Introduction

Air curtains are local ventilation devices used in large commercial, industrial buildings, warehouses, and maintenance facilities to reduce the leakage of airflow through dedicated apertures (gates, doors, windows, etc.) in building enclosures. The operation of air curtains is based on the damping effect of air jets installed and operated near the open aperture. The use of air curtains offers several advantages; they improve working conditions near open apertures, reduce the consumption of heat and electric energy used to heat the building, and reduce the loss of usable working space near the apertures due to ingress of cold air into the building. Well-designed air curtains can improve the indoor air environment of the premises, reduce construction costs, and reduce energy consumption during the building operation by 10–20%.