Air recirculation devices circulate air in enclosed spaces to prevent pollutants and unwanted odors. They are used in homes, cars, industrial buildings, and laboratories. Air recirculation systems control the amount of new air entering a space and can help control temperatures. However, poorly designed systems can aggravate respiratory conditions and lead to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. Unique systems are needed for industrial buildings and laboratory clean rooms.
Air recirculation occurs when a circulation device moves the air in an enclosed space more than once. Such devices may serve personal or commercial purposes. They are used and adapted to a wide range of circumstances, from homes and cars to industrial buildings and laboratory clean rooms. Air recirculation prevents or limits the amount of outside air entering a space to avoid pollutants, unwanted odors and aid in air conditioning.
Air recirculation systems recycle the air already contained in a space and control the amount of new air entering that space; in many cases, they also pass old air through a filtration system. Simple domestic fans could be considered a form of this type of circulation even though they provide no filtration and only circulate the air within a very limited space.
Small fans are primarily used to provide an isolated artificial breeze, while air recirculation systems are designed to maintain a fixed airflow and indoor air quality in a vehicle or building. Recirculating the air can also help control temperatures since air conditioning systems can be most effective when reheating or re-cooling air that has already passed through the system a few times. Buildings in colder climates use air recirculation to keep cold air out and to assist in thermal conditioning.
If not well designed and maintained, air recirculation systems could aggravate respiratory conditions and lead to the spread and concentration of air contaminants. In enclosed areas – most rapidly in small ones such as the cabin of a car – dangerous levels of carbon monoxide can develop if fresh air is kept completely blocked from entering for an extended period of time. To address this potentially serious problem, many automakers add carbon dioxide detectors as safety measures to their air conditioning and recirculation systems. People may choose to install carbon dioxide detectors in their homes as well, and in some US states and other jurisdictions, installation has become mandatory.
There are some circumstances where systems tailored to unique purposes are needed. In the case of buildings where industrial processes are carried out, adequate ventilation is required and air recirculation systems are designed to regularly bring in the necessary quantities of fresh air and to expel any air that has become contaminated. In a laboratory clean room, which is a room kept with as few contaminants as possible for research or production purposes, a particularly powerful airflow is needed to ensure hygiene.
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