Air Curtains in Industrial Ventilation Systems

How Do Air Curtains Help with Industrial Ventilation Systems

There are many advantages of using air curtains as part of your industrial ventilation systems. The high velocity air discharged by an air curtain acts as a barrier between indoor and outdoor environments. Here are a few key ways air curtains can help keep your facility clean, safe, and comfortable:

Air Curtains Help Keep Contaminants Out

Air curtains, also known as air doors, are a great way to keep contaminants from entering your building even when you have doorless entryways or frequently opened doorways. The wall of air allows people and equipment through the doorway but stops pollutants and contaminants in their tracks. For example, air curtains provide a barrier to stop things like:

• Dust
• Dirt
• Fumes
• Small debris

This has many benefits for your facility. For instance, it can improve indoor air quality by reducing contaminants that make it into the building. This means your industrial exhaust systems have fewer sources of contamination to deal with. It also helps prevent product contamination from excess dust, debris, and pollutants.

Air Curtains Prevent Pests from Entering Your Building

In addition, air curtains can also help stop common pests from making it into your building. Some of the biggest concerns when it comes to pests are small insects like flies, mosquitos, and wasps. However, small flying insects are no match for air curtains in your industrial ventilation systems. They basically hit a wall of air that they can’t penetrate to enter your building. Therefore, installing air curtains can prevent pest intrusion for your facility, which is important not only for the comfort of your employees, but may also be necessary for keeping your products clean and sanitary.

Air Curtains Help Keep Treated Air from Industrial Ventilation Systems Inside the Facility

Perhaps one of the most common reasons to use air curtains for industrial ventilation systems is to keep cooled or heated air inside the building for proper temperature control and worker comfort. If your facility uses equipment like evaporative coolers, heaters, and dehumidifiers, then it’s important to keep that treated air inside your facility to improve comfort and reduce energy. Every time you open a door, there’s the opportunity for treated air to escape and let in untreated air that brings with it heat, cold, or moisture. Air curtains basically insulate the doorway to prevent this to improve comfort and save on energy consumption for your facility.

Applications for Air Curtains in Industrial Ventilation Systems

Many different types of facilities use air curtains as part of their industrial ventilation systems. It’s common to use air curtains in buildings like:

• Warehouses
• Distribution centers
• Power plants
• Manufacturing facilities
• Food processing facilities
• Pharmaceutical plants
• Laboratories
• Data centers
• Electronics manufacturing
• Cold storage facilities

The Berner air curtains we use in our industrial ventilation systems are suited for a wide range of applications and work on openings up to 30 feet high. They work well for creating invisible barriers for entrances, internal doorways, and even large bay doors.

Considerations for Choosing Air Curtains for Your Industrial Ventilation Systems

When selecting air curtains for your building’s industrial ventilation systems, there are many things our specialists consider. Our team uses years of knowledge and experience to choose and install air curtains that help add value to your systems. Here are some things we consider for industrial air curtains:

Air Curtain Size

One important thing for any air curtain is choosing the correct size. The size of the air curtain should extend the entire length of the door, otherwise it will not offer full protection for the opening. Also, air curtain size affects things like weight for mounting and the size of the fan included in the air curtain. Therefore, there are several components of air curtain size that we must tailor to your building and ventilation system.

Air Curtain Velocity

Additionally, air curtain velocity is another key part of ensuring the equipment works properly. If the velocity is too low, it may not reach all the way to the ground, leaving an opening for hot or cold air, insects, and contaminants to make their way inside the building. If it’s too high, then the extra force can let outside air in as well. Therefore, our specialists carefully calculate the velocity needed and optimize the air curtain for your building’s needs.

Heated or Unheated Air Curtains

Air curtains also typically come in heated or unheated options. Heated air curtains use warmed air to create the barrier across the doorway. Typically, facilities use heated air curtains where they primarily want to keep heated air in and cold air out. They are also sometimes more comfortable to walk through for workers and clients. Unheated options create an effective barrier between indoor and outdoor air, but simply use the air from inside your building, so it will be about the same ambient temperature as inside your facility but may feel cooler because it rushes downward at high velocities.

Recirculating or Non-Recirculating

Air curtains also come in recirculating or non-recirculating options. Recirculating air curtains are usually built into the entrance during construction and feature a grille at the bottom to draw in and recirculate the same air through the air curtain system, which can make it more efficient than non-recirculating options. Generally, they are also a little more expensive up-front. Non-recirculating air curtains are the more popular option, as they need less labor for installation and tend to cost less up front. They aren’t as efficient as recirculating air curtains, as they don’t reuse the same air, but still create an effective insulating layer between indoors and outdoors.

Solving Industrial Ventilation Challenges at Eldridge

Our team at Eldridge is here to help you improve ventilation inside your building through superior ventilation system design, installation, and maintenance. We offer ventilation products from trusted manufacturers to ensure reliability and durability in any environment.Our specialists have the knowledge and experience to solve even the most challenging ventilation and ventilation system noise control issues in your industrial building. Get in touch now to request a quote for your facility’s industrial ventilation needs.