HVAC INSULATION- One of The Keys to a “HEALTHY BUILDING" Glenn Brower ASHRAE Technical Comm. Member Knauf Fiber Glass

Indoor Environmental Quality LIGHTING QUALITY AESTHETICS Indoor Environmental Quality AIR PURITY ACOUSTICAL COMFORT THERMAL COMFORT

THE ROLE OF HVAC INSULATION IN IEQ Thermal - helps to deliver air at the design temperature, save energy and minimize condensation Acoustical - helps to reduce sound down the ducts, breakout noise, crosstalk ventilation - can insulate without contributing to indoor pollution aesthetics - depending on application, can be finished to blend in

AIR QUANTITY & VELOCITY THERMAL COMFORT AIR TEMPERATURE AIR QUANTITY & VELOCITY

THERMAL PERFORMANCE OF DUCT INSULATIONS Both internal and external insulations can deliver required R-values R-values should be specified based on installed thickness Duct Wraps are installed with 25% compression Most codes specify R-values based on ASTM C518 or C177 testing no air film benefits are allowed Radiant barrier insulations tested at high delta T’s will not deliver R-value in duct applications

DUCT THERMAL PERFORMANCE Temperature Drop or Gain can drive insulation above code requirements example, 305mm x 610mm duct, delivering air at 12.50 C, at a velocity of 305 meters/min over a length of 30 meters in a space at a temperature of 270 C, would have the following temperature gains: uninsulated, ~ 40 C insulated to R-0.74 m2-C/W, ~ 0.80 C

DUCT THERMAL PERFORMANCE Condensation Control - eliminating sweating as a contributor to mold growth

AIR FLOW CONSIDERATIONS WITH INTERNAL LINED SYSTEMS The use of any type of material on the inside of a sheet metal duct will have some type of associated friction loss friction loss can be calculated from surface absolute roughness factors galvanized steel, 1.22 m joints 0.091 mm galvanized steel, 0.61 m joints 0.152 mm fg liner with mat-faced airstream 0.914 mm fg liner with coated airstream 3.048 mm

COMPARISON OF FRICTION FACTORS FOR DIFFERENT ABSOLUTE ROUGHNESS COATED MAT OR FLEX DUCT LINER W/ MAT BARE METAL Pressure loss is linear with friction factor Pressure loss is linear with Hydraulic Diameter 4A/P Pressure loss is the square of velocity, a factor of 2 in f = 30% velocity loss

Duct Breakout & Breakin ACOUSTICAL COMFORT Duct Breakout & Breakin Duct Attenuation Loss Duct Rumble

Air Ducts Are “Speaking Tubes” Direct energy through a very focused area. Carry equipment noise, damper noise, and other duct noise. Can generate their own noise through expansion, contraction, or air velocity. Carry office noise from interconnected spaces.

ACOUSTICAL PERFORMANCE OF HVAC INSULATION Attenuation: measure of sound dissipation as it travels down the duct. Typically measured as insertion loss - ASTM E477 STANDARD DUCT SECTION - NO TREATMENT TEST DUCT SECTION - ACOUSTICAL TREATMENT The difference is insertion loss, dB per linear dimension

THE ABILITY OF DUCT LINER TO PROVIDE ATTENUATION ASHRAE Applications, Sound and Vibration Control gives data on effectiveness of duct liner over a large range of rectangular duct sizes insulation thickness is the primary driver for attenuation product density is an insignificant factor as duct size increases, effectiveness of internal lining is diminished

COMPARISON OF ASHRAE ATTENUATION DATA FOR RECTANGULAR DUCTS

ASHRAE ATTENUATION DATA FOR RECTANGULAR ELBOWS

COMPARISON OF ASHRAE ATTENUATION DATA FOR ROUND DUCTS

ASHRAE ATTENUATION DATA FOR ROUND ELBOWS

IF ATTENUATION IS THE GOAL, HOW DO YOU SPECIFY WHAT YOU WANT? Unless all duct sizes are the same, don’t specify internal liner by dB/meter or dB’s at the target changes for every duct dimension change does the contractor include ells and other fittings? Specify internal liner by sound absorption gives an easy way to compare materials

SOUND ABSORPTION TESTING Uses the Reverberation Room (ASTM C423) method, which measures ability to absorb random incidence sound 6.69 square meters of test material in the room The mounting method plays a large part in the values obtained for repeatability, duct liners should be tested using the Type A mounting Test yields absorption values for each freq. band, also calculates an average, NRC

HOW CAN SOUND ABSORPTION CAN BE RELATED TO DUCT ATTENUATION? Relationship between absorption & attenuation is nearly linear ~ 10 Relationship between absorption & attenuation is nearly linear ~ 7.5

DUCT RUMBLE, BREAKOUT & BREAKIN NOISE Thermal insulations do not have enough mass to be effective over most frequencies Flexible insulations in combination with mass can be helpful for round ducts, can be directly attached, for rectangular, both the insulation and the mass should be physically separated from the duct

NOISE CONTROL FOR EQUIPMENT AND PIPING Rigid insulation materials tend to pass the majority of vibrating energy right through with minimal attenuation. Fibrous insulation is a much better attenuator. In specific applications one may have to install fibrous insulation over rigid insulation. For extra attenuation, use multi-layered fibrous insulation with hard septums between layers.

THE DILEMNA OF REDUCING NOISE FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES

BIOLOGICAL CONTAMINANTS AIR PURITY PARTICULATE MATTER VOC EMISSIONS BIOLOGICAL CONTAMINANTS

PARTICULATE MATTER - THE ROLE OF INSULATIONS External duct insulations should not contribute to dust levels in the occupied space Internal duct insulations are designed to be non-contributors when properly installed FG duct liners are tested at 2.5 times rated velocity, including an elbow without vanes, to assure that they can withstand air velocity abuse numerous studies have shown fiber levels to be at background levels

TOUGHNESS OF INTERNAL INSULATIONS The Surfaces of FG Liners will also take “normal” abuse from cleaning procedures soft brushes or air washes will not damage the airstream surface cutting into the duct should be done carefully so as not to damage the insulation closing the duct after cleaning is also critical for future integrity

1994 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY ADVISORY COMMITTEE STUDY Evaluated duct cleaning methods for effectiveness in cleaning the duct surface and improving indoor air quality contact method (conventional vacuum cleaning) air sweep method (compressed air through a nozzle) mechanical brush method (rotary brush in combination with vacuum collection)

BCIAC STUDY RESULTS Studied 8 identical homes in a single neighborhood, 2 homes for each method and 2 controls Results: particle count readings were higher during cleaning than before or after cleaning cleaning did not lead to higher indoor fiber counts air sweep method showed the greatest reduction in bioaerosol concentration, although none caused significant improvement

HVAC INSULATIONS AND BIOLOGICAL CONTAMINANTS FUNGAL GROWTH requires both moisture and nutrients dirt and fungal spores are present almost everywhere, therefore they will inevitably be deposited on duct surfaces this is true regardless of the nature of the duct surface the only way to minimize this deposition is through the use of better filtration

THE ROLE OF WATER AND FUNGAL GROWTH IN HVAC SYSTEMS Moisture is the essential element required for fungal growth Studies in static environmental chambers have shown that fungal growth will initiate at RH>=65% Field studies in buildings where RH is regularly >65% show that fungal growth is rare

DUKE UNIVERSITY STUDY Duke University - extensively studied 6 buildings in the Piedmont region Heavy deposition of dirt and fungal spores on all surfaces inspected no fungal growth on fresh air intakes, hot deck surfaces or hot deck air distribution surfaces no evidence of fungal growth on the cold deck of dual-deck systems wherever intake air was preconditioned it is the condensation of water on surfaces at dew point that have fungal growth

USE OF BIOCIDES AND ENCAPSULANTS WITH INTERNAL INSULATIONS All FG internal insulations are already treated to be fungal and bacterial inhibited when dry, these products will not sustain fungal growth It is very difficult to get significant coverage of the air stream surface except where it is directly applied and visually confirmed small areas of repair that can be directly reached may be effectively coated

BIOCIDES AND ENCAPSULANTS (CONT.) Application of these materials could have human health consequences Fire safety consequences - none have been tested in combination with the insulation, and quantity will be difficult to control Long term effects - may degrade integrity of air stream surface, definitely voids mfr’s warranty These treatments are not recommended for FG except for very limited spot repairs

VOLATILE ORGANIC CHEMICAL EMISSIONS VOC’s are increasingly recognized as significant contributors to poor indoor air quality Insulation materials, including duct insulations, have long been tested for VOC emissions and shown to be very low contributors meet US EPA indoor emission requirements, State of Washington, State of Alaska, and State of California requirements

COMPARISON OF VOC EMITTERS

DECAY OF EMISSIONS FROM FIBER GLASS

THE PRACTICALITY OF ZERO VOC EMISSION MATERIALS Many materials in the interior spaces of buildings emit VOC’s Each VOC has a normal partial pressure that is a function of RH and temperature if there are multiple sources of a VOC each will contribute until the partial pressure is reached some materials that contain a VOC may actually act as a sink in the presence of stronger sources Zero emitting materials in the presence of high emitters makes no sense

HOW CAN A SPECIFIER ADDRESS LOW VOC EMISSIONS? Follow the guidelines of the US Green Building Council the LEED design system addresses low emitting sources There is a independent, recognized certification body that addresses all type of building materials and furnishings Greenguard is very much like Underwriters Laboratories Greenguard is recognized by LEEDS for maximum points

SUMMARY Thermal benefits Acoustical benefits radiant effects are not applicable for most ducts Acoustical benefits tradeoffs to cellular non-fibrous materials carry a severe acoustical penalty Minimal air quality issues in well designed systems water is the issue, design to prevent it filtration selection & maintenance will minimize any need for cleaning

REFERENCE RESOURCES ON ALL ASPECTS OF INSULATION AND IEQ NORTH AMERICAN INSULATION MFR’S ASSOCIATION www.naima.org Knauf Fiber Glass - www.knauffiberglass.com brad.omlid@knauffiberglass.com, glenn.brower@knauffiberglass.com, 317-398-4434, x8801 ASHRAE Handbooks