Stack Effect - The Driving Force For The Stack Effect

The Driving Force For The Stack Effect

There is a pressure difference between the outside air and the air inside the building caused by the difference in temperature between the outside air and the inside air. That pressure difference ( ΔP ) is the driving force for the stack effect and it can be calculated with the equations presented below. The equations apply only to buildings where air is both inside and outside the buildings. For buildings with one or two floors, h is the height of the building. For multi-floor, high-rise buildings, h is the distance from the openings at the neutral pressure level (NPL) of the building to either the topmost openings or the lowest openings. Reference explains how the NPL affects the stack effect in high-rise buildings.

For flue gas stacks and chimneys, where air is on the outside and combustion flue gases are on the inside, the equations will only provide an approximation and h is the height of the flue gas stack or chimney.

SI units:

where:
ΔP	= available pressure difference, in Pa
C	= 0.0342
a	= atmospheric pressure, in Pa
h	= height or distance, in m
To	= absolute outside temperature, in K
Ti	= absolute inside temperature, in K

U.S. customary units:

where:
ΔP	= available pressure difference, in psi
C	= 0.0188
a	= atmospheric pressure, in psi
h	= height or distance, in ft
To	= absolute outside temperature, in °R
Ti	= absolute inside temperature, in °R