Advances in Chemical Engineering and Science, 2017, 7, 325-332
http://www.scirp.org/journal/aces
ISSN Online: 2160-0406
ISSN Print: 2160-0392
Proposed Procedure to Design an Optimum
Ventilation System for Chemical Laboratory
Gara Idrees Abdoon
1
, Nagwa Fadl Bashir
2*
1
Post Graduate Student, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, ALNeelain University, Khartoum, Sudan
2
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, ALNeelain University, Khartoum, Sudan
Abstract
The safe environmental condition of biological and chemical laboratories at
universities in Sudan is a real and tangible problem that needs to be properly
addressed due to the increased number of universities which grew up to 25
State-Level Universities. This could sum up to 200 students per academic year.
One of the significant problems is the proper ventilation inside the laborato-
ries. This paper aims to provide a proposal for design of an optimum ventila-
tion system for: 1) Good and safe environment; 2) Comfortable workplace for
laboratories occupants; 3) Ensure the health of the surrounding environment
while minimizing the energy consumption. Five chemicals are selected for this
study as the most consumed and the most hazardous (permissible exposure
limits) inside the laboratories of the department of chemistry faculty of
science, Al-Neelain university; formaldehyde, nitric acid, acetic acid, xylene
and ethanol. Concentration level of materials in laboratory is calculated in
correlation with air exchange rate, vapor pressure and area of laboratory. Re-
sults concluded to that up 15 ACH the concentration of formaldehyde and ni-
tric acid is still high. Recommendations are given with the limitation of using
the suggested mathematical model, regarding laboratory conditions, severity
of the material hazardousness, number of people.
Keywords
Laboratory Ventilation, Vapor Contamination, Air Changes Per Hour, PEL.ACH
1. Introduction
The laboratory ventilation system is designed to correct the laboratory environ-
ment.
All types of laboratories (chemical, biology, and microbiology) may generate
pollution by harmful chemical gases and vapors. Particulates and biological
agents, this pollution is processing by a correct ventilation system to remove this
How to cite this paper: Abdoon, G.I. and
Bashir, N.F. (2017) Proposed Procedure to
Design an Optimum Ventilation System for
Chemical Laboratory. Advances in Chemical
Engineering and Science, 7, 325-332.
https://doi.org/10.4236/aces.2017.73024
Received: February 13, 2017
Accepted: July 18, 2017
Published: July 21, 2017
Copyright © 2017 by authors and
Scientific Research Publishing Inc.
This work is licensed under the Creative
Commons Attribution International
License (CC BY 4.0).
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Open Access
DOI: 10.4236/aces.2017.73024 July 21, 2017