Energy efficient overall solution for safe laboratory ventilation
A cupboards typically use as much energy as a detached house. Groundbreaking new measurements show that heat and electricity consumption in laboratories with cupboards can be reduced, respectively 30% and 50%. The project develops components, dimensioning tools and guidelines for energy-efficient laboratories with cupboards.
Fumecupboards typically uses as much energy as standard detached houses.
Typically it is installed as a single component with no relations to the rest of the system.
The cause of energy consumption, is lacking coordination with the rest of the system and a tradition of using high air velocities, which is not technically justified/ required, but merely an expression of users' uncertainty due to lack of documentation.
Pioneering overall measurements in TLS (2013) states, however, that the energy consumption can be reduced by 30% heating and 50% electricity without the essential safety aspects is affected, if an overall design is conducted.
The project will develop new innovative total solutions for both new and existing laboratories including;
- Low energy cupboard and add-on to existing cupboards
- Low velocity supply air diffusers
- Controls and monitoring
- Direct control of the main fan and interaction with heat recovery
- Dimensioning/ planning tool
It is expected that the additional cost can be covered by the sale of energy saving and easily implementable.
The project brings together the entire business area in order to equip the laboratory correctly and achieve high security and low energy consumption.
The project has aimed to overcome usual stereotype thinking in laboratories and show that high user safety can be achieved with low airflow and subsequently low energy consumption. The project results demonstrate that if overall assessments for laboratory ventilation is used instead of assessments for the individual components it is possible achieve the same level of security with lower energy consumption.
For future support to users of the project results a series of simple assessment tools have been developed that in most cases can provide an indication of the present security level and whether it is possible to reduce the air flow. The developed tools can also be used when designing new laboratories to ensure the lowest possible air flow and energy consumption.
The project has developed the following:
- Guideline for laboratory design including guidelines for fume cupboard positions, fume cupboard environment, walkways etc. and laboratory ventilation design
- Guideline for design of energy efficient fume cupboards with high personal safety
- Guideline for requirement specifications and tools for self-monitoring of fume cupboard safety level
- Tool for calculation of present and future energy consumption in a laboratory based on the present design and possible changes into an energy efficient laboratory.
Full-scale measurements where performed at a test facility at Technological Institute which states that energy consumption can be reduced significantly without essential safety aspects are affected if fume cupboards and the laboratory as a whole is optimized. It is expected that the additional costs for optimized laboratories can be covered by the energy savings. In addition, it is expected that the necessary initiatives at a holistic-oriented approach will be easy to implement.
It is expected that the solutions and tools developed in the project will be used in connection with the massive public investments in the hospital and university sectors is happening in these years in Denmark. Furthermore, the results will be of interest to laboratories in chemical industry, the pharmaceutical industry and other businesses which use fume cupboards to large extent.Key figures
Category
Participants
| Partner | Subsidy | Auto financing |
|---|---|---|
| Teknologisk Institut | ||
| JS VENTILATION A/S | ||
| AURA Rådgivning A/S | ||
| Zystm A/S | ||
| Københavns Universitet |
