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Appropriate ventilation and fume extraction in

welding shops
Kulmala, Ilpo
68th IIW Annual Assembly and International
Conference, IIW2015, 28 June - 3 July 2015,
Helsinki, Finland, Welding Society of Finland
(2015), presentation slides, 26 p.
2015
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VTT TECHNICAL RESEARCH CENTRE OF FINLAND LTD

IIW 2015
The 68th IIW Annual Assembly
and International Conference
Helsinki, Finland
June 28 - July 3, 2015
Ilpo Kulmala
Appropriate Ventilation and Fume Extraction
in Welding Shops

Contents
Contaminant control measures
Ventilation systems
Local ventilation
Capture efficiency
Design of LEV systems

General ventilation
Air distribution
Ventilation energy consumption
Summary

01/07/2015

Contamination control measures

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Hierarchy of control measures

Replacement of the welding process with
an alternative joining technique

Elimination

Substitution

Modification of welding processes to

generate less fumes

Isolation

Ventilation

Automating and isolating the

welding operation
Local ventilation
General ventilation

Personal protective
equipment
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Powered filtering helmet

Welding shop ventilation systems

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Ventilation system
Consists of local and general ventilation
General exhaust

General ventilation
- Controls air temperature and
humidity
- Dilutes contaminants not captured
by the local exhaust system
- Replaces exhausted air

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Local exhaust
- Removes
contaminants at their
source

Local exhaust ventilation systems

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Local Exhaust Ventilation

Removes contaminants at the source
before they are released into the
workplace air
Creates controlled air flows towards
the exhaust hood
Components:
Hood to capture the contaminants
Ducting to transport the contaminants
Fan to provide sufficient air flow rate
Discharge

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Types of welding fume extractor solutions

Portable fume extractor with

built-in filter and fan (HVLV)
Central Low Velocity High Volume extraction

Welding bench hood

Fume Extraction Gun

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Capture efficiency
LEV performance is characterised by capture efficiency, which is
defined as the percentage of emissions directly captured by the
exhaust ventilation

Ambient air
currents

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Efficiency

10

Measured capture efficiencies for Shielded

Metal Arc Welding
100
90
Capture efficiency (%)

80
70
60
50

ACGIH recommended values for

welding exhaust:
0.5 0.87 m/s (100 170 fpm)
These correspond to measured
capture efficiencies 85 - >95%

40
30
20
10
0
0

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0.2

0.4
0.6
0.8
Air velocity (m/s)

1.2

11

Velocity fields generated by exhaust hoods

High velocity low volume
(HVLV): face velocity 15
m/s

Low velocity
high volume
(LVHV): face
velocity 3.4 m/s
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12

Challenges with local ventilation

Welding operations are characterised by frequent changes in
location and welding position
This makes it more difficult to control fume exposures than in
fixed workplaces
The effective working range of local exhausts is limited,
especially with HVLV systems
Correct positioning of the hood and sufficient exhaust flow rates
are essential for efficient operation
Work practices which include the active operation and
management of the exhaust device are critical for successful
outcomes

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13

General ventilation air distribution

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14

General ventilation air distribution

Mixing ventilation
Displacement ventilation
Hybrid ventilation

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15

Mixing ventilation
Air is supplied with high velocity near the ceiling which causes the air in the room to mix
This results in nearly uniform temperature and contaminant concentration distributions
Suitable for heating

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16

Displacement ventilation
Air is supplied at slow velocity into the occupied zone
Convection from heat sources creates vertical air motion into the upper zone, where the
air is extracted
Weak momentum operation easily deteriorated by disturbances

Cool air flows

near the floor

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Warm air rises up

not suitable for
heating!

17

Hybrid ventilation
Air is supplied through a displacement type diffuser assisted with a downward directed
slot jet
Facilitates a longer efficient operating range than with displacement ventilation
Can provide a supply of warm air

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18

Hybrid ventilation

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19

Correct position of the welder relative to the

supply air
Supply from the front: exposure due to
air flow towards the breathing zone

Supply from the back:

exposure due to
recirculation

Supply from the side: the

best solution!
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20

Case study - effect of improvements on exposure

After

After

A welding shop was renovated by installing a

new ventilation system which included heat
recovery and hybrid air distribution systems.
After the renovation, the workers exposure to
contaminants was reduced significantly. The
mproved air quality is clearly evident in the
following chart results.

Before

Before

Chromium
Nickel
Chromium
Nickel
0

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0.1

0.2

0.3

Welders urine concentration (mol/l)

21

Ventilation energy consumption

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22

Energy required to heat the supply air

Temperature difference, C
Air density

Heat capacity of air, c=1 kJ/kg K

Air flow rate

1 degree C temperature difference means 1.2 kW heating power

for an air flow of 1 m3/s
Average annual temperature difference in Finland is about 14 C
Average heat power is thus 17 kW per 1 m3/s airflow
Heat recovery from exhaust air could provide savings from 50 % up
to 80 %
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23

Heat recovery energy savings

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24

Summary
Welding operations need control measures to keep welders
contaminant exposure below occupational limit values
Local extraction can be the most performance-effective and costeffective control method
Efficient control requires the proper use of the system (e.g.
frequent replacement of the exhaust hood)
General ventilation is needed to dilute contaminants that are not
captured.
Hybrid ventilation distribution offers advantages over conventional
air supply methods, in that it provides clean air to the breathing
zone
To avoid the clogging of the heat exchanger and maintain high
efficiency levels, cleaning of the exhaust air is needed
01/07/2015

25

TECHNOLOGY FOR BUSINESS