Air Grilles Designed to Prevent Backflows in Natural Ventilation Stacks – Experimental Investigation

The paper presents the results of the experimental research on the air grills designed to stop backflows in natural ventilation stacks. For each grill pressure drop was measured for different airflow rates, in both flow directions. Two ∅ 100 mm grills working on different principles were tested: one with moving flaps, and one shaped in a way that should greatly increase the hydraulic losses during backflow. For comparison, the ordinary air grill was also tested. The results show that the grill with moving flaps works as intended. With only slightly higher hydraulic losses in the forward direction compared to ordinary grill, it shuts off the backflows almost completely. The other, diffuser-shaped grill doesn’t work as intended. It has very high hydraulic losses in both directions, and the effect of changing the air resistance with the reverse flow is barely noticeable.