TECHNICAL FEATURE This article was published in ASHRAE Journal, October 2016. Copyright 2016 ASHRAE. Posted at www.ashrae.org. This article may not be copied and/or distributed electronically or in paper form without permission of ASHRAE. For more information about ASHRAE Journal, visit www.ashrae.org. Impact of Stack Effect on Building Static Pressure Measurement BY RICHARD FAHNLINE, P.E. Accurate measurement of building static pressure is essential to enable a building’s ventilation system to maintain a proper level of positive pressurization at the base of the building. The consequence of stack effect on building pressurization in tall and medium-height buildings is generally well understood, with good discussions on the subject in both ASHRAE Handbook—Fundamentals1 and ASHRAE Handbook—HVAC Applications.2 However, the impact of stack effect on the process of measuring building static pressure is often not properly addressed. For example, substantial error in the measurement pressure control during cold weather; significant infil- of building static pressure can occur when a building is tration was observed in the lower levels of the building, operating in cold weather. On these occasions, the build- resulting in cold and freezing conditions within ceiling ing’s automation system could indicate the building plenums throughout the lower levels. static pressure is slightly positive relative to the exterior The transfer of substantial amounts of cold outdoor air while, in fact, the static pressure at the base of the build- into the main entry and exit vestibules was also observed ing is actually negative relative to the exterior. during cold weather operation. These problems were Failure to maintain slightly positive or, at least, neutral clearly caused by a substantial level of depressurization pressurization at the base of the building will allow the at the base of the building, despite an indication from infiltration of cold, unfiltered outdoor air into the build- the building’s automation system that the building was ing through construction gaps and exterior entryways. positively pressurized to +0.05 in. w.c. (12.4 Pa). These To a lesser extent, during warm weather the opposite problems occurred regardless of the wind conditions error will occur, and the building’s automation system and increased in severity as the ambient air temperature could indicate the building static pressure is slightly became colder. positive relative to the exterior while, in fact, it is actu- When a slight temperature difference exists between ally highly positive relative to the exterior. the exterior and interior of a building, minimal stack The Dennis Maes Pueblo Judicial Building, a newly effect will occur. On these occasions, the static pressure constructed, five-story county courthouse in southern differential between the exterior and interior of the Colorado, initially experienced problems with static building is primarily a function of the ventilation system Richard Fahnline, P.E., is a mechanical project engineer with the RMH Group, Denver. 26 ASHRAE JOURNAL ashrae.org OCTOBER 2016 TECHNICAL FEATURE operation and is independent of the height of the building. However, when the exterior Building Static Pressure air temperature differs significantly from PBLDG = PINT – POUT the interior air temperature, stack effect will result. PBLDG Building static pressure During the winter, lower outdoor air tem- PINT Interior pressure peratures will result in the depressurization POUT Outdoor pressure of the lower floors and increased pressuriza- tion of the upper floors. During summer operation, higher outdoor air temperatures will result in the increased pressurization of the lower floors and depressurization of the upper floors. Differential Pressure Transmitter As shown in Figure 1, the ideal location for both the interior and exterior static pres- Interior Static sure references is at the base of the building Pressure Reference Outdoor Static Pressure Reference where maintaining a slightly positive build- DPT ing static pressure is essential. PINT POUT As indicated in the ASHRAE Handbook— HVAC Applications,3 mitigating wind effect is typically achieved by locating the exterior FIGURE 1 Building static pressure measurement with interior and exterior references located at static pressure reference at 10 ft to 15 ft (3 m base of building. to 4.6 m) above the roof level. The interior static pressure reference is located at ground level, typically within an interior space of Exterior Section of the Outdoor Static T Pressure Reference Sensing Line the building (Figure 2). P OUT R T P OUT P INT DP ² Although this arrangement minimizes HR OUT Prevailing Wind H Direction wind effect on the building static pressure DPT OUT DP ¢OUT measurement process, it also introduces an T error due to stack effect. Since the internal P INT Interior pressure at transmitter Interior Section of T P OUT Outdoor pressure at transmitter static pressure reference sensing line is the Outdoor Static R Pressure Reference P OUT Outdoor pressure at outside static routed within the building, the air tempera- Sensing Line pressure reference located at ture within the sensing line will be close to rooftop DPINT Change in pressure from the the internal building temperature (return interior static pressure reference DPINT HINT air temperature). The rate of change in the (PINT) to the differential pressure T pressure within the sensing line with change transmitter (P INT) DP ¢OUT Change in pressure from the in elevation will be a function of the internal rooftop penetration of the outdoor air temperature, with pressure decreasing static pressure sensing line to the differential pressure transmitter from the internal static pressure sensing ref- (POUT) T erence (PINT ) up to static pressure P INT at the DP ²OUT Change in pressure from the differential pressure transmitter. outdoor static pressure reference (POUT) to the rooftop penetration The rate of change in the pressure within PINT the outdoor reference sensing line with change in elevation will be a function of both the interior and exterior air tempera- FIGURE 2 Building static pressure measurement with static pressure reference located at the base tures, with pressure increasing from the of building and the exterior static reference located above the roof. R outdoor static pressure reference (P OUT ) OCTOBER 2016 ashrae.org ASHRAE JOURNAL 27 TECHNICAL FEATURE T down to the static pressure P OUT T at the differential pressure trans- P OUT P T DP ² P R mitter. The pressure change for INT OUT OUT DP ²VIR DP ¢ the interior section of the outdoor DPT OUT T static pressure reference sensing PINT = P INT – DPINT T line will be a function of the inter- POUT = P OUT – DP ¢VIR – DP ¢OUT DP = DP nal air temperature. The pressure ²OUT ²VIR change for the exterior section of the outdoor static pressure refer- DP ¢VIR Change in pressure in the virtual line from the base of the building ence sensing line will be a function (POUT) to the roof line of the outdoor air temperature. DP ² Change in pressure in the virtual H DP VIR DPINT ¢VIR line from the roof line to the actual The measurement of interest outdoor static pressure reference R is the differential pressure from (P OUT) the interior to the exterior at the H Height from interior static pressure Virtual Static reference to outdoor line entrance base of the building, not between Pressure Reference to building envelope at rooftop the roof level and the base of the Sensing Line H = HINT + HOUT building. T Figure 3 shows a virtual pressure PBLDG = PINT – POUT = (P INT – DPINT) sensing line routed from the roof –(P T – DP ¢ – DP ¢ ) P P OUT VIR OUT level exterior pressure reference INT OUT T T down to the base of the building. PBLDG = (P INT – P OUT ) – DPINT + DP ¢VIR + DP ¢OUT Since this virtual line is in the exte- Measured Building Correction in Static rior air, the pressure change with Static Pressure Pressure Measurement change in elevation will be a func- FIGURE 3 Building static pressure measurement with the virtual static pressure reference located at base of tion of the exterior air temperature, building. with the pressure decreasing from the virtual static pressure sensing reference (POUT ) to the actual outdoor static pressure ref- outdoor static pressure reference sensing line, and the R erence (P OUT ). change in the virtual outdoor pressure sensing line. The corresponding change in pressure within the vir- Because the exterior section of the outdoor pressure tual pressure reference sensing line will be at a different reference sensing line is at the outdoor air temperature, rate than in the interior pressure reference sensing line the pressure change within this section of the line will be whenever there is a difference between the interior air canceled out by that section of the virtual sensing line, and exterior air temperatures. Over a vertical distance of which is above the rooftop penetration of the outdoor greater than a few dozen feet, this difference in the rate static pressure reference sensing line. of change in the pressure can result in a significant error The change in the pressure in the virtual pressure in the measured building static pressure differential. sensing line should be calculated from the base of the To eliminate this error, the measured building differ- building to the roof line or at a point where the outdoor ential pressure should be corrected in accordance with static pressure reference sensing line penetrates into the the following equation.4 building. This equation also includes an altitude correc- tion factor based on the change in the atmospheric pres- DPCORRECT = 7.64 × CALT × H sure and corresponding change in the air density, which 1 1 (1) × − ultimately impacts stack effect. (TINT + 460°R) (TOUT + 460°R) As indicated previously, the main air-handling unit This equation corrects for the difference in the change return air temperature can be used for the internal in pressure (in in.