Achieving air balance in a facility is imperative to air quality, safety, and energy efficiency. However, many times plant operators focus only on exhausting air to get rid of unwanted elements — such as heat, smoke, moisture, contaminants, or carbon dioxide — without adequate attention to properly replacing the air being exhausted.
Air acts like a fluid, flowing from a higher pressure to a lower pressure. If the amount of air brought into a facility is equal to the amount exhausted, the building is considered “neutral.” If more air is brought in than is exhausted, the facility is “positive.” And vice versa, if more air is exhausted than is brought in, it is “negative.” Different types of rooms are designed with different pressure requirements.