Local exhaust ventilation systems are designed to capture airborne chemicals at the source of generation and remove contaminants from the work area. When a local exhaust system does its job your workers are healthy and productive. It usually consists of:
- hoods for capturing the contaminant
- ducts for transporting the contaminant
- air cleaner for removing contaminants from the air stream
- fan to create airflow in the system
- stack to discharge the air outside the workplace.
To design a Local Exhaust System we must know the:
A well-designed hood is the most important component of an effective LEVS. The hood must be positioned so that it does not pull contaminated air through the worker's breathing zone. It should be easy to use and not interfere with the job that the worker is trying to do. It should be positioned as close to the point of contaminant generation as possible. The further it is from the point where the chemical is released into the air, the more airflow is required to capture the contaminant.
AIR VOLUME AND CAPTURE VELOCITY
The air volume (cubic feet per minute) that must be exhausted by LEVS is determined by the type of hood, the distance of the hood from the source of the contaminant and the velocity needed to capture the contaminant (Capture Velocity). Capture velocity for a hood is determined by the properties of the chemical and how it is being used. Examples of capture velocities are shown in Table 1.