What is Ducting?
Ducts are passages or conduits that are used in ventilation, heating and air conditioning to remove and deliver air. The airflows return air, supply air and exhaust air.
Ducts can also deliver ventilation air as part of the air supply. Air ducts are one key method of ensuring that acceptable indoor air quality as well as thermal comfort.
Ductwork is also a term applied to a duct system. Also, Duct Design is the process of planning, sizing, optimising, detailing and finding the pressure losses through a dust system called the duct design.
Ducting can be made from various materials including galvanised steel, aluminium, Polyurethane, Fibreglass and Fabric ducting.
Waterproofing is 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 or other waterproof coating.
Volume control dampers
Ducting systems must provide a method of adjusting the volume of air flow to various parts of the system. Volume control dampers (VCDs) provide this function. They provide the regulation that spread air into the individual rooms. Dampers can be fitted with ducts themselves. Dampers can be automatic or manual. In Simple systems, Zone dampers provide automatic control while variable air volume (VAV) allows control in more sophisticated systems.
Smoke & fire dampers
Smoke and fire dampers are found in ductwork where the duct passes through a firewall or fire curtain. Driven by a motor, smoke dampers referred to as an actuator. A probe connected to the motor is installed in the run of the duct and detects smoke, either as the air (which has been extracted from or is being supplied to a room, or elsewhere within the run of the duct). Once the smoke is detected, the actuator will automatically close the smoke damper until it is manually re-opened.
Fire dampers can also be found in the same places as the smoke dampers. Unlike the smoke dampers, they are not triggered by an electrical system (which is a distinct advantage just in case the electrical failure where the smoke dampers would fail to close). Vertically mounted fire dampers are operated by gravity. While the horizontal ones are spring operated. A fire damper's most important feature is a mechanical fusible like which is a piece of metal that will melt or break at a specific temperature. This allows the damper to then close effectively sealing the duct, containing the fire and then in turn blocking the necessary air to burn.
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