Autors: Atanasova, R. P., Ivanov, M. P., Dimchev, I. N.
Title: Fabric Ducting Systems: A Technical Perspective on Sustainable HVAC Design
Keywords: air diffusion, energy efficiency, fabric ducting, HVAC, innovation, recycled materials, sustainable engineering

Abstract: The presented study deals with the use of fabric ducting in air distribution systems. This is a topic of high relevance as fabric ducting solutions are firmly entering the construction of modern HVAC systems, especially in the context of sustainability, reducing the carbon footprint and the green building construction. The textile materials used, the possibilities for using recycled materials and material innovations are analyzed. Attention is paid to the technological and efficiency challenges in the fabric-based ducting. An example is considered, that compares two identical installations in a public building, used as a sporting goods store in Sofia, Bulgaria. It us done, in order to analyze the effect of changing the material of the air ducts from galvanized steel to textile, in terms of investment costs and energy efficiency, the analysis shows a 27.38% lower investment cost when using fabric ducts. As a result, the use of fabric ducts will reduce energy consumption by 3 918 kWh per year for 3 rooftop HVAC units. Considering that the building is open 365 days a year, 7 days a week and 14 hours a day, the annual energy consumption of the building for the fans alone is 58 079 kWh/year, this means that the reduction of the required energy will be about 6.7%. The calculations from an environmental point of view prove a reduction in carbon emissions by almost 75% when using recycled polyester fabric for the textile ducting.

References

  1. ASHRAE, HVAC Applications Handbook, Atlanta, GA: American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, 2023, ch. 34, pp. 34.1-34.14.
  2. Prihoda, "Prihoda recycled, " [Online]. Available: https://www.prihoda.com/en/prihoda-recycled/. [Accessed: Jul. 25, 2025].
  3. Aerotextile, "Technical fabrics for our ducts, " [Online]. Available: https://aerotextile.com/en/technical-fabrics-for-our-ducts/. [Accessed: Jul. 25, 2025].
  4. DuctSox, "DuctSox official website, " [Online]. Available: https://www.ductsox.com/. [Accessed: Jul. 25, 2025].
  5. J. Enking, A. Becker, G. Schu, M. Gausmann, S. Cucurachi, A. Tukker, and T. Gries, "Recycling processes of polyester-containing textile waste-a review, " Resources, Conservation and Recycling, vol. 219, 2025, DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108256.
  6. H. Frost, M. Zambrano, K. Leonas, J. Pawlak, and R. Venditti, "Do recycled cotton or polyester fibers influence the shedding propensity of fabrics during laundering?, " AATCC Journal of Research, 2022, pp. 32-41, DOI: 10.14504/ajr.7.S1.4.
  7. University of Stuttgart, "Our teXirc project funded by VolkswagenStiftung, " [Online]. Available: https://www.ipoc.unistuttgart. de/msf/news/our-teXirc-project-funded-by-VolkswagenStiftung/. [Accessed: Jul. 25, 2025].
  8. Texair, "Advantages, " [Online]. Available: https://texair.eu/advantages/. [Accessed: Jul. 25, 2025].
  9. G. Gaber and L. Mohamed, "Advancements in materials used in airconditioning technologies, " in Air Conditioning Technologies and Applications, IntechOpen, 2024, DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.1006331.
  10. G. Fusaro, R. Billi, S. D'Auria, and D. D'Orazio, "Review of metamaterials principles and methods in ventilated ducts: towards a more sustainable and realistic approach, " unpublished, 2023.
  11. G. Fusaro, R. Billi, and D. D'Orazio, "Multiphysical design for optimised ventilation and noise attenuation in ducts: an approach using metamaterials, " INTER-NOISE and NOISE-CON Congress and Conference Proceedings, vol. 270, 2024, pp. 8163-8171, DOI: 10.3397/IN-2024-4054.
  12. J. Bawa, M. Abdullahi, and N. Abdulrahman, "Sustainable architecture and the impact of smart ventilation, air conditioning, and heating (VACH) systems, " Open Journal of Engineering Science, vol. 5, no. 2, 2024, pp. 19-31, DOI: 10.52417/ojes.v5i2.776.
  13. S. Kumar and H. Lee, "Labyrinthine acoustic metastructures enabling broadband sound absorption and ventilation, " Applied Physics Letters, vol. 116, 134103, 2020, DOI: 10.1063/5.0004520.
  14. Y. Gao, Z. Li, B. Liang, J. Yang, and J. Cheng, "Improving sound absorption via coupling modulation of resonance energy leakage and loss in ventilated metamaterials, " Applied Physics Letters, vol. 120, 261701, 2022, DOI: 10.1063/5.0097671.
  15. G. Fusaro, "Sviluppo di una finestra metamateriale con ventilazione e attenuazione acustica ottimizzata, " Rivista Italiana di Acustica, no. 2, 2024, pp. 9-16, DOI: 10.3280/ria2-2023oa15499.
  16. A. Fontanini, M. Olsen, and B. Ganapathysubramanian, "Thermal comparison between ceiling diffusers and fabric ductwork diffusers for green buildings, " Energy and Buildings, vol. 43, no. 11, 2011, pp. 2973-2987, DOI: 10.1016/J.ENBUILD.2011.07.005.
  17. SMACNA, HVAC duct construction standards: metal and flexible, 3rd ed., Chantilly, VA: Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association, 2005.
  18. E. Giama, "Review on ventilation systems for building applications in terms of energy efficiency and environmental impact assessment, " Energies, vol. 15, no. 1, 2021, p. 98, DOI: 10.3390/en15010098.
  19. P. Raphe, H. Fellouah, S. Poncet, and M. Ameur, "Ventilation effectiveness of uniform and non-uniform perforated duct diffusers at office room, " Building and Environment, vol. 204, 2021, p. 108118, DOI: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.108118.
  20. X. Zhang, C. Cui, W. J. Cai, H. Cai, and G. Jing, "Introduction of the Air Balancing Technology, " in Principle, Design and Optimization of Air Balancing Methods for the Multi-zone Ventilation Systems in Low Carbon Green Buildings, Singapore: Springer, 2023, pp. 1-29, DOI: 10.1007/978-981-19-7091-7-1.
  21. Z. Wu and L. K. Wang, "Ventilation and air conditioning, " in Advanced Air and Noise Pollution Control, L. K. Wang, N. C. Pereira, and Y.-T. Hung, Eds., vol. 2 of Handbook of Environmental Engineering, Totowa, NJ: Humana Press, 2005, pp. 221-270, DOI: 10.1007/978-1-59259-779-6-6.
  22. Climatiq, "Emission factor data, " [Online]. Available: https://www.climatiq.io/data/emission-factor. [Accessed: Jul. 28, 2025].
  23. CO2Everything, "CO2e of polyester, " [Online]. Available: https://www.co2everything.com/co2e-of/polyester. [Accessed: Jul. 28, 2025].
  24. CarbonFact, "Polyester carbon footprint, " [Online]. Available: https://www.carbonfact.com/blog/knowledge/polyester-carbonfootprint. [Accessed: Jul. 28, 2025].
  25. National Institutes of Health, "PET water bottles environmental impact, " [Online]. Available: https://nems.nih.gov/Documents/PETWaterBottlesEnvironmentalImp act.pdf. [Accessed: Jul. 28, 2025].

Issue

2025 10th International Conference on Energy Efficiency and Agricultural Engineering, EE and AE 2025 - Conference Proceedings, 2026, Bulgaria, https://doi.org/10.1109/EEAE65901.2025.11273777

Вид: публикация в международен форум, публикация в реферирано издание, индексирана в Scopus