Warehouses are an important element of the modern economy. For building managers and engineers,...
Extremely large buildings such as warehouses, distribution centers, and manufacturing plants have very specific needs when it comes to ventilation and airflow. These needs must be addressed by cooling solutions that are designed for these areas, and many of the cooling solutions that are designed for smaller spaces simply will not work in a larger one.
For facility managers or architects who are interested in making sure that a large building has the right cooling solutions in place, it’s important to look for cooling solutions designed specifically for a larger area.
Sufficient Airflow
Large spaces tend to have higher ceilings, which makes it difficult to get air circulating throughout the space. If air isn’t circulating efficiently, it can have a negative impact on the air quality in your space. This can lead to all sorts of problems that can cause harm to the equipment, inventory, and people in the area, including sick building syndrome (SBS).
Bigger facilities will require a cooling solution that has more thrust so that air can flow sufficiently. One good way to determine whether or not your solution meets your needs is to compare the forward and reverse displacement power of your cooling solution to the standard requirements for your building. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has created a set of standards for indoor air ventilation that buildings must meet to provide a healthy environment for occupants.
Easy to Clean and Maintain
When you have more space to cool, it means that you need a bigger and more intricate cooling solution. This generally means that the components of your system are harder to take care of.
Ideally, you will be able to choose a cooling solution that is easy to clean and maintain. You want to minimize the amount of time that you have to spend fixing or cleaning your cooling solution. One good characteristic to look for in your cooling solution is a wash-down duty rating, which means that it can be cleaned with a high-pressure stream of water.
Even Air Distribution
In larger spaces, air distribution is much more challenging than it is in smaller spaces. An area that needs to be cooled could be hundreds of feet away from the cooling source. Additionally, spaces that are over 500,000 square feet will usually have some kind of objects or obstructions between the cooling source and the place that needs to be cooled, which poses an additional challenge. This often results in a “thermal pocket” effect where the air can be cooler near the heating source than it is in other areas.
An effective cooling solution is one that can overcome this problem. The best cooling methods will create a steady rotation of air that provides an even cooling effect for the entire space.
Summary
Building and facility managers that operate large spaces have many challenges on their hands, including controlling the climate of the space. Whether it is a warehouse, factory, assembly plant, or other type of large space that needs to be cooled, it’s important to consider the unique cooling requirements that are found in an area that is larger than 500,000 square feet.
