How it works

A fabric duct releases air along its whole length.

A sheet-metal system pushes air out of a few spaced grilles, so the throw is concentrated and the room is uneven. A TurboaSOX duct is a calculated textile surface: air leaves gently and evenly along the full run, in the pattern the space was designed for.

Even, not concentrated

The same air, spread the way the room needs it.

The method

Four stages, in order, on every project.

Even air is the output of good analysis, not a property of the fabric on its own. Nothing here is templated.

01

Site analysis

We read the space before we draw anything: the heat load, the layout and height, the process the air has to serve, and the cleanliness the facility needs to hold.

02

Precise design

The run is custom designed and vetted in computational fluid dynamics, modelling airflow velocities and the patterns the duct will hold. High-throw nozzles are then tested physically on our own rig.

03

Fabric selection

The technical fabric is hand-picked for the application and air-handling requirement: inherently fire-retardant as standard, with anti-microbial or anti-static grades where the process calls for them.

04

Execution

Cut on our laser machines, stitched and reinforced in our facility, then installed with a light suspension and clear drawings. We supervise on site, and we maintain and refit the duct over its life.

Vetted in CFD

We model the air before we cut the fabric.

Every design is checked in computational fluid dynamics so the throw, the velocity and the coverage are known on screen first. The orifices and high-throw nozzles are then proven on a physical test rig. The room gets the airflow it was designed for, not an approximation.

A computational fluid dynamics simulation of airflow vectors leaving a fabric duct
CFD airflow study. Placeholder render from the TurboaSOX archive.

Fabric against sheet metal

Where the difference shows up.

 TurboaSOX fabricConventional sheet metal
Air distributionEven, along the whole length, in a designed patternConcentrated throw from a few spaced grilles
CleaningUnzips and washes; no internal crevicesTedious, expensive, rarely complete inside
HygieneCertified fire-retardant fabric; anti-microbial grade availableHolds condensation, grease and dust internally
Structure loadLight; a false ceiling is not requiredHeavy; often needs a false ceiling that traps dirt
InstallationFast, with a light aluminium suspensionSlower, heavier, more rigging
Return airSOXProp inner-ring retention holds shape at negative pressureRigid, but harder to clean and heavier

As metal prices have risen, the cost gap between TurboaSOX and conventional ducting has narrowed.

See the product range