What is a Mechanical Smoke Ventilation System?
A powered or mechanical smoke ventilation system is an industry approved alternative to natural smoke ventilation and is designed to achieve the same aim of quickly clearing smoke from protected lobbies and staircases.
A typical installation will comprise of a shaft rising through the building with a damper on each connected level venting into this vertical duct.
- Unit 1, Bons Farm, Stapleford Road, Stapleford Tawney, Essex, RM4 1RP
- hello@marlowesmokecontrol.co.uk
- 01708 687 511
What is a Mechanical Smoke Ventilation System?
A powered or mechanical smoke ventilation system is an industry approved alternative to natural smoke ventilation and is designed to achieve the same aim of quickly clearing smoke from protected lobbies and staircases.
A typical installation will comprise of a shaft rising through the building with a damper on each connected level venting into this vertical duct.
- Unit 1, Bons Farm, Stapleford Road, Stapleford Tawney, Essex, RM4 1RP
- hello@marlowesmokecontrol.co.uk
- 01708 687 511
How does a Mechanical Smoke Ventilation System work?
A set of duty/ standby smoke extract fans located at roof level will actively draw the smoke and harmful gases from a lobby, through the shaft exhausting typically at the highest point of the building.
Inlet or make up air is provided via an AOV installed at the top of the stairwell.
The smoke detection, lobby damper, stairwell AOV and fan all trigger simultaneously and are interlinked by a tailored control system specific to each building’s requirements.
The two key benefits of a mechanical system are the reduced shaft area requirement on each floor and an increased flexibility with building design and escape distances.
Due to mechanical smoke ventilation systems being an alternative method to that set out in Approved Document B, any proposed design is required to be substantiated and verified using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis.
For powered smoke ventilation systems all products and design criteria must meet the compliance requirements of:
- Approved Document B
- BS 9991 & BS 7346-8
- EN12101-3 Powered Smoke and Heat Control Fans
- BS EN 12101-6
- Smoke Control Association’s ‘Guidance on Smoke Control to Common Escape Routes in Apartment Buildings’
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hello@marlowesmokecontrol.co.uk
Get in touch
Contact Marlowe Smoke Control for all AOV Systems and Smoke Vents. Our team are here to help you with any questions you may have.
- Unit 1, Bons Farm, Stapleford Road, Stapleford Tawney, Essex, RM4 1RP
- hello@marlowesmokecontrol.co.uk
- 01708 687 511
