Ensuring Safe & Compliant Car Parks: The Crucial Role of CO Extraction and CFD

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Operating safe and compliant car parks requires meticulous attention to air quality, particularly concerning 𝗖ð—Ūð—ŋð—Ŋ𝗞ð—ŧ 𝗠𝗞ð—ŧ𝗞𝘅ð—ķð—ąð—ē (𝗖ð—Ē) ð—đð—ē𝘃ð—ēð—đ𝘀. Elevated CO can pose significant health risks to users and staff.

𝘜ð˜Ŋð˜Ĩð˜Ķð˜ģð˜īð˜ĩð˜Ēð˜Ŋð˜Ĩ𝘊ð˜Ŋð˜Ļ ð˜ĩð˜Đð˜Ķ 𝘙ð˜Ķð˜Ļð˜ķ𝘭ð˜Ēð˜ĩ𝘰ð˜ģ𝘚 𝘓ð˜Ēð˜Ŋð˜Ĩð˜īð˜Īð˜Ēð˜ąð˜Ķ:

Both national and international regulations set strict limits for CO concentrations and dictate the required air changes per hour (ACH) in car park environments. These standards are in place to safeguard public health and ensure operational safety. While specific values can vary by jurisdiction, common benchmarks focus on maintaining CO levels well below hazardous thresholds and ensuring sufficient air circulation.

While I cannot provide an exhaustive list for every country, here are 𝘀𝗞𝗚ð—ē ð—ļð—ē𝘆 ð—ķð—ŧ𝘁ð—ēð—ŋð—ŧð—Ū𝘁ð—ķ𝗞ð—ŧð—Ūð—đ 𝘀𝘁ð—Ūð—ŧð—ąð—Ūð—ŋð—ąð˜€ ð—Ūð—ŧð—ą ð—ē𝘅ð—Ūð—šð—―ð—đð—ē𝘀 𝘁ð—ĩð—Ū𝘁 ð—ģð—ŋð—ēð—ū𝘂ð—ēð—ŧ𝘁ð—đ𝘆 ð—ķð—ŧð—ģð—đ𝘂ð—ēð—ŧ𝗰ð—ē ð—ŧð—Ū𝘁ð—ķ𝗞ð—ŧð—Ūð—đ ð—ŋð—ēð—ī𝘂ð—đð—Ū𝘁ð—ķ𝗞ð—ŧ𝘀:

𝗔ð—Ķ𝗛ð—Ĩ𝗔𝗘 ð—Ķ𝘁ð—Ūð—ŧð—ąð—Ūð—ŋð—ąð˜€ (𝗔𝗚ð—ēð—ŋð—ķ𝗰ð—Ūð—ŧ ð—Ķ𝗞𝗰ð—ķð—ē𝘁𝘆 𝗞ð—ģ 𝗛ð—ēð—Ū𝘁ð—ķð—ŧð—ī, ð—Ĩð—ēð—ģð—ŋð—ķð—īð—ēð—ŋð—Ū𝘁ð—ķð—ŧð—ī ð—Ūð—ŧð—ą 𝗔ð—ķð—ŋ-𝗖𝗞ð—ŧð—ąð—ķ𝘁ð—ķ𝗞ð—ŧð—ķð—ŧð—ī 𝗘ð—ŧð—īð—ķð—ŧð—ēð—ēð—ŋ𝘀):

𝙰Ėē𝚂Ėē𝙷Ėē𝚁Ėē𝙰Ėēð™īĖē Ėē𝚂Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚊Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚍Ėē𝚊Ėē𝚛Ėē𝚍Ėē Ėē𝟷ĖēðŸŧĖē:Ėē Ėē𝚂Ėē𝚊Ėē𝚏Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚝ĖēðšĒĖē Ėē𝚂Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚊Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚍Ėē𝚊Ėē𝚛Ėē𝚍Ėē Ėē𝚏Ėē𝚘Ėē𝚛Ėē Ėē𝚁Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚏Ėē𝚛Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚐Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚛Ėē𝚊Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚘Ėē𝚗Ėē Ėē𝚂ĖēðšĒĖē𝚜Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚖Ėē𝚜Ėē: While primarily for refrigeration, it often touches upon ventilation requirements in spaces containing equipment that could impact air quality.

𝙰Ėē𝚂Ėē𝙷Ėē𝚁Ėē𝙰Ėēð™īĖē Ėē𝚂Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚊Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚍Ėē𝚊Ėē𝚛Ėē𝚍Ėē Ėē𝟞ĖēðŸļĖē.Ėē𝟷Ėē:Ėē Ėē𝚅Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚕Ėē𝚊Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚘Ėē𝚗Ėē Ėē𝚏Ėē𝚘Ėē𝚛Ėē Ėē𝙰Ėē𝚌Ėē𝚌Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚙Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚊Ėē𝚋Ėē𝚕Ėē𝚎Ėē Ėēð™ļĖē𝚗Ėē𝚍Ėē𝚘Ėē𝚘Ėē𝚛Ėē Ėē𝙰Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚛Ėē Ėē𝚀Ėē𝚞Ėē𝚊Ėē𝚕Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚝ĖēðšĒĖē: This is a highly influential standard for general ventilation design and often provides guidance on minimum ventilation rates for various occupancy types, including parking garages. It sets criteria for both exhaust and supply air.

𝗖𝗜𝗕ð—Ķ𝗘 ð—Ķ𝘁ð—Ūð—ŧð—ąð—Ūð—ŋð—ąð˜€ (𝗖ð—ĩð—Ūð—ŋ𝘁ð—ēð—ŋð—ēð—ą 𝗜ð—ŧ𝘀𝘁ð—ķ𝘁𝘂𝘁ð—ķ𝗞ð—ŧ 𝗞ð—ģ 𝗕𝘂ð—ķð—đð—ąð—ķð—ŧð—ī ð—Ķð—ēð—ŋ𝘃ð—ķ𝗰ð—ē𝘀 𝗘ð—ŧð—īð—ķð—ŧð—ēð—ēð—ŋ𝘀 – ð—Ļ𝗞):

ð™ēĖēð™ļĖēð™ąĖē𝚂Ėēð™īĖē Ėēð™ķĖē𝚞Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚍Ėē𝚎Ėē Ėēð™ąĖē:Ėē Ėē𝚅Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚕Ėē𝚊Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚘Ėē𝚗Ėē Ėē𝚊Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚍Ėē Ėē𝙰Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚛Ėē Ėēð™ēĖē𝚘Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚍Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚘Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚐Ėē: This comprehensive guide provides detailed recommendations for ventilation design in various building types, including multi-storey car parks. It often specifies CO monitoring and demand-controlled ventilation strategies.

𝗘𝘂ð—ŋð—žð—―ð—ēð—Ūð—ŧ ð—Ķ𝘁ð—Ūð—ŧð—ąð—Ūð—ŋð—ąð˜€ (ð—˜ð—Ą ð—Ķ𝘁ð—Ūð—ŧð—ąð—Ūð—ŋð—ąð˜€):

ð™īĖēð™―Ėē Ėē𝟷ĖēðŸđĖēðŸ―ĖēðŸ―ĖēðŸŋĖē:Ėē Ėē𝚅Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚕Ėē𝚊Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚘Ėē𝚗Ėē Ėē𝚏Ėē𝚘Ėē𝚛Ėē Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚘Ėē𝚗Ėē–Ėē𝚛Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚜Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚍Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚊Ėē𝚕Ėē Ėē𝚋Ėē𝚞Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚕Ėē𝚍Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚐Ėē𝚜Ėē Ėē–Ėē Ėēð™ŋĖē𝚎Ėē𝚛Ėē𝚏Ėē𝚘Ėē𝚛Ėē𝚖Ėē𝚊Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚌Ėē𝚎Ėē Ėē𝚛Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚚Ėē𝚞Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚛Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚖Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚜Ėē Ėē𝚏Ėē𝚘Ėē𝚛Ėē Ėē𝚟Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚕Ėē𝚊Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚘Ėē𝚗Ėē Ėē𝚊Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚍Ėē Ėē𝚊Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚛Ėē Ėē𝚌Ėē𝚘Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚍Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚘Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚐Ėē Ėē𝚜ĖēðšĒĖē𝚜Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚖Ėē𝚜Ėē Ėē(Ėē𝚊Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚍Ėē Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚑Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚛Ėē Ėē𝚌Ėē𝚘Ėē𝚖Ėē𝚙Ėē𝚘Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚜Ėē)Ėē: This standard provides guidance on ventilation for comfort, energy efficiency, and indoor air quality. It often refers to other standards for specific pollutant control.

𝚂Ėē𝚙Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚌Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚏Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚌Ėē Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚊Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚘Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚊Ėē𝚕Ėē Ėē𝚜Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚊Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚍Ėē𝚊Ėē𝚛Ėē𝚍Ėē𝚜Ėē Ėē𝚍Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚛Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚟Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚍Ėē Ėē𝚏Ėē𝚛Ėē𝚘Ėē𝚖Ėē Ėēð™īĖē𝚞Ėē𝚛Ėē𝚘Ėē𝚙Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚊Ėē𝚗Ėē Ėē𝚍Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚛Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚌Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚟Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚜Ėē: Many European countries transpose EU directives into their own national legislation.

𝗖𝗞𝗚𝗚𝗞ð—ŧð—đ𝘆 𝗖ð—ķ𝘁ð—ēð—ą 𝗖ð—Ē 𝗟ð—ķ𝗚ð—ķ𝘁𝘀 ð—Ūð—ŧð—ą 𝗔𝗖𝗛:

ð™ēĖēð™ūĖē Ėēð™ŧĖē𝚒Ėē𝚖Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚜Ėē: A very common benchmark is to keep CO levels below 25 ppm (parts per million) for an 8-hour average and below 35 ppm for any 15-minute period. However, these can be lower in some regulations. Always check your local codes.

𝙰Ėēð™ēĖē𝙷Ėē Ėē𝚁Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚚Ėē𝚞Ėē𝚒Ėē𝚛Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚖Ėē𝚎Ėē𝚗Ėē𝚝Ėē𝚜Ėē: This is where it gets highly variable.

Some codes might specify a fixed ACH rate (e.g., 4-6 ACH for general ventilation, potentially higher during peak usage or based on traffic density).

𝘛ð˜Đ𝘊ð˜ī 𝘊ð˜ī ð˜Ŧð˜ķð˜īð˜ĩ ð˜Ē ð˜Ī𝘰𝘭𝘭ð˜Ķð˜Īð˜ĩ𝘊𝘰ð˜Ŋ 𝘰𝘧 ð˜ģð˜Ķð˜Ļð˜ķ𝘭ð˜Ēð˜ĩ𝘊𝘰ð˜Ŋð˜ī ð˜Ēð˜Ŋð˜Ĩ ð˜īð˜ąð˜Ķð˜Ī𝘊𝘧𝘊ð˜Ī 𝘰ð˜Ŋð˜Ķð˜ī ð˜Ūð˜ķð˜īð˜ĩ ð˜Ģð˜Ķ ð˜Īð˜Đ𝘰ð˜īð˜Ķð˜Ŋ ð˜Ēð˜Īð˜Ī𝘰ð˜ģð˜Ĩ𝘊ð˜Ŋð˜Ļ ð˜ĩ𝘰 ð˜ĩð˜Đð˜Ķ ð˜Īð˜Ēð˜īð˜Ķ ð˜ĩ𝘰 ð˜Ķ𝘷ð˜Ē𝘭ð˜ķð˜Ēð˜ĩð˜Ķ.

𝘛ð˜Đð˜Ķ 𝘗𝘰ð˜ļð˜Ķð˜ģ 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘍𝘋 𝘊ð˜Ŋ ð˜–ð˜ąð˜ĩ𝘊ð˜Ū𝘊ð˜ŧ𝘊ð˜Ŋð˜Ļ 𝘝ð˜Ķð˜Ŋð˜ĩ𝘊𝘭ð˜Ēð˜ĩ𝘊𝘰ð˜Ŋ:

Evaluating and optimizing car park ventilation systems to meet these stringent requirements can be complex. This is where Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis becomes invaluable. By simulating airflow patterns, contaminant dispersion, and temperature distribution within the car park, CFD allows us to:

  • Accurately assess ventilation effectiveness: Visualize how air moves and where CO might accumulate.
  • Predict CO concentrations: Understand potential peak levels under various traffic conditions.
  • Optimize fan placement and performance: Identify the most efficient locations and capacities for supply and extraction fans.
  • Validate compliance: Ensure the ventilation strategy meets regulatory ACH and CO limits across the entire space.

𝘋ð˜Ķð˜Ū𝘰ð˜Ŋð˜īð˜ĩð˜ģð˜Ēð˜ĩ𝘊ð˜Ŋð˜Ļ 𝘗ð˜Ēð˜ģð˜Ēð˜Ūð˜Ķð˜ĩð˜ģ𝘊ð˜Ī 𝘚ð˜ĩð˜ķð˜Ĩ𝘚 ð˜ļ𝘊ð˜ĩð˜Đ ð˜–ð˜ąð˜Ķð˜Ŋ𝘍𝘖𝘈𝘔 𝘰ð˜Ŋ 𝘊𝘭𝘰ð˜ķð˜Ĩ𝘏𝘗𝘊:

The results showcased in the accompanying GIF demonstrate the power of parametric studies in understanding ventilation performance.

These simulations were ð—―ð—ēð—ŋð—ģ𝗞ð—ŋ𝗚ð—ēð—ą 𝘂𝘀ð—ķð—ŧð—ī ð—Ēð—―ð—ēð—ŧ𝗙ð—Ē𝗔𝗠, a leading open-source CFD toolbox, ð—đð—ē𝘃ð—ēð—ŋð—Ūð—īð—ķð—ŧð—ī 𝘁ð—ĩð—ē 𝘀𝗰ð—Ūð—đð—Ūð—Ŋð—ķð—đð—ķ𝘁𝘆 ð—Ūð—ŧð—ą ð—Ū𝗰𝗰ð—ē𝘀𝘀ð—ķð—Ŋð—ķð—đð—ķ𝘁𝘆 𝗞ð—ģ 𝗰ð—đð—žð˜‚ð—ąð—›ð—Ģ𝗖 (https://cloudhpc.cloud). This powerful combination allowed for a comprehensive ð˜ąð˜Ēð˜ģð˜Ēð˜Ūð˜Ķð˜ĩð˜ģ𝘊ð˜Ī ð˜īð˜ĩð˜ķð˜Ĩ𝘚, ð˜Ķð˜đð˜ąð˜­ð˜°ð˜ģ𝘊ð˜Ŋð˜Ļ 𝘷ð˜Ēð˜ģ𝘊𝘰ð˜ķð˜ī ð˜Ē𝘊ð˜ģ ð˜Īð˜Đð˜Ēð˜Ŋð˜Ļð˜Ķ ð˜īð˜Īð˜Ķð˜Ŋð˜Ēð˜ģ𝘊𝘰ð˜ī ð˜Ģ𝘚 ð˜Ēð˜Ĩð˜Ŧð˜ķð˜īð˜ĩ𝘊ð˜Ŋð˜Ļ ð˜ĩð˜Đð˜Ķ 𝘧𝘭𝘰ð˜ļ ð˜ģð˜Ēð˜ĩð˜Ķð˜ī 𝘰𝘧 ð˜Ģ𝘰ð˜ĩð˜Đ ð˜īð˜ķð˜ąð˜ąð˜­ð˜š ð˜Ēð˜Ŋð˜Ĩ ð˜Ķð˜đð˜ĩð˜ģð˜Ēð˜Īð˜ĩ𝘊𝘰ð˜Ŋ 𝘧ð˜Ēð˜Ŋð˜ī. The GIF visually represents how different ventilation strategies impact CO dispersion and concentration within a car park environment.


CloudHPC is a HPC provider to run engineering simulations on the cloud. CloudHPC provides from 1 to 224 vCPUs for each process in several configuration of HPC infrastructure - both multi-thread and multi-core. Current software ranges includes several CAE, CFD, FEA, FEM software among which OpenFOAM, FDS, Blender and several others.

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Categories: Regulations