Novenco Car Park Systems

Technical Description

October 2006

Preface

Cars have become a natural part of everyday life.

Despite widespread public transport systems,
most people nowadays own a car. Parking facilities are therefore in great demand, particularly in
cities and large towns. Conventional, open-air car
parks take up far too much space, while people to
an increasing degree prefer parks and open spaces in their cities and towns.
In other situations, climate conditions or a desire
to prevent parked cars from being vandalised necessitate closed parking facilities. To meet these
requirements, more and more multi-storey car
parks are being built, both below and above
ground level.
However, car exhaust contains several hazardous
gases, carbon monoxide (CO) and benzene
among others, and these must be extracted from
car parks for health reasons.
For many years, Novenco has supplied fans for
road tunnels, and their design and further development have often taken place in close cooperation with the authorities. Since 1993/94, we have
put this experience to use in multi-storey car
parks.

Road tunnel ventilation is often based on jet technology, and the fans used are of jet type. Novenco
has adapted the design of their jet fans to suit car
parking facilities where, among other things, low
sound emission and minimum height are important, the latter in consideration of the relatively
low clearance.
Over the years, Novenco has established a unique
expertise in car park ventilation. Based on our experience in the densely populated Netherlands
and the large cities of Germany where space is at
a premium, Novenco has developed car park ventilation systems for CO extraction and smoke control in case of fire. The main purpose of this booklet is to describe the principles of CO ventilation in
car parks and to provide a brief description of
smoke extraction and control.
The systems are characterised by low installation
and energy costs. They require no ducts in the car
park and are thus extremely flexible.
Our references include CO and smoke control systems installed in the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Portugal, Sweden, Norway, the UK and Belgium.

MU 13734 1006
1

Air transport
Ventilation is the transport of air. To transport air
a mass must be moved. At 20C, the density of air
is approx. 1.2 kg /m3. Ventilating 10 m3 air therefore involves moving a mass of 12 kg.

The third method is known as jet ventilation and

utilises the fact that a moving body changes velocity when it is subjected to a "pushing force". In
physics, this phenomenon is known as thrust.

Air can be moved in three ways. The best known

method is to transport it through ducting by
means of a fan that either sucks or pushes the air
through the duct.

On the basis of continuous testing, the use of jet

ventilation has been optimised and integrated
into car park safety systems.

It is also well known that air moves vertically in response to thermal differentials.

This booklet provides information on the possibilities provided by jet ventilation.

Car park types

Basically, there are two types of car park, open or
closed.
Open car parks include uncovered car parks and
those that are sufficiently open to ensure the necessary ventilation. Several requirements must be
met before a car park is classified as being open.
Each country has its own regulations, which may be
more or less stringent. Generally, requirements are
more specific in countries with a longer tradition of
building car parking facilities and thus more experience in their design.

In Denmark, for example, the following applies to

car parking facilities of more than 2000 m2 (article
6(17)(1)(4) of BR 95, the Danish building regulations): "A sprinkler system is not required if ventilation openings with a free area corresponding to
at least 5% of the floor area are provided. The
openings must be evenly distributed and must be
incapable of being closed. There must never be
more than 12 m horizontal distance to the nearest
opening."
In the Netherlands, all the following requirements must be met:
1.
2.

Natural cross-ventilation
>5m

3.

< 54 m

3 A total

A Wall opening
> 2,5% A floor
1,3 m

Open car park facility

4.
Fig. 1

Natural ventilation must be ensured.

At least two opposite walls must be provided
with permanent openings that cannot be
closed or blocked.
The openings in these outside walls must cover at least a third of the total wall area of the
parking level in question. When calculating
the wall area, both outside walls and partitioning walls must be included. Alternatively,
the area of the ventilation openings must be
at least 2.5% of the parking level floor area.
The distance between opposite walls must
not exceed 54 metres.

5.

6.
7.

There must be an open distance of at least 5

m from an outside wall with ventilation
opening to the nearest building.
Partitioning walls must not impede natural
ventilation.
The lowest parking level must be no deeper
than 1.3 m below ground level.

If just one of these requirements is not met, the

parking facility is classified as being a closed car
park and forced ventilation must be used in the
section concerned.

Closed car parks are characterised by:

1.
2.
3.

4.
5.
6.
7.

Outside walls that are more than 54 m apart.

Only a single outside wall with ventilation
openings, or openings that can be blocked.
Ventilation openings, if any, that do not
meet the requirements on open car parks
(see definition on page 3).
Underground car parks with no ventilation
openings.
A distance of less than 5 m to neighbouring
buildings.
A depth of more than 1.3 m below ground
level.
Partitioning walls that impede natural ventilation.

If just one of these conditions applies, forced ventilation must be used.

Conventional ventilation methods

in car parks
Presently, four different ventilation methods are
used in car parking facilities, depending on
whether the car park is open or closed.

Simple conventional ventilation is used in closed

car parks. Such systems also consist of fresh-air
fans and exhaust fans, but no ducts are used.

Natural ventilation by means of wind and thermal

conditions is used in open car parks.
Fan-assisted natural ventilation is similar to the
above, but supplemented with a fresh-air fan or
exhaust fan. Such systems may also include ducts
(fig. 2) or jet fans.
Conventional ventilation is used in closed car
parks. It consists of both fresh-air fans and exhaust fans in combination with ducts for transporting air (fig. 4).

Semi-natural ventilation
Fig. 2

Top view
Semi-mechanical ventilation
Fig. 3

Side view
Mechanical ventilation

Fig. 4

In practice, there are several problems with conventional ventilation systems.

For example:

There is no or insufficient room for inlet and/

or exhaust ducts.
There is no guarantee that the system will
provide sufficient ventilation.
So-called "dead" corners with little or no
ventilation may result.
There is no room for ducts.
Smoke control in case of fire is not considered during system design.
The possibility of regulating the level of ventilation in response to variable requirements
is not considered.
Fire protection installations such as fire doors
and fire walls prevent an unobstructed view
of the car park.

Novenco jet ventilation systems can be adapted to

cover needs for both CO ventilation and, in special circumstances, smoke control in case of fire.
Considerable energy savings are also possible if
large facilities are sectioned into independent
zones.

Air inlet

Air outlet
Conventional system with ducts

Principle of jet ventilation

In conventional ventilation systems, all air is
drawn through fans and ducting. This applies to
both the fresh air supplied and the spent air discharged. To prevent pressure drop, air velocity is
kept as low as possible. However, this means that
ducts must be relatively wide, thus requiring considerable space.
In jet ventilation, a different approach is taken.
Here, a small quantity of air is sucked into a fan
and then ejected at high velocity. When this air
hits the air in front of the fan, it thrusts it forwards while at the same time drawing the surrounding air along with it. In this way, all the surrounding air is set in motion and transported over
a distance of 20-40 metres without the use of
ducts. The entire car park functions as a duct. The
principle behind jet ventilation is the same as
used in rockets, where a small quantity of air
(combustion products) is forced from the burner
at high velocity, thus thrusting the rocket upwards.
As the fan is firmly secured, all energy is transferred from the ejected air to the surroundings in
the form of a velocity. The fan stays in place while
the air is driven forwards.
As a result of entrainment, the quantity of air in
motion will always be considerably greater than
the quantity of air passing through the fan.
The quantity of air in motion is the same in different cross-sections of the facility. Depending on
system dimensioning, an average velocity of, for
example, 1 m/s can be achieved.
The necessary size and number of jet fans depend
on the size and layout of the car park and on
whether the system is primarily to be used for CO
ventilation or also for smoke control.

Jet fans running; side view

Air velocity profile; top view

Fig. 5a

Jet fans running; top view

Air velocity profile; top view

Fig. 5b
Figures 5a and 5b illustrate jet ventilation in practice. Both figures are in longitudinal direction.
Thrust, the force generated by jet fans, is expressed in Newton [N] and is the product of the
mass flow rate and the change in velocity. It is the
unit of measurement for jet fans, in contrast to
conventional fans whose output is measured in
m3/s or Pa. Jet fans are typically installed beneath
the ceiling (figs 5a and 5b).
It is important that jet fans be positioned in the
midst of the air they are to set in motion.
In theory, assuming that the surrounding air has
zero initial velocity, the thrust generated by a jet
fan is equal to the volumetric flow rate times the
density of air times the outlet velocity.

No room for ducts

Fig. 6
For optimum efficiency, jet fans should be suspended completely freely.
In practice, they are installed as close to the ceiling as possible to provide maximum clearance beneath the fans. Air tends to adhere to even surfaces. This phenomenon, known as the Coanda
effect, is of great importance for overall efficiency. To compensate for this, Novenco jet fans are
equipped with directional grilles that bend the air
flow away from neighbouring surfaces.
Overall efficiency is also affected by inlet and outlet conditions. Compensation must be made for
obstacles in the vicinity of the fans.
As previously mentioned, nominal thrust equals
mass air flow times the outlet velocity.
The effective thrust is the product of the nominal
thrust and a "system efficiency factor", and is always less than the nominal thrust.
Figure 6 illustrates the way in which jet fans can
be installed to provide space-saving ventilation in
a car parking facility. Note that, in order to

achieve the greatest possible effective output,

there must be at least 0.5 m to the nearest girder
on the inlet side and 2.0 m on the outlet side.
Girders should be no more than 0.4 m in height.
Otherwise, girder height must be compensated
for, either by suspending the fans beneath the
ceiling or by increasing the distance to the nearest
girder.
This section provided a brief introduction to the
basic theory of jet ventilation. The following pages will describe its use in practice.

In car parking facilities, jet fans can be used to replace ducts for the extraction of both CO and explosive petrol fumes (CH4). The presence of CO in
a car park indicates that other hazardous fumes
(e.g. benzene) are also present. As a result of this,
the German authorities have reduced the limits
for CO in car parking facilities from 100 ppm to
50-60 ppm, depending on the federal state in
question. Ventilation is activated by sensors in the
car park for monitoring the level of CO and CH4.
The necessary number of sensors depends on the
layout of the car park and varies between one per
100 m2 to one per 500 m2. CH4 sensors are normally installed close to the ground (approx. 30 cm
above the ground) while CO sensors are installed
at head height (approx. 150 cm above the
ground). If sensors with 4-20 mA output are used,
these can be connected to a CTS control system,
thus allowing limits to be adjusted.

In open car parks (see page 4), where no ventilation is required, natural ventilation can be assisted by jet fans, thus preventing the occurrence of
"dead" areas. The same applies to parking facilities that only just fail to meet the requirements
on open car parks. Here too, requirements can often be met using jet fans alone. In such cases it is
often best to use 100% reversible Novenco fans.
These fans are capable of providing the same
thrust in either direction so that the direction of
flow can be changed to suit wind conditions.

Fig. 7
Figure 7 illustrates the possible design of a closed
system consisting of jet fans and an exhaust fan
installed in a shaft. The extraction unit typically
consists of a grille, an exhaust fan and, if necessary, a sound attenuator. When the set limit is exceeded, the exhaust fan is started first, followed
by the jet fans.

Jet ventilation for smoke control

With respect to fire control in underground car
parks, many conditions, both technical and legislative, must be considered.
In Denmark, standards are currently being prepared. These will be based on function requirements rather than systems, but details of these
are as yet unavailable.
Previously, requirements on fire protection were
based on walls, doors, gateways, horizontal divisions, and sprinkler systems.
All these delay or stop the spread of fire. However, when fires occur, most casualties are not
caused by the fire itself but rather by the smoke it
produces.
That is why smoke extraction systems are currently required to fulfil various functions. They must
be capable of:

Extracting smoke so that people present in

the car park can escape before being overcome by the smoke.
Controlling smoke so that firefighters can
enter the car park, localise the fire and get
close enough to it to be able to extinguish it.

Specific requirements are often set by the local

fire authority.
In the case of underground car parks, it is important to note that there will be no smoke-free layer due to the relatively low ceilings (approx. 2.5
m). The area surrounding the fire will become
filled with smoke, which will spread to surrounding areas (fig. 8C). Figure 8 illustrates this situation in a closed car park. Fresh air is drawn in, and
spent air discharged, by means of axial flow fans
while air is transported across the car park by
means of jet fans.

Jet fans running; top view, fig. 8a

Jet fans running; side view, fig. 8b

Jet fans not running; side view, fig. 8c

Fig. 8

In case of fire, the jet fans are turned off and the
fresh-air and exhaust fans are switched to maximum power, corresponding to the necessary
smoke extraction rate. This allows anyone in the
car park to escape. Once the building has been
evacuated or the fire brigade has arrived, the jet
fans are turned on, thus forcing air towards the
exhaust fan. This provides two benefits:

Firstly, smoke accumulates in a relatively limited area (figs 8a and 8b), allowing the site of
the fire to be located and the fire extinguished.
Secondly, the temperature in the immediate
vicinity of the fire is reduced, allowing firefighters to get closer.
As an additional benefit, damage to the
building is minimised as the large quantities
of air cool the smoke and building surfaces.

It is important to note that, in relation to CO ventilation, smoke control requires a many-fold increase in the quantity of air taken in and discharged. The system must therefore be dimensioned for smoke control if this is required.
The use of jet fans for smoke control purposes requires that all possible fire scenarios be analysed
in detail.

Where are escape routes located?

How long will it take to evacuate the car
park?
What is the expected output of a fire?
What if more than one car catches fire?
How much smoke is expected, what is the expected smoke temperature and how will it
affect visibility?
How long will it take for the fire brigade to
arrive?
What are the action plans in case of fire?
Where can smoke be extracted?
How is a car fire expected to develop?

From the above-mentioned points, it is clear that

the local fire brigade has an important role, and
planning should therefore be performed in close
cooperation with the fire authorities.
Several of the above-mentioned points have been
investigated by Novenco in the Netherlands in
large, full-scale tests of jet fan ventilation. The results of these tests are presented on page 18.

led by corresponding groups of CO or CH4

sensors. The quantity of air to be moved can
thus be regulated in response to requirements. As this is achieved at relatively low air
velocities, energy is saved. Energy costs can
typically be reduced to approx. 60% when
jet fans are used.
In conventional systems, relatively high air
velocities are used in order to reduce duct
size, and this results in large pressure drops.
When ventilation is required, the entire system is started, and energy unnecessarily
wasted. This cannot be avoided as all ducts
are interconnected.

As previously mentioned, Novenco has played a

leading role in the development of car park ventilation systems. The following provides a brief
summary of the benefits to be achieved from using jet ventilation in car parking facilities:
1.

Space saving
There is no need for space-consuming ducts
in the car park, thus allowing the ceiling to
be lower. This allows a better use of limited
space in underground car parks and improves layout.
Jet fans transport and distribute fresh air
within a "giant duct" the car park itself.

2.

Flexible installation
Various tests have shown that jet fans can be
flexibly positioned. Individual fans can be
positioned within a radius of 2 m without affecting system efficiency.

3.

Complete mixing of air

When jet ventilation is used, directional
"thrusts" of up to 45 m can be achieved.
Firstly, this allows complete air mixing and
efficient CO dilution. Secondly, it allows air
to be directed into "dead" corners where
there would otherwise be a high risk of CO
accumulation.
With conventional ventilation systems where
air is extracted through ducts, such pockets
of high CO concentration may easily arise as
suction cannot be directional.

4.

Improved ventilation of the entire car park

With a conventional duct-based extraction
system, a comprehensive network of ducts is
required if all areas of the car park are to receive sufficient ventilation. Such ducts may
cause problems for the design and layout of
underground car parks.
All such problems can be avoided with
Novenco jet fans.

5.

Energy savings
Jet fans can be arranged in groups, control-

10

6.

Cost savings
There is no need to install ducts when jet
fans are used in car parking facilities. In
closed car parks there need only be a freshair inlet and spent-air outlet. Pressure drop is
thus limited to that occurring in damper,
sound attenuator (if any) and shaft. This allows smaller motors and fans to be used,
thus reducing sound levels.
On the other hand, jet ventilation systems require more cabling and larger electrical cabinets. However, even including these costs,
jet ventilation systems are typically 30%
cheaper to purchase and install than conventional systems.

Fire tests at TNO

7.

Simple adjustment
Duct-based ventilation systems are often fitted with grilles that must be adjusted to
achieve the required ventilation.
This is not necessary with jet ventilation systems as the fans are equipped with a directional grille that bends the air flow away
from walls and ceilings. These grilles are factory-set and seldom require readjustment,
although adjustment can easily be performed on site if necessary.
If there is no need for full ventilation, the
quantity of air can be regulated by running
the jet fans at half speed or by only operating a group of fans at a time.

Smoke control
While there has been no doubt about the benefits
of jet ventilation for CO extraction, there was
some discussion in the Netherlands in the early
1990s about the suitability of jet ventilation systems for smoke control. Due to a lack of realistic
tests, the fire authorities were reluctant to approve jet ventilation systems as an alternative to
sprinkler systems, fire doors and fire walls. Their
reluctance was based on two objections:

Early tests were performed with cold smoke

and did not live up to expectations. Cold

smoke has a different density than the hot

smoke produced by a fire. Cold smoke therefore behaves differently from hot smoke,
and the results of tests using cold smoke cannot accurately describe a fire situation.
It had yet to be proved that jet ventilation
could replace sprinkler systems.

Novenco convinced the Dutch authorities of the

necessity for full-scale tests which, under realistic
conditions, could determine whether the system
should be approved. In June 1998, such tests were
performed in cooperation with TNO (Netherlands
Organisation for Applied Scientific Research). The
results of the tests are summarised on page 18.
The tests consisted of 18 different full-scale fires
in a closed car park. The purpose was to test
Novencos calculation model and to develop models for use in CFD simulation software.
Data and experiences from all the fires were collected in a report which has since provided a basis
for the use of jet ventilation for smoke control in
car parks.
Today, jet ventilation systems reign supreme in
the Netherlands and have completely ousted
sprinkler systems and conventional duct-based
ventilation systems.

11

Design criteria
Regarding the practical design of jet ventilation
systems, determining the following five factors is
of particular importance:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

CO production
Ventilation quantity
Direction of air movement
Noise levels within and outside the car park
Ventilation and extinguishing strategy in
case of fire

Re 1:
CO production
Several factors affect the amount of CO produced. More modern cars produce less pollution
than older models as a result of improved combustion and the use of catalytic converters. Cold
engines produce more CO than hot engines.
Speed also affects CO production. All these factors must be taken into account when designing
ventilation systems. They also explain why CO
production values differ from country to country.
Some countries have relatively many old cars
while in other countries, a greater proportion of
the cars are new.
There are no standardised regulations in the Nordic countries, but a model for calculating the required air quantity for CO ventilation is normally
used. The model calculates a necessary ventilation
flow on the basis of the number of parking spaces, the distance travelled to reach them and the
number of cars arriving and leaving per hour. The
input data on CO production does not differentiate between cold and hot starts. Nor does it take
into account the acceptable CO concentration
within the car park, the CO concentration of the
air outside the car park, or whether the car park
is part of a shopping centre or housing complex.
Since catalytic converters were introduced, the
production of CO by cars has fallen dramatically in
relation to other combustion products. In Germa-

12

ny, this has meant that CO is now considered as an

indicator for other hazardous gases, including
NOx and benzole. As a result, permissible CO limits have been reduced from 120 ppm to 50-60
ppm which, with certain modifications, apply in
the individual federal states. The specified limit is
an average value for a 30-minute period.
If the fresh-air intake is from a street with heavy
traffic, the CO concentration of the intake air
should be set to 5 ppm, while in suburban areas
with light traffic, the CO concentration can be assumed to be zero.
An engine produces more CO when it is cold than
when it is warm. VDI, the German Association of
Engineers, recommends the following engine
emission values:
Hot engine:
Cold engine, s<80 m:
Cold engine, 80 m<s<500 m

0.008s
7. 6
0.89s0.49

[g]
[g]
[g]

where s is the distance driven inside the car park.

Re 2:
Ventilation quantity
The following calculations are in accordance with
the German standard VDI 2053 Jan 2002.
Formula for determining the quantity of CO, qCO:
qCO=

Pe [m3/h]
CO

where
P

= the percentage of parking spaces vacated

or occupied per hour
e = emission value
CO = density of CO = CO 1.16 kg/m3 at 20C
Note that qCO is calculated for all cars in motion,
i.e. cars that start and leave, and cars that arrive
and are therefore hot. It is thus a calculation of
qCO.

Formula for calculating the necessary ventilation

quantity, Q:

q co f g
Q = ---------------------------------------------- [m 3 /h]
CO perm CO out
COperm = the permissible CO concentration in
ppm. There are no standards for COperm in Denmark, but VDI 2053 provides recommended limits.
COout = the CO concentration of the outside air in
ppm. There are no standards for COout in Denmark, but VDI 2053 provides recommended limits.
fg = a system factor, varying from 1.0 to 1.5
fg = 1.0 for jet systems
fg = 1.25-1.5 for duct-based systems
qCO

= (qCO n1 + qCO n2 + + qCO nn)

n1 = the number of parking spaces to be ventilated in the level/section under consideration

n2 nn = the number of parking spaces in
other sections accessed through n1
s1 = the average distance driven in n1
s2 = the average distance driven in n1 by cars entering/leaving n2
As previously mentioned, P is the percentage of
all parking spaces that are vacated/occupied per
hour. It is also known as the parking frequency.
P varies greatly, depending on the location of the
car park. With certain reservations, the following
P-values may be used:
Housing complexes
Shopping centres
Office blocks
Sports centres
Theatres

20-60%
70-150%
50-70%
100%
100%

With regard to housing complexes, the parking pattern must be determined. Is there a steady stream of
traffic throughout the day, or do all cars leave at the
same time in the morning and return together in
the evening? The parking pattern may thus result in

considerable fluctuation in the quantity of fresh air

required to ventilate the car park, and P must therefore often be evaluated from case to case.
Note that parking frequency is based on the total
number of entries and departures per hour.
If 25% of the parking spaces are vacated per hour
and 25% become occupied, the parking frequency is 50%. In this case, CO production must be calculated for both cold and hot engines.

An example of calculating ventilation requirements

Consider a two-storey car park (levels 1 and 2)
with the following characteristics:
Morning traffic
Type: Housing complex parking facility
fg = 1.25 (well designed duct-based parking facility, i.e. optimum design with respect to ducts)
P = 60% (per hour)
n1 = 174 spaces
n2 = 106 spaces
The total average distance driven (S) is calculated
as half the distance travelled (sn) plus a distance
for parking manoeuvres (sman) plus the length of
the entry/exit ramp (srmp).
Sn
s1
s2
sman
sentry
sexit

=
=
=
=
=
=

(sman + sn + srmp)
134 m
156 m
10 m
40 m
ramps
40 m

Note that the distance driven within the car park

can only be calculated correctly from drawings
containing the routes taken. On the basis of the
above data, the total average distance driven (S)
for the two levels can be calculated as follows:
S1 = (10+134/2+40) = 117 m
S2 = (10+156/2+40) = 128 m

13

As the traffic under consideration is morning traffic with cold engines (see pages 12 and 13):
qCO1 = Pe [m3/h]
CO
= 0.60.891170.49/(1.16103)=0.0048 m3/h/car
qCO2 = Pe [m3/h]
CO
= 0.60.891280.49/(1.16103)=0.0050 m3/h/car
In this example, COperm is assumed to be 50 ppm
and COout to be 0 ppm.
The necessary ventilation quantity (Q) can then be
calculated as:
Q = (qCO1n1+ qCO2 n2)fg
COperm-COout
Q = (0.0048174-0.005106)1.25
(50-0)10-6
Q = 34,130 m3/h
Had the parking pattern been different, for example more evenly distributed throughout the
day, the parking frequency, P, could have been
halved to 30%. This would also halve the necessary ventilation air quantity, i.e. to approx. 17,000
m3/h.
Evening traffic
The necessary ventilation quantity in the evening
when the cars return can similarly be calculated as
follows:
qCO1 = 0.60.008117/(1.16103)=0.00048 m3/h/car
qCO2 = 0.60.008128/(1.16103)=0.00053 m3/h/car
Q

= (0.00048174-0.00053106)1.25
(50-0)10-6

= 2,800 m3/h

It is extremely important that the correct assumptions be used when designing car park facilities.
Such information is only available from the car
park owner and the consulting engineer as they
know the assumptions made for the project.

14

Please note that the calculations in the above example are only applicable to CO ventilation and
must not be used for smoke extraction or control
in case of fire. Significantly greater ventilation
quantities are required for smoke control purposes and the technical installations used must
meet special requirements on heat resistance.

Re 3
Direction of air movement
The greatest possible distance between fresh air
intake and spent-air discharge must be ensured.
Usually, the access ramp is used as the fresh-air intake, while an exhaust fan is installed in the opposite corner.

Re 4
Noise levels within and outside the car
park
It is important that requirements on noise levels
within and outside the car park and the most expedient location for the exhaust system be considered early in the project planning phase. Usually,
it will be necessary to use sound attenuators, and
space must be set aside for these and for a shaft.

Re 5
Ventilation and extinguishing strategy in
case of fire
If the system is to be used for smoke control, it is
important that the local fire authority be involved
at an early stage so that the most suitable strategy can be determined.

General aspects of
car park layout
When dimensioning an underground car park, it
is important to consider the location of air inlets
and outlets. In most cases, it will be necessary to
install an exhaust fan that can discharge the polluted air via a ventilation shaft. Out of consideration for the surroundings, unsuitable shaft locations must also be determined. It may be possible
to disguise the shaft so that it blends with the surroundings, e.g. as an advertising pillar at a shopping centre.
When dimensioning the exhaust fan, the pressure drop through the entire system from the
fresh-air intake to the discharge outlet must be
taken into account. Usually, it is best to transport
air through the discharge system by means of
suction rather than pressure as this prevents
spent air unintentionally spreading to other
parts of the building. Fans are used to distribute
air within the car park and to ensure that "dead"
areas do not occur.

In most car parks, clearance is limited to approx.

2.4-2.5 m. It is therefore important to ensure that
fans are installed where there is no risk of collision.
Alternatively, the clearance required by the consulting engineer must be taken into account
when choosing fan size and/or location.
It is important to note whether the car park has
visible girders as these may affect fan efficiency.
There must be a free distance to the nearest girder/wall of at least 0.5 m on the inlet side and 2.0
m on the outlet side. If girder height is greater
than 0.4 m, it may be necessary to lower the fans.
Ceilings without girders provide ideal conditions
for the ventilation system and make the car park
aesthetically pleasing.

Axial flow fans

15

Noise emission

Car park
Car parks have many noise sources the most important being the cars themselves. The noise
emitted by cars in motion is often about 75-80
dB(A). There may also be technical installations in
the car park that contribute to the overall noise
level. Exhaust fans are also a source of noise.
Depending on size and speed, the noise emitted
by jet fans varies between 45-66 dB(A) per fan.
Such fans are therefore insignificant noise sources
in comparison with other sources within the car
park.
As standard, jet fans are supplied with dual-speed
motors.
They are usually dimensioned to run at half speed
most of the time and their noise emission will thus

16

seldom be a problem. In extreme situations, the

fans can be switched to full speed.
If the system includes an exhaust fan, the noise
emitted by the fan must comply with applicable
building regulations. There may be differences in
the permissible noise level depending on location
(industrial site or housing complex). Similarly, the
time of day may affect the permissible noise level
close to property boundaries or the windows of
housing complexes.

Fire protection

Fire tests at TNO

It was mentioned in the preface that the main
purpose of this booklet was to describe CO ventilation. To underline the difference between CO
ventilation and smoke control, the following contains a brief summary of the results of fire tests
performed in the Netherlands.
Novenco participated in a comprehensive series
of tests in Amsterdam designed to create basic
data for use in simulation models of fire outbreaks in car parks. The following authorities participated in the tests:

TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied

Scientific Research)
Netherlands Ministry of Finance
Amsterdam Fire Brigade
Buildings Department
Amsterdam Parking Administration

In addition to investigating the Novenco system,

tests were also performed with a conventionally
dimensioned duct-based system.
80 m
Various parked
cars

35 m

for the way in which the fire developed, visibility,

smoke production and the length of time taken
for the fire to spread to neighbouring cars.

Various parked
cars

Various parked
cars
Place of fire

Radiation
Visibility measurement
Temperature measurement smoke/air measurement
Temperature measurement in concrete

Besides evaluating technical requirements, the

tests were designed to investigate the efficiency
of the Novenco system for smoke control and extraction.
Novenco supplied and installed fans in the car
park while TNO was responsible for recording data, e.g. the temperature of the smoke, air and
concrete.

Altogether, data was collected from 18 separate

fires with up to three cars being set alight simultaneously. The tests thus provided valuable
knowledge on necessary system dimensions and
the way in which car park fires behave.

Cars were set alight at three different points in

the car park and in each case, data was recorded

17

The conclusions of the tests are as follows:

Conventional duct-based ventilation systems

are unsuitable for smoke control purposes,
even with air change rates of 8 times per
hour. The entire area quickly becomes filled
with smoke and locating the fire is difficult.
For smoke control, the exhaust fans must
have a capacity of at least 250,000-400,000
m3/hour, depending on fire size and car park
layout.
While the car park is being evacuated, the jet
fans must be switched off as they otherwise
increase the mixing of air and smoke.
If the jet fans and exhaust fans are run at full
speed after evacuation is complete, the
spread of smoke can be kept within a limited
area. The fire also remains visible at all times.
This allows fire development to be observed
during the entire extinguishing process, thus
providing improved safety for the firefighters and faster fire extinction.

Conclusion
Closed car parking facilities are ventilated more
efficiently by Novenco jet fans than by conventional duct-based systems.
In comparison with conventional systems, space
can be saved, and installation and running costs
reduced.
Thanks to the design of the jet fans, most current
requirements on sound emission can be met.
Large differences exist in ventilation requirements for CO ventilation and smoke control, particularly in small car parks.

18

Such powerful ventilation also keeps the

temperature down, thus minimising damage
to the building.

Sprinklers are not necessary. Water damage

can thus be minimised and there is no risk of
petrol from leaking petrol tanks being
spread via water from a sprinkler system.

Tests with cold smoke are not representative

of fire situations.

The quantity of air to be extracted also depends on car park layout.

Car parks can be emptied of smoke up to five

times faster than conventional duct-based
systems with air change rates of 10 times per
hour.

Jet ventilation allows unconscious casualties

to be located and given treatment more
quickly.
Novenco has video recordings showing the difference in smoke control between jet ventilation systems and conventional systems.

MU 13734 10.06

Novenco develops and manufactures

ventilation and re ghting systems that
are marketed and distributed world-wide
through subsidiaries and agents.
The company was founded in Denmark
1947 and has become one of the
world-leading suppliers.
Novenco symbolises quality and environmentally friendly products. The company
is certied according to ISO 9001 and
ISO 14001.
The headquarters of Novenco is located
in Naestved, Denmark.
Novenco, Hi-Pres and XFlow are
registered trademarks of Novenco.
Read more about Novenco on the
Internet.

Novenco A/S Industrivej 22 DK-4700 Naestved Denmark Tel. +45 70 12 42 22 Fax +45 55 75 65 50

www.novenco.biz