How Much Air is Needed to Ventilate the Gym? – Case Study

Abstract In order to design a ventilation system based on the volumetric airflow rate, which will ensure satisfactory indoor air quality and, at the same time, do not oversize the system, it is necessary to know the quantities of pollutants emissions. The concentration of produced pollutants allows the calculation of the required fresh air volumetric flow rate. Two previous published studies are analysed in this article, whose results complement each other. From the calculated values, the graphical dependence between the required fresh air volumetric flow rate and the level of physical activity was developed. It was noticed that, according to the Slovak and Romanian legislation, for the studied gym, there is insufficient air ventilation. At an allowed maximum CO2 concentration level of 1,000 ppm, the required fresh air volumetric flow rate, according to legislative requirements, will ensure a percentage of only 75.59% to 23.25% of the necessary rate (depending of the type of physical activity). For a lower allowed maximum CO2 concentration level, the ensured fresh air volumetric flow rate will be even smaller. The aim of the article is to contribute to the development of healthy environments in fitness centres and gyms and to optimize the design requirements for their ventilation systems.