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[Zantan]

I am interested in adding a ventilation system to my fortress to improve the health and wellness of my dwarves.  My goal is to have air flowing through every room in my fort to provide fresh air and remove polluted air from industry and exposed magma.  I have a basic plan, but I am not sure whether it is a practical design.  The basic design is as follows, with the first step being at the lowest part of the fortress and each step occurring at a higher z-level:

• Either cool air is drawn from the caverns, or warm air is drawn from the surface and cooled by deep ocean waters, through several layers of grates and fortifications
• This air first flows through the kitchen (to add appealing smells) and hospital (where good air is most important).
• From there the air flows through dining areas and bedrooms, into the high-ceilinged central cavern.
• Air is drawn from the central cavern into several separated industrial areas.
• Each area either has magma powered workshops or magma skylights, to ensure that the air is very warm.
• Warm industrial air rises and exits through chimneys to the surface (again protected with grates and fortifications.

This relies on cool air being drawn upwards by the force of magma-heated air leaving the system via the chimneys.  My concern is that I'm not sure if the chimneys will produce enough pull to make the cold air rise, especially if the system relies on pulling temperate air from the surface to below my fort.  I am working on a Quickfort design right now, but in the mean time does anyone have any thoughts on the practicality of the system, and what risks are involved in potentially using the caverns as a source of cool air?

[Sphalerite]

As far as I can tell, Dwarf Fortress does not model air movement or temperature at all.  So build whatever makes you happy.

[Snook]

The cool air from the caverns might allow for contamination from such diverse elements as: FB's, &'s, and the various cavern inhabitants. Also, I would hesitate to say that the air in the caverns is "fresh" by any definition, except maybe for a dwarf.

[ledgekindred]

Use pumps.  They won't actually do anything but since there's no air circulation model anyway we'll pretend they do.

Build a ventilation system of 1-tile wide tunnels on the layer(s) above your active floors to act as your ceiling a/c ducts.  Dig a channel above each room and install a floor grate to act as the a/c vent. install floor grates on the floor of each room that leads to another network of ducts underneath the floors.

Install a couple pumps at the air entrance to pressurize the air to get it moving and occasionally add additional pumps along the network of ducts to ensure that the air pressure stays high enough to keep circulating. 

During the summer activate the above-room ventilation system that pulls air from the caverns.  (Build a duct that goes to the caverns and put a grate over it.  It'll keep flyers from entering it.  And let's make the assumption it can also act as a filter to clean the air before you suck it in.)  During the winter, enable the system of ducts that passes through your forge to warm the air.  Make sure your a/c is connected to the ceiling vents and your heating system is connected to the floor vents.  The fresh air will come out of the appropriate vent and air pressure will force it through the opposite vent where you can then reverse the pumps to pump the stale air away.

It won't accomplish a damn thing other than cosmetic, but that means it absolutely qualifies it as a megaproject.  Do it! For science!

edit: Even better, forget the caverns for cool air.  Instead do this. 

Build a pump that pulls water from a local river and channels it into a line of copper pipes. Run the pipes down the middle of your main a/c intake duct which pulls in outside air instead of the hassle of going down to the caverns.  Then the copper piping u-turns and discharges back into the river.  As the cool river water flows through the main duct it will cool the air.  Since you're taking it from the river, which is a constantly refreshing source, you will always be pulling in cool water.  Once it's done its heat exchange job by cooling the air in the ducts (causing the water in turn to warm up) discharge it back into the river to be washed downstream. 

Same principle as a real-world air conditioner, except instead of using coolant and a compressor you're using pumps and constantly refreshing cold river water.

If you want, run the main a/c duct through your forge area to heat the air first, then as you run it past the coolant pipes (of which you will have to make more to compensate for the extra heating from the forges) the warm air will more readily lose the humidity to the cold water pipes, conditioning and drying the air as it is pumped in. 

[Zantan]

Use pumps.  They won't actually do anything but since there's no air circulation model anyway we'll pretend they do.

If I am going to mechanically assist this, there are several options.  Pumps would look like little fans (I hadn't thought of them), so they could be an option.  I was thinking of building underground windmills and power them (pretending that they are fans instead), but I'm not sure if they would get any animation.  Alternatively, I could make a giant fan animation out of lots of 1x1 bridges linked to some repeaters.  That's what I would really like, but it would be a pain to make...

[ledgekindred]

Use pumps.  They won't actually do anything but since there's no air circulation model anyway we'll pretend they do.

If I am going to mechanically assist this, there are several options.  Pumps would look like little fans (I hadn't thought of them), so they could be an option.  I was thinking of building underground windmills and power them (pretending that they are fans instead), but I'm not sure if they would get any animation.  Alternatively, I could make a giant fan animation out of lots of 1x1 bridges linked to some repeaters.  That's what I would really like, but it would be a pain to make...

Build pumps hooked up to dwarven perpetual motion engines.  (Personally I think a few pumps would look much more like the typical building-sized a/c units.)

And you of course will have to line your ductwork with 1x1 bridges to be able to do temperature control by blocking off certain sections of ducts to switch between a/c and heating.

Also, of course it would be a pain to make, that's what makes it awesome!  If it were easy it wouldn't be worth the effort.

[Hyndis]

I prefer to use passive heat flows to move air. Put a vertical shaft near or above magma, such that the heated air from the magma will rise. This will then draw air up and out of the fortress. Air is drawn in elsewhere due to the lower pressure from the hot updraft.

[They Got Leader]

I love this thread because even though we all know air ducts and movement won't change anything, we discuss it anyways 

What about noise? Your dwarves aren't going to like the major noise caused by all this. And also, you should make the ducts accessible like secret passages.

[Quatch]

Probably a bad idea to pump hospital air into the fort (under the pretense that airflow matters), in case of airborne contaigion.

You probably want the hospital on a separate loop, with a vent out somewhere unimportant--elf retreat?

[TherosPherae]

I love this thread because even though we all know air ducts and movement won't change anything, we discuss it anyways 

What about noise? Your dwarves aren't going to like the major noise caused by all this. And also, you should make the ducts accessible like secret passages.

Urist McNinja cancels Kill Kobold Thief: Blocked air duct

[Hyndis]

If you're using passive systems that work based on heat then there is no noise generated. For security I like building the ventilation system such that it all leads to a centralized main vent, which is heavily trapped just in case a flier gets into it for any reason. This is an ideal place for traps, as its an area no dwarf goes there for any sane reason which means everything in the area is presumed to be hostile.

My main rooms are also more than 1 level tall. Lesser used rooms or storage is only a single level, but workshops, dining rooms, throne rooms, and great halls are all multiple levels. Ventilation can be installed onto the ceilings, with of course masterwork iron grates placed over the ceiling vents.

[ledgekindred]

What about noise? Your dwarves aren't going to like the major noise caused by all this. And also, you should make the ducts accessible like secret passages.

Mental image:  Kobold thief wearing black jumpsuit, hanging from fancy harness, friend carefully lowering him from air vent in ceiling towards cache of artifact goodies and a floor covered with pressure plate traps.  The rope slips and he drops towards the floor...

[Astramancer]

If you do it right, you can get an insane Urist McGruber to lock himself into the vault and then Urist McLain, of the fotress guard, has to climb through the vents to get at him (and rescue his not-quite-yet estranged wife)

(the captain of the guard can't come, because he's getting too old for this s**t, and only has one more day until retirement)

[iceball3]

Urist McFisherdwarf cancels pick lock: Interupted by guard.
first one who gets that wins s free hypothetical cookie.

[ledgekindred]

Urist McFisherdwarf cancels pick lock: Interupted by guard.
first one who gets that wins s free hypothetical cookie.

I'm fond of Girl Scout Samoans, mmk?