Gilberts on target for internal comfort
Air movement experts Gilberts, has applied its technical know-how to create the perfect atmosphere for a new indoor, underground shooting range.
“It was quite a challenge, to ensure the guests and potential purchasers enjoyed a safe, comfortable atmosphere, with appropriate levels of fresh air, and air quality, against anything which could disturb the flow and accuracy of the bullets as weapons were discharged,” says Gilberts technical director Roy Jones.
The Gilberts team devised a solution whereby a floor-to-ceiling wall of grilles was constructed in front of the entrance and observation gallery. This provides a laminar flow down the length of the shooting range, with all of the air travelling in one direction, away from clients.
“The airflow pattern was essential to avoid any disturbance of the bullet’s travel through the air,” says Jones. “Typically we would vent a space from the ceiling down, which obviously would impact on the flight path, and potentially create turbulence, which needed to be avoided. We had to ensure an airflow, between 0.1- 0.3m/s, that was consistent from floor to ceiling, and that provided the required comfort and environmental requirements.”
An even wall of air at the shooting line was the desired objective; however, that potentially created ‘dead zones’ where the doors and viewing windows did not allow air entry.
Gilberts’ solution was to manufacture the bespoke units, from designs formed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software, then individually test them within its in- house facility to ensure the airflow was perfectly even.
