The Most Efficient Ductwork, while maintaining comfortable indoor air quality, has low operating noises and high energy efficiencies. Have you ever wondered what key attributes contribute to efficient air ducts; including the various materials they are made up of?
Duct
The Most Efficient Ductwork, while maintaining comfortable indoor air quality, has low operating noises and high energy efficiencies. Have you ever wondered what key attributes contribute to efficient air ducts; including the various materials they are made up of?
Duct systems, also called ductwork, are passages used in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) to deliver and extract gas/air. Planning the layout, selecting the material, sizing, optimising, detailing and finding the pressure losses through a duct system is called duct design; a good duct design can also be efficient and environmentally friendly (less noisy). The most common ducts, as described below, are sheet metal, PVC, pre-insulated and flexible ducts.
This short article, by Masterflex Technical Hoses Ltd, provides an overview of the common ductwork designs; i.e, the various shapes and materials they come in which define how efficient they can be.
Sheet Metal Air Ducts:
Air (HVAC) Ducts, constructed from either galvanised sheet steel metal or aluminium, are the most common types; each having a different purpose. These rigid air ducts, popular and durable, come in a variety of shapes; the common shapes are round, square, rectangular and oval. But, sheet metal air ducts, expand and contract; causing popping/banging noises, with changes in temperature. Consequently, sheet metal air ducts, by using other parts such as expansion joints, requires a carefully designed solution.
PVC Ducts, usually rectangular and flat, are common in heat recovery ventilation systems. Due to their low profiles, with the capability to adapt to narrow areas where space is restricted, they are commonly installed in bathrooms, kitchens and utility room extraction systems.
PVC Ducts, despite their compact dimensions, can offer high airflow performance; but with the expense of planning and relatively higher installation time/cost in contrast to flexible ducts:
Most Efficient Ductwork – Flexible Ducts For Ventilation, Heating, Airconditioning
It might be surprising, to you, that not all ducts are made from PVC or metal. Many ducts are constructed from fabrics, with a wire helix, resulting in a high flexibility. These flexible ducts have an inner liner that is supported by a wire coil (helix) and are covered by insulating materials; these hoses are popular in both old and new buildings.
Flexible ducts, such as the Masterflex HVAC Duct Range, are one of the Most Efficient Ductwork; they are very distinct as they can be installed in tight places, with the advantage of being lightweight and flexible, where most other ducting systems would deem impractical or even impossible to install. Moreover, flexible ducts can be connected on to other circular, square or oval connections and building structures. They also commonly constructed from various materials (some suitable for temperatures up to +300°C):
- Hypalon – great for industrial heating, Chemical Fumes, Solvent Fumes, Steam.
- Vinyl – PVC Film – suitable for air conditioning, asbestos removal applications.
- Vinyl B – PVC coated polyester fabric – great for extraction of gasses and fumes, welding fumes.
- NEO 1 Neoprene Glass Fabric – Lightweight, highly flexible and Kink-proof, it is great for industrial fumes, chemical fumes.
- NEO 2 Double-Layered Neoprene Glass Fabric.
- Double Layered Neoprene Glass Fabric – great for automotive air intakes, hot and cold hair where a smooth bore is required.
- PVC LF L Soft Black PVC – PVC coated spring steel wire helix. Very flexible and Lightweight Suction Hose that is great for automotive, industrial fumes and general dust.
- PVC LF M Soft Grey PVC – PVC coated steel wire helix. Great for general purpose engine fumes, industrial fumes and moderate abrasive dust.
- SIL 1 Silicone-coated glass fabric – lightweight and highly flexible, is great for hot and cold air, fumes where extreme temperatures are involved.
- SIL 2 Double-layered Silicone-coated glass fabric – lightweight and flexible, is great for hot and cold air, fumes and dust where extremes of temperature are involved and where a smooth bore is required for extra efficiency.
Flexible Ducts can be one of the most efficient types of ducting systems, with relatively lower installation costs, because:
- They can be installed, commonly, without considerable planning and installation constraints.
- They eliminate sharp restrictive bends; thus creating higher airflow efficiencies with lower airflow noise.
- They eliminate noises, created from expansion and contraction of metals, like the ones from steel ducts; due to temperature variations.
Contact Masterflex Technical Hoses Ltd UK – For a Free Consultation – For Your Flexible Most Efficient Ductwork!
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