Chamber of Mechanical Engineers (MMO) Antalya Branch President Assoc. Dr. İbrahim Atmaca, regarding the opening of shopping centers (shopping malls) and the normalization of life and the reuse of office buildings as of May 11, “It is imperative that we take new measures against COVID-19 in the heating, cooling and ventilation installations of this type of buildings where people are gathered together. “he said.
“EXTRA IMPORTANCE MUST BE TAKEN”
Stating that the risk of corona virus is still valid for public areas where infected people may be present, Atmaca emphasized that extra importance should be taken in air conditioning systems.
“In such buildings, particles loaded with viruses and suspended in the air are transported by air currents. For this reason, extra importance should be taken in the air conditioning systems of these buildings. ”Atmaca continued his words as follows:
“The assumption that Covid-19 is transmitted by inhalation or surface contact that is released during sneezing, coughing, or speech is often emphasized. Direct contact with particles larger than 10 microns released from the infected person and falling within a distance of about 1-2 meters is seen as one of the common ways of transmission. ”
Assoc. Dr. İsmail Atmaca ”Particles under 5 micron size can hang in the air for hours and the virus air-conditioning system carried by these particles can cause contamination by dispersing in the space with air currents,” Atmaca said, “It was concluded that it had 15 percent contact, 21 percent droplets and 64 percent airborne particles, which was a clear indication of the importance of the measures to be taken in building air conditioning systems.”
“THE MOST IMPORTANT MEASURE IS VENTILATION”
“The most important measure in shopping malls is to increase the ventilation amounts,” Assoc said. Dr. İbrahim Atmaca made the following remarkable statement: “There are two basic measures that can be applied in air conditioning systems for the control of virus spread in the internal environment. The first and most common application is ventilation, in this method, the amount of virus in the environment can be reduced or diluted by giving fresh air to the environment and removing the dirty air inside. The second and less used method is the way to retain viruses by passing the ambient air through a filter / cleaning device. ”
“AVMS SHOULD BE VENTILATED NIGHT”
Stating that the amount of ventilation should be increased regardless of energy efficiency during the pandemic period in shopping mall type buildings, Assoc. Dr. Atmaca said, “In these buildings, ventilation should be maintained even when the building is not in use, and the ventilation system should continue to operate throughout the night, even with less air. “If the air handling units are operated with 100 percent outdoor air, it will be suitable for health, even if it increases the energy consumption.”
In addition, attention should be paid to the places where the polluted air is fired, and care must be taken to prevent human passage from these points. In the channel where fresh air is taken, it should not be too close to the soil or concrete ground, and care should be taken to supply the air from a high enough point from the ground. These physical measures to be taken in air handling units are important because of the removal of the virus with polluted air drawn from the inside and the possibility of virus removal in the fresh air taken inside. In addition to all these, normal cleaning periods can be shortened in air handling units and effective chemicals can be used in the disinfection of condensation pans and serpentine surfaces in this plant. ”
