Exhausters and blowers are used in many industrial applications, from delivering compressed air to drying. However, indoor air quality management is one key area in which exhausters and blowers excel. Whether it’s a dusty furniture factory or a scientific laboratory, it’s crucial to maintain good air quality.

In most industrial settings, processes occur that can damage air quality. Whether it’s the use of chemicals, the production of gases or any type of manufacturing involving minute particles, there are many ways for air to become contaminated.

In this article, we’ll explore exhausters and blowers in more detail, particularly how they help to improve indoor air quality.

The risks of poor indoor air quality

The list of contaminants that could potentially harm your indoor quality is almost endless. Germs, bacteria, mould, dust, and so many more particles can contaminate the air, and you can’t always even see them. Many airborne particles are invisible to the naked eye, and not all of them come with a strong odour to give us warning in the way that chemicals or gases might.

Breathing polluted air into your lungs can lead to various respiratory conditions, depending on what has contaminated the air. Long-term exposure to any type of pollution can cause heart disease, cognitive issues, and types of cancer, along with respiratory concerns. It goes without saying that all businesses have a responsibility to ensure their staff, customers, and site visitors can breathe clean, healthy air.

What are the accepted air quality levels?

In Australia, there are no specific guidelines regarding indoor air quality. With that being said, there are very strict guidelines regarding managing fumes, gases and chemicals, which you will need to follow depending on your industry.

There are also guidelines regarding ventilation that fall under Australia’s building codes, but there is no specific indoor air quality level companies must achieve. Needless to say, no company wants its employees to get sick due to poor air quality, and depending on the type of work you do, there are numerous ventilation solutions, such as exhausters and blowers, to ensure your air quality is safe.

What are multi-stage centrifugal blowers?

The most common type of exhauster and blower used in indoor air quality management is a multi-stage centrifugal blower. Centrifugal blowers (also known as exhausters) collect air through an inlet and send it through an impeller, which spins at a rapid rate to change the air’s direction. The impeller features several blades that come in various styles depending on the application.

This spinning action is known as centrifugation, effectively turning the air into energy. The air may go through multiple centrifugation stages depending on how many stages your exhauster has. The more stages it passes through, the higher the air pressure will be when the air is finally released through an outlet.

Air pressure is important for certain applications, but you need a consistent flow rate rather than excessive pressure to maintain air quality.

Removing contaminants

There are numerous methods for filtering contaminants from air, and often, it’s ideal to use multiple stages of filtration. We’ll touch on HVAC systems later, but they employ more than one filtration method to ensure a high quality of air.

Exhausters and blowers play a key role in removing contaminants from the air, although it’s a little different to most people’s ideas of air filtration. Consider your air conditioner at home. Its filters collect dust and other contaminants as the air passes through them. This ensures those contaminants aren’t floating around in the air you breathe. Basically, it purifies the air.

Exhausters and blowers work on another principle. Rather than filtering and collecting contaminants so the air can be reused, exhausters aim to expel all the air from a room. As fresh, clean air is introduced into a room, contaminated air must be pushed out, and this is exactly what a centrifugal blower does.

An example of an exhauster in use:

The beauty of centrifugal blowers is that they are designed to handle large volumes of airflow. For example, consider the spraying room of a furniture factory. Workers spray and treat products with various chemicals, paints or finishes. These fumes fill the air, making it toxic and unhealthy to breathe.

An exhauster constantly draws the contaminated air through its impellers, pushing it through an outlet. As such, polluted air constantly leaves the area while clean air replaces it.

Exhausters and blowers in HVAC systems

Another place you’ll find exhausters working to control indoor air quality is in a building’s HVAC systems. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems require constant air flow through all of its ducts. It’s how the system keeps a consistent air temperature and quality through even the largest building.

However, if the air doesn’t move freely through the system at a controlled rate, it can’t be dispersed effectively. Most HVAC systems employ exhausters and blowers not directly for air filtration, but to push air where it needs to go. There are other air filtration solutions within the system to deal with contaminants, but the exhauster ensures all of these additional systems work seamlessly.

Need to improve your indoor air quality?

From scientific laboratories to metal manufacturing plants, air quality is important. Interfil is your expert when it comes to exhausters and blowers, offering solutions for all applications. Our experts work closely to determine your needs, using our extensive knowledge to design systems that improve efficiency and enhance productivity. If you’d like to discuss exhausters, blowers or any other industrial filtration systems, contact the team at Interfil today.

Read Also:
The Benefits of Fuel Purifiers in Ensuring Clean and Efficient Fuel Systems
What Are Oil Skimmers and How Do they Work