6 Types of Supply Air Diffusers and Their

Applications
Written by Yu Chang Zhen in HVAC Basics
There are many different types of HVAC diffusers available in the market. Each diffuser
has its own unique characteristic and application. Many junior engineers spent a lot of
time figuring out which diffusers to use and why. So, I decided to write a post about the
6 common types of HVAC diffusers.

The 6 common types of diffusers in HVAC are:

0 seconds of 15 secondsVolume 0%

1. Directional Diffuser
2. Linear Slot Diffuser
3. Round Diffuser
4. Swirl Diffuser
5. Double Deflection Diffuser
6. Jet Diffuser
Before we start, what are HVAC diffusers? HVAC diffusers are used to deliver cold air
or hot air, depending on whether it is for cooling or heating. The main difference
between diffusers and grilles is that diffusers are often associated with airflow control
while grilles are mostly not.

So, when we refer to something as a diffuser, it means that we’re talking about supply
airflow. Similarly, most people refer to grilles when they are discussing return airflow.

However, that’s not always the case. Some of the common names given to airflow
distribution materials are diffusers, grilles, vents, registers and louvres. I don’t think it’s
really that important about the naming but they do make us understand the subject
quicker.

1. Directional Diffuser (Most Common)

Directional diffusers include 4-way diffusers, 3-way diffusers, 2-way diffusers and 1-way
diffusers. Directional diffusers are considered standard HVAC supply air diffusers.

The size of directional diffusers are mostly 2×2 ft (width x length) and they fit perfectly
on a 2×2 ft ceiling. However, they do come in 1×1 ft and other sizes upon request.

“Beware when you purchase directional diffusers because

you need to specify whether the ceiling is measure in
Imperial unit or SI unit.”
The dimension of directional diffusers in the SI unit is 595x595mm. If you put an
Imperial unit directional diffuser (603x603mm) on a SI unit ceiling, it will not fit. The
same applies to other square-shaped ceiling diffusers.

Standard directional diffusers are made of aluminium. But, if you want a cheaper option,
you can ask the supplier to change the material to galvanized steel.

Galvanized steel directional diffusers are quite common but they are more likely to rust
and I’ve seen many of them rusted. Besides, they are heavier to carry.

Directional diffusers can be found almost everywhere, especially in office buildings and
shopping malls. Particularly, the 2×2 ft 4-way diffuser is the most common type of HVAC
diffuser.

4-
Way Diffuser on a 2×2 ft Ceiling
Directional diffusers can be installed on plaster ceilings too. However, they are not
aesthetically appealing to most people. Hence, you hardly see them in hotels and luxury
homes.

Directional diffusers offer excellent airflow distribution. Each of them supplies about 300
cfm of airflow at low noise, barely audible. They are mostly coupled with a radial
damper, a crown damper or an opposed-blade damper for airflow control.
Furthermore, most of them come with a round-to-square adaptor (or plenum box) for a
flexible duct connection.

If you have a directional diffuser that has a radial damper, you can use a screwdriver to
adjust the damper and thus, the airflow without having to open up the diffuser at all. It’s
especially convenient when we’re talking about hundreds of diffusers in a building.

However, the radial damper may be loose after some time since it is only secured by a
bolt and a nut. Hence, some people prefer to use a crown damper on their directional
diffusers. But, the crown damper is harder to adjust from outside the diffuser.

2. Linear Slot Diffuser (Most Beautiful)

Linear slot diffusers include 4-slot linear diffusers, 3-slot linear diffusers, 2-slot linear
diffusers and other numbers of slots depending on the manufacturer or upon request.
The more common ones are 3-slot and 2-slot.

Linear slot diffusers always have two lengths; 600mm and 1200mm. Other lengths such
as 1500mm are possible depending on the manufacturer. As for the width, it’s
depending on the number of slots.

Needless to say, the more slot it has, the wider it gets. To give you an idea, a 2-slot and
a 3-slot linear diffuser is about 100mm and 150mm in width respectively.

Most linear slot diffusers are made of aluminium. By default, they are white in color. The
fins inside linear slot diffusers, which are used to control the airflow direction, are black
in color.

You can squeeze the fins to concentrate the airflow or widen the fins to spread out the
airflow. I would suggest not to concentrate the airflow because often, it is uncomfortable
for the people sitting below it.

Linear slot diffusers look more premium than other types of supply air diffusers.
Therefore, they are very common in hotels and luxury homes.

Relevant post: How Hotel Air Conditioners Work?.

The number of slots in linear diffusers corresponds to the amount of airflow. The higher
the airflow requirement, the more slots it needs to have. Hence, commercial buildings
often use 3-slot and above.

“3-slot linear diffusers are more common in commercial

buildings while 2-slot linear diffusers are more common in
residential buildings.”
Some luxury places even have curved linear slot diffusers. They are placed side-by-side
to form a continuous length of the diffuser which makes them look even better.

In such cases, some linear slot diffusers are dummies and are not connected to any
supply or return air duct. Just for aesthetic purposes.

Leisure Room Linear Slot Diffusers

Linear slot diffusers required a rectangular-shaped plenum box with an opposed-blade
damper for airflow control. The plenum box has a round duct collar for a flexible duct
connection.

It’s very important that the duct collar on the plenum box of linear slot diffusers is put on
the side of the plenum box rather than on the top. I’ve covered the reason in my post
about the 4 types of HVAC plenum boxes.

Linear slot diffusers have lower airflow capability than directional diffusers. Each of them
supplies about 200-250 cfm of airflow only. If you allow too much airflow through a
linear slot diffuser, it starts to generate noise.

Besides, its vertical throw characteristic may cause uncomfortable if too much air is
blasting onto people’s heads.

However, when noise is not a concern, linear slot diffusers are good for high ceiling
rooms. They are capable of throwing air from the ceiling to the ground at a height of
around 9-12 meters most of the time. If you allow more air to pass, you can even throw
up to 30 meters vertically.

If you have ceilings with a height of 12 meters, you can control the supply airflow based
on the diffuser datasheet to cap the air throw at around 9 meters so that you don’t blast
cold air on people’s head but you allow the air to travel close enough to the ground and
let it sink naturally. Thus, you don’t waste energy.

3. Round Diffuser (Uniform Air Distribution)

Round diffusers are similar to directional diffusers but come in round shapes. They offer
even better air distribution than directional diffusers.

To many people, round diffusers are better looking than square-shaped directional
diffusers. Hence, many round diffusers are installed without the ceiling.

Naked Round Diffuser

Round diffusers are available in aluminium, plastic or galvanized steel. As far as I know,
most round diffusers are made of plastic material and they are white in color. With that,
they are cheaper than directional diffusers.

The diameter of round diffusers is available from 150mm up to 600mm or more

depending on the manufacturer. However, most round diffusers are 250mm and 300mm
in diameter since these sizes are appropriate for about 250-300 cfm of airflow.
Furthermore, supply air flexible ducts are mostly 250mm and 300mm as well. Hence,
they fit very well to round diffusers.

Round diffusers can be seen in homes, office buildings, hotels and factories. They are
often installed on plaster ceilings. When used in factories and other places where
aesthetics is not a concern, most of them are naked or installed without the ceiling.

Similarly, round diffusers are often coupled with a radial damper or a crown damper but
not an opposed-blade damper. Many round diffusers have an openable front cover for
easy damper airflow adjustment. They may not need an adaptor for the flexible duct
connection since they already have a round collar.

4. Swirl Diffuser (High Air Change Rate)

Swirl diffusers have angled blades to “swirl” the supply air. They can be either round or
square in shape.

Directional and round diffusers don’t supply air vertically. Meanwhile, linear slot diffusers
don’t supply air horizontally.

On the other hand, swirl diffusers are the combination of both the directional and linear
slot diffusers. They throw air horizontally and vertically, and the amount of airflow in
each direction can be adjusted by setting their blades.

FCU Swirl Diffusers

Although swirl diffusers have vertical air throw, they are not capable of throwing the air
as far as linear slot diffusers. Most of the time, they throw air maxed at about 4-5 meters
only.

The main reason to use swirl diffusers is to mix up the air faster and thus, cool faster
and achieve a higher air change rate per hour. Swirl diffusers are also known as high
induction diffusers.

Most swirl diffusers are made of galvanized steel but if you want them to be made of
aluminium or plastic, you may send a request to the manufacturer. Some swirl diffusers
are the combination of two materials with the body made of galvanized steel and the
blades made of aluminium.

By default, swirl diffusers are white in color. Other colors are possible upon request
depending on the manufacturer. Their blades have different arrangements for different
airflow patterns.

Swirl diffusers can be installed at places just like directional diffusers and round
diffusers. However, swirl diffusers are less likely to be seen in low-end office buildings
and hotels due to the higher cost.

Because swirl diffusers are available in both round and square shapes, they can be
installed on 2×2 ft ceilings, plaster ceilings or even without the ceiling.

5. Double Deflection Diffuser (Large Airflow)

Double deflection diffusers are like a mesh; many square-shaped holes. They can be
viewed as cheaper linear slot diffusers but handle larger airflow.

Double deflection diffusers are made of either aluminium or galvanized steel. Again,
galvanized steel is cheaper but heavier and easier to rust.

By default, double deflection diffusers are white in color and square-shaped. Similar to
any square-shaped diffusers, we must be specific about whether to use the SI unit or
the Imperial unit.

Double deflection diffusers are mostly used in school halls, low-end theatres and
auditoriums where there are high ceilings and aesthetics is not a major concern.
Double Deflection Diffuser
Double deflection diffusers are excellent vertical air throwers. They can handle a high
airflow supply yet remain quiet. However, they are not able to throw air as far as linear
slot diffusers since the air is not concentrated.

Nevertheless, double deflection diffusers are still suitable for most high ceilings where
the ceiling height is about 9-12 meters.

Other than being installed on the ceiling, double deflection diffusers also can be
installed on the side to throw air sideways instead of always from the top.

Since double deflection diffusers are square-shaped, they need a round-to-square

adaptor if connected to a flexible duct. Also, they can be coupled with a radial damper, a
crown damper and an opposed-blade damper for airflow control.

6. Jet Diffuser (Long Distance Throw)

Jet diffusers are round-shaped supply air diffusers that look clean and smooth. Most of
them only have one big opening for air to pass through unlike any other diffusers that
have many openings.

Jet diffusers are made of aluminium. They are like a ball in a round cover which allows
them to rotate around and thus, supply air to almost any direction.
Jet diffusers also have standardized sizes from 100mm up to 600mm or any other sizes
upon request depending on the manufacturer.

The outer appearance of jet diffusers is very clean and smooth. Thus, they are suitable
for high-end places such as airports, auditoriums, cinemas and museums.
Nevertheless, they are mostly seen in airports, mounted on sidewalls along the hallway.

Airport Jet Diffusers

Generally, jet diffusers are an option for places where linear slot diffusers, double
deflection diffusers and other types of diffusers are not possible.

Because jet diffusers have a large opening, they deliver air at high velocity and yet, very
quietly. Furthermore, jet diffusers have very little air resistance which is gentle on the
requirement of the static pressure of air conditioners.

Jet diffusers can throw air up to 20 meters. Again, it’s uncomfortable if we allow too
much air to blast at one location.

Conclusion
There are some other types of supply air diffusers for certain applications which I have
not mentioned here such as perforated diffusers or displacement air diffusers and linear
bar grilles as supply air diffusers.
Nevertheless, the above 6 diffusers are the most common types of supply air diffusers
used in air conditioning. Ventilation systems mostly use grilles with a volume control
damper instead of diffusers.

Diffusers are designed for certain airflow patterns which are needed to distribute
cold/hot air evenly or as intended. Each type of diffuser has its own purpose and we
should always use the suitable one according to the needs.

Purchase and download the HVAC Basics (eBook) to learn more about different HVAC
components.

This article was originally published on aircondlounge.com. Actions will be taken for
unauthorised republication of this article.