The fire dampers are key passive fire safety devices and are used in the sector of air conditioning, ventilation, and heating. Generally, a fire damper operates when heat from a fire causes a room’s normal temperature to increase by 165°F, i.e., it is designed to close heat automatically. The fuse connected to the damper melts allowing the door of the damping door to close. In particular, they are situated in a duct at the intersection of the fire barriers in building zones, such as divisions at the point of penetration of the duct, to maintain a wall or floor fire rating. The fire damper guarantees the safety of the current lock.
The fire damper protects the current barrier, preventing fire penetration until temperatures exceed the barrier’s fire-rating level. Its main purpose is to prevent fire from spreading from one side of a fire-rated barrier to the other. The damper is built to withstand high temperatures for as long as possible, and it is manufactured to a high standard of integrity.
When room temperatures reach about 165 degrees Fahrenheit, the fusible component in the fire damper melts, allowing the door to shut. This helps to keep the fire from spreading and causing as much harm as possible. Property owners should be aware that rooms that are regularly heated to 165 degrees or higher would need fire dampers with higher melting point fusible connections.
By preventing the spread of fire by heating, ventilation, and air conditioning ducts, the damper aids in preventing a fire from spreading throughout the home. They also help prevent smoke from spreading through the ductwork in the event of a fire.
In a residential environment, there are two types of fire dampers to choose from. Dynamic and static fire dampers are two types of fire dampers.
Dynamic Fire Dampers
These dampers are built with a spring-loaded design and continuous fan use as vertical barriers. The air pressure generated by the ventilator helps to unlock a loaded door system, enabling the ventilator to stay in operation quickly.
Static Fire Dampers
In contrast to dynamic fire dampers, static fire dampers are installed as horizontal barriers with a curtain-like structure. If a device with static fire dampers is triggered and the door of the damper is decaying due to the weight of the damper, the HVAC fans are set to turn off. Whatever these systems are in use, owners of the property shall contact HVAC technicians to inspect the dampers and remedy any harm at the earliest opportunity.
Fire dampers should be checked and maintained on a regular basis due to their vital safety features. On models with fusible connections, all that is needed for fire damper maintenance is to check that the fusible connection is still present and not covered in grime and dust. Fire dampers with circuits should be tested more frequently. Even if the tests are positive, the dampers should be physically inspected on a regular basis.
Sand Trap Louvers Filter
Sand trap louvres are normally located at the first point of the air intake and are an essential part of any air handling device. Sand trap louvres, as their name implies, prevent sand from accessing the air intake unit or equipment rooms, preventing damage to the equipment’s moving parts. In desert or sandy areas, they are also used for ventilation in parking lots, warehouses, generator rooms, and fan rooms, among other places. In the presence of high dust concentrations, it has a high degree of sand and large dust particle separation. The sand trap louver installation is maintenance-free thanks to the vertically arranged blade parts and holes for sand drainage. It is made to separate big sand and dust particles from the airstream at low speeds, preventing unnecessary dust loading in traditional filters. It is not meant to be used in place of traditional filters. Sand trap louver installation specifically to remove sand and dust from the air. It is efficient and appropriate to use for air handling unit ventilation and inlet ducts. Since it comes with a complete aluminium extruded profile unit, the assembly is corrosion-resistant and suitable for different weather conditions. For sand trap louver installation, filters and dampers are available as options.
We need the means to include the free area and First Water Penetration in a meaningful way to better assess a louvre’s capacity. Since the ultimate goal is to get maximum air via the louvre, we want to determine the permissible air volume through the louvre (cubic feet per minute or cfm). The AMCA Standard 500-L Laboratory Methods for Air Louvers Testing for these concepts are protected by the test methods.
The following example compares two louvres with different performance characteristics for a 48″ wide x 48″ high wall opening:
| Louver | Free Area (percentage) | Free Area for 48″ x 48″ (square feet) | First Point Water (fpm) |
| 1 | 45% | 7.2 | 1190 |
| 2 | 53% | 8.5 | 750 |
We could conclude that Louver 2 is better than Louver 1 for getting more air through the louvre because it has a larger free region.
| Louver | Free Area (percentage) | Free Area for 48″ x 48″ (square feet) | First Point Water (fpm) | Design Velocity (fpm) | Volume of Air (cfm) |
| 1 | 45% | 7.2 | 1190 | 893 | 6426 |
| 2 | 53% | 8.5 | 750 | 563 | 4781 |
For a 48″ wide x 48″ high wall opening, Louver 1 has a 45 percent-free space. The gross free area is 7.2 square feet (45 % x 16 square feet of wall opening). For this louvre, the tested First Point of Water Penetration is 1190 feet per minute-free area velocity. We should account for any difference in the airflow through the louvre by using a safety factor – we have selected a 25% safety factor. With the safety factor, the geometry velocity will be 25% less than 1190 fpm, or 893 fpm (1190 x .75). By multiplying the louvre-free area by the design velocity, we can now calculate how much air can be safely passed through the louvre ( 7.2 sq ft x 893 fpm). Louver 1 has a volume of air of 6424 cfm as a result.
When we do the same calculations for Louver 2, the result is just 4781 cfm (with a 25% protection factor). The amount of air passed into the same opening size is 25% lower. Louvre 1’s a safer option because we can deal with the pressure drop at higher airflow rates!
The majority of manufacturers list the airflow resistance of their louvres on their websites. Based on the blade and frame shapes and angles, each louvre will have a slightly different resistance.
Most louvres do not deviate significantly from the graphs, unless they are built for extremely high air velocities, such as wind-driven rain louvres. We can measure the resistance for each louvre at the design velocities and see that:
Louver 1 – at 893 fpm-free area velocity, will create 0.090 inches w.g. of static pressure
Louver 2 – at 563 fpm free area velocity, will create 0.055 inches w.g. of static pressure
The two values must be suitable to the design of HVAC systems, and our Louvre 1 is the best option, even if the area is less free of charge. For most applications, a reasonable thumb rule is to remain below 0.2 inches w.g. static pressure.
Technalco, one of the leading HVAC air distribution products in UAE, achieves work that goes beyond sand trap louvre installation thanks to its more than 100 professional operators and fabricators. In all Technalco products, the method of quality control (QC) has the highest priority. To ensure it, a Quantity Assurance (QA) plan is introduced, in which a QA officer inspects each component during development and again before delivery. During all phases of the process, a quality assurance checklist is followed.
To advance our production methods and retain high-quality products, the design and fabrication team is constantly developing and improving. As being a leading service provider of sand trap louver installation adheres to the Continuous Improvement Process (CIP) by continuing to educate ourselves, learn new technology, and apply best management practices.
Our steady growth can be attributed to the practical approach of the top management. At present, HVAC air distribution products in UAE are offered by us with a highly qualified workforce led by an experienced team of managers and engineers, ensuring that quality-manufactured goods are delivered to suit our clients’ busy schedules.