process is obtained through
the use of water and CO2 instead
of CFC, HCFC, HFC and HC gasses. Most
manufacturers of rigid polyurethane or phenolic
foam panels use pentane as foaming agent instead
.of the aforementioned gasses
A rigid phenolic insulation ductwork system is listed
as a class 1[clarification needed] air duct to UL 181 Standard
.for Safety
Fiberglass duct board (preinsulated
non-metallic ductwork)
Fiberglass duct board panels provide built-in
thermal insulation and the interior surface
absorbs sound, helping to provide quiet operation of
.the HVAC system
The duct board is formed by sliding a speciallydesigned knife along the board using a straightedge
as a guide. The knife automatically trims out a
groove with 45 sides which does not quite
penetrate the entire depth of the duct board, thus
providing a thin section acting as a hinge. The duct
board can then be folded along the groove to
produce 90 folds, making the rectangular duct
shape in the fabricator's desired size. The duct is
then closed with outward-clinching staples and
.special aluminum or similar metal-backed tape
Flexible ducting
Flexible ducts (also known as flex) are typically
made of flexible plastic over a metal wire coil to
shape a tube. They have a variety of configurations.
In the United States, the insulation is usually glass
wool, but other markets such as Australia, use
both polyester fibre and glass wool for thermal
insulation. A protective layer surrounds the
insulation, and is usually composed
of polyethylene or metalised PET. It is commonly
sold boxes containg 25' of duct compressed into a
5' length. It is available in diamters ranging from as
small as 4" to as big as 18", but the most commonly
."used are even sizes ranging from 6" to 12
Flexible duct is very convenient for attaching supply
air outlets to the rigid ductwork. It is commonly
attached with long zip ties or metal band claps.
However, the pressure loss is higher than for most
other types of ducts. As such, designers and
installers attempt to keep their installed lengths
(runs) short, e.g. less than 15 feet or so, and try to
minimize turns. Kinks in flexible ducting must be
avoided. Some flexible duct markets prefer to avoid
using flexible duct on the return air portions of
HVAC systems, however flexible duct can tolerate
moderate negative pressures. The UL181 test
requires a negative pressure of 200 Pa.
[3]
Fabric ducting
This is actually an air distribution device and is not
intended as a conduit for conditioned air. The term
fabric duct is therefore somehow misleading; fabric
air dispersion systemwould be the more definitive
name. However, as it often replaces hard ductwork,
it is easy to perceive it simply as a duct. Usually
made of polyester material, fabric ducts can provide
a more even distribution and blending of the
conditioned air in a given space than a conventional
duct system. They may also be manufactured with
.vents or orifices
Fabric ducts are available in various colours, with
options for silk screening or other forms of
decoration, or in porous (air-permeable) and nonporous fabric. The determination which fabric is
appropriate (i.e. air-permeable or not) can be made
by considering if the application would require an
insulated metal duct. If so, an air-permeable fabric
is recommended because it will not commonly
create condensation on its surface and can
therefore be used where air is supplied below
the dew point. Material that eliminates moisture may
be healthier for the occupants. It can also be treated
with an anti-microbial agent to inhibit bacterial
growth. Porous material also tends to require less
maintenance as it repels dust and other airborne
.contaminants
Fabric made of more than 50% recycled material is
also available, allowing it to be certified as green
product. The material can also be fire retardant,
which means that the fabric can still burn, but will
.extinguish when the heat source is removed
Fabric ducts are not rated for use in ceilings or
concealed attic spaces. However, products for use
in raised floor applications are available. Fabric
ducting usually weighs less than other conventional
ducting and will therefore put less stress on the
building's structure. The lower weight allows for
.easier installation
Waterproofing
The finish for external ductwork exposed to the
weather can be sheet steel coated with
aluminium or an aluminium/zinc alloy, a
multilayer laminate, a fibre reinforced polymer
or other waterproof coating.
Duct system components
Besides the ducts themselves, complete ducting
.systems contain many other components
Vibration isolators
A duct system often begins at an air handler.
The blowers in the air handler can create
substantial vibration, and the large area of the duct
system would transmit this noise and vibration to
the inhabitants of the building. To avoid this,
vibration isolators (flexible sections) are normally
inserted into the duct immediately before and after
the air handler. The rubberized canvas-like material
of these sections allows the air handler to vibrate
without transmitting much vibration to the attached
ducts. The same flexible section can reduce the
noise that can occur when the blower engages and
.positive air pressure is introduced to the ductwork
Take-offs
Downstream of the air handler, the supply air trunk
duct will commonly fork, providing air to many
individual air outlets such as diffusers, grilles, and
registers. When the system is designed with a main
duct branching into many subsidiary branch ducts,
fittings called take-offsallow a small portion of the
flow in the main duct to be diverted into each
branch duct. Take-offs may be fitted into round or
rectangular openings cut into the wall of the main
duct. The take-off commonly has many small metal
tabs that are then bent to attach the take-off to the
main duct. Round versions are calledspin-in fittings.
Other take-off designs use a snap-in attachment
method, sometimes coupled with an adhesive foam
gasket for improved sealing. The outlet of the takeoff then connects to the rectangular, oval, or round
.branch duct
Stack boots and heads
Ducts, especially in homes, must often allow air to
travel vertically within relatively thin walls. These
vertical ducts are called stacks and are formed with
either very wide and relatively thin rectangular
sections or oval sections. At the bottom of the stack,
a stack boot provides a transition from an ordinary
large round or rectangular duct to the thin wallmounted duct. At the top, a stack head can provide
a transition back to ordinary ducting while a register
head allows the transition to a wall-mounted air
.register
Volume control dampers
Ducting systems must often provide a method of
adjusting the volume of air flow to various parts of
the system. Volume control dampers (VCDs; not to
be confused with smoke/fire dampers) provide this
function. Besides the regulation provided at the
registers or diffusers that spread air into individual
rooms, dampers can be fitted within the ducts
themselves. These dampers may be manual or
automatic. Zone dampers provide automatic control
in simple systems while variable air volume (VAV)
.allows control in sophisticated systems
Smoke and fire dampers
Smoke and fire dampers are found in ductwork
where the duct passes through a firewall or
.firecurtain
Smoke dampers are driven by a motor, referred to
as an actuator. A probe connected to the motor is
installed in the run of the duct and detects smoke,
either in the air which has been extracted from or is
being supplied to a room, or elsewhere within the
run of the duct. Once smoke is detected, the
actuator will automatically close the smoke damper
.until it is manually re-opened
Fire dampers can be found in the same places as
smoke dampers, depending on the application of
the area after the firewall. Unlike smoke dampers,
they are not triggered by any electrical system
(which is an advantage in case of an electrical
failure where the smoke dampers would fail to
close). Vertically mounted fire dampers are gravity
operated, while horizontal fire dampers are spring
powered. A fire damper's most important feature is
a mechanical fusible link which is a piece of metal
that will melt or break at a specified temperature.
This allows the damper to close (either from gravity
or spring power), effectively sealing the duct,
containing the fire, and blocking the necessary air to
.burn
Turning vanes
Turning vanes are installed inside of ductwork at
changes of direction (e.g. at 90 turns) in order to
minimise turbulence and resistance to the air flow.
The vanes guide the air so it can follow the change
.of direction more easily
Plenums
Plenums are the central distribution and collection units for
an HVAC system. The return plenum carries the air from
several large returngrilles (vents) or bell mouths to a
central air handler. The supply plenum directs air from the
central unit to the rooms which the system is designed to
heat or cool. They must be carefully planned in ventilation
design
Terminal units
While single-zone constant air volume systems typically
do not have these, multi-zone systems often have terminal
units in the branch ducts. Usually there is one terminal unit
per thermal zone. Some types of terminal units
are VAV boxes (single or dual duct), fan-powered mixing
boxes (in parallel or series arrangement), and induction
terminal units. Terminal units may also include a heating or
.cooling coil
Air terminals
Air terminals are the supply air outlets and return or
exhaust air inlets. For supply, diffusers are most common,
but grilles, and for very small HVAC systems (such as in
residences) registers are also used widely. Return or
exhaust grilles are used primarily for appearance reasons,
but some also incorporate an air filter and are known as
filter returns.[4]
Duct cleaning
The position of the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is that "If no one in your household suffers
from allergies or unexplained symptoms or illnesses and
if, after a visual inspection of the inside of the ducts, you
see no indication that your air ducts are contaminated with
large deposits of dust or mold (no musty odor or visible
mold growth), having your air ducts cleaned is probably
unnecessary."[5] A thorough duct cleaning done by a
professional duct cleaner will
remove dust, cobwebs, debris, pet hair, rodent hair and
droppings, paper clips, calcium deposits, children's toys,
and whatever else might collect inside. Ideally, the interior
surface will be shiny and bright after cleaning. Insulated
fiber glass duct liner and duct board can be cleaned with
special non-metallic bristles. Fabric ducting can be
.washed or vacuumed using typical household appliances
Duct cleaning may be personally justifiable for that very
reason: occupants may not want to have their house air
circulated through a duct passage that is not as clean as
the rest of the house. However, duct cleaning will not
usually change the quality of the breathing air, nor will it
.significantly affect airflows or heating costs
References
1.
The Fundamentals volume of the ASHRAE
Handbook, ASHRAE, Inc., Atlanta, GA, USA, 2005
2.
HVAC Systems -- Duct Design, 3rd
Ed., SMACNA, 1990
3.
"Factory-Made Air Ducts and Air Connectors UL
181", UL Standards, retrieved September 2, 2009
4.
Designer's Guide to Ceiling-Based Room Air
Diffusion, Rock and Zhu, ASHRAE, Inc., Atlanta, GA,
USA, 2002
5.
"Should You Have the Air Ducts in Your Home
Cleaned?", U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
retrieved April 17, 2008
