The HVAC system - Friend or foe in environmental disasters and bio-terrorist attacks ?

In this paper the author analyses the different weaknesses of the HVAC systems in case of air contamination by a deliberate pollution of the inducted air due to vandalism, terrorism or any other motives.To prevent that danger he gives some advice about HVAC installation :A safe air intake is necessary, but the intake grille for ventilation must be inaccessible from outside the building and its position at ground level unsuitable.Air dampers must have effective sealing and be closed in the event of a bioterrorist attack.Recirculation systems can be contamined too from a source within the bui

A damper control system for preventing reverse airflow through the exhaust air damper of variable air volume air handling units.

Traditional air-handling unit (AHU) control systems link the position of the exhaust, recirculation, and outdoor air dampers. Laboratory tests of a variable-air-volume AHU using the traditional damper control approach revealed that outdoor air could enter the AHU through the exhaust air damper. This can negatively impact indoor air quality. This paper examines the conditions that lead to this phenomenon and presents a new control system that can help alleviate the problem. The new control system links only the position of the exhaust and recirculation air dampers.