Air Filtration in HVAC Systems

What is filtration

Filtration is a process in which solid particles in a

mixture are separated from a liquid or gas using some
type of a porous medium. Generally, solids are
retained on the filter while allowing the liquid or gas
through. Filtration process is used in nearly every
segment of industry. The suspension to be filtered is
called slurry when the fluid is a liquid. The porous
medium used to separate the solids is known as filter
medium. The solids on the filter are referred as filter
cake and the clear liquid passing through the filter is
filtrate. The pores of the filter medium are smaller
than the size of particles to be separated. Because of
their unique properties expanded polytetrafluoro
ethylene (ePTFE) microporous membranes have
found a vast number of applications in various market
segments.

Why filtration is necessary

The airborne transmission of respiratory pathogens such as

measles, tuberculosis, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS),
influenza, rhinovirus, and others in indoor environments and the
associated risk of infection presented to uninfected occupants are
governed by several complex physical and biological processes.
Communicable respiratory illnesses lead to large excesses in expenses associated with healthcare,
absence from work, and lost
worker productivity [1], but the control of airborne infectious disease transmission in indoor
environments is not yet entirely understood [2]. Several studies have shown that building design and
operational characteristics such as increased outdoor air ventilation
rates, lower occupant density, and use of UV germicidal irradiation
can reduce the risk of infectious disease transmission inside
buildings [3e7]. Similarly, commonly available particle filters in
recirculating heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC)
systems may also be used to reduce the risk of airborne infectious
disease transmission, depending on the nature of infectious aerosols and some important building
characteristics.
Indoor air contaminants have been globally recognised as public health hazards during the last decade.
The accumulation of contaminants leads to ‘‘sick building syndrome’’ (SBS) and to other reported
diseases in affected spaces (Soreanu et al., 2013). While air filtration technology based building
ventilation can remove air pollutants and increase indoor air quality, filters increase the systems’ energy
consumption and operating cost. The energy consumption is related to filter’s resistance to air passing
through it: the resistance increases when the filter is fouled and causes higher energy consumption. This
can be a significant problem when air filtration is incorporated into the HVAC system. Additional
problems such as acoustic impact and non-uniform thermal environment would occur by air filters. In
order to achieve sustainable indoor environments, these problems need to be addressed.

Ventilation plays a crucial role in maintaining a clean indoor environment. However, ventilation
systems can also be major sources of airborne pollutants as a result of inadequate system design,
distribution, cross-contamination, etc. Thus, air filtration technology plays a key role in protecting
human health by removing indoor air pollutions, while also providing an alternative solution for
reducing energy usage, operating costs and thus delivering a way to achieve sustainability.

Standards or regulations related to air filtration in building ventilation

5.1 Air quality standards
Section 5.1 provides a systematically analysis of worldwide ambient and indoor air quality standards.
Although these standards cannot be directly used, they can be regarded as examples for countries that
need to establish corresponding ambient and indoor PM2.5 pollution regulations. These countries can
take advantage of the known technical route, research framework and concentration limits.
1. Ambient air quality standards

Global concentration limits for outdoor PM 2.5

Table 4 lists the standard limit of PM2.5 concentrations of different countries and organizations
(AustralianGovernment, 2003, EuropeanCommission, 2010, JapaneseGovernment, 2009,
MinistryOfEnvironmentalProtectionOfChina, 2012, UnitedStatesEnvironmentalProtectionAgency,
2006, WHO, 2006). America was the first to formulate National Ambient Air Quality Standards
(NAAQS) and made detailed implementation plan since 1997. Except for the daily and annual PM2.5
concentration limits, the World Health Organization (WHO) set up three transition targets for countries
or regions that cannot reach the goal at the present stage. According to the WHO standards of periodic
value of PM2.5, Australia has already reached the WHO guidelines followed by the USA and Japan
meeting the Interim target-3, with EU achieving the Interim target-2. Japan has the most restrictive
PM2.5 emission standards in Asia, while China is still working at the Interim target-1. Though Chinese
PM2. 5 standard GB 3095—2012 is currently implemented in stages, there is still a long way to go for
Chinese environmental air pollution control.
2. Indoor air quality standards

Table 5 lists the indoor environment control standards of particulate matters (PM). The indoor PM
standards issued by USA NAAQS/EPA, USA OSHA Industry and German Occupational Health
11

Global concentration limits for indoor PM

Association focus on industrial environments. Hongkong Indoor Air Quality standard concentrates on
office buildings and public places whereas Mainland China Indoor Air Quality standard aims at
residential and office buildings. Currently, only few countries have established PM2.5 control standards
and recommended limits for indoor environments. China, Australia and New Zealand only regulate
indoor PM10 concentration levels, while the United States and the European Union have also prescribed
concentration limit for PM2.5. The Chinese standard limits indoor PM10 at 150 μg/m³, New Zealand’s
at 120 μg/m³, while Australia and the EU set it at 100μg/m³. Compared to outdoor PM2.5 control
standards, indoor PM2.5 control standards still need to be optimized.
5.2 Air filter standards
Air filters’ test methods are developing with the progress of relevant monitoring technology. In 1938
the USA was the first to develop the National standard of colorimetric efficiency test method for air
filters. Then Germany, UK, France and other European countries followed with their filter testing
methods during the fifties and sixties. Finally, European Ventilation Association issued the
EUROVENT 4/5 standards on the basis of ASHRAE52-76 standard in 1979. In the latest European
standard EN 779:2011, the original F5 and F6 classification was changed to M5 and M6 grades

respectively, and for class F7 to F9 air filters the lowest efficiency was set to 0.4μm. Table 6
presents
the air filter classifications according to the EN 779: 2012 standard (ComitéEuropéenDeNormalisation,
2012).

Air filter classification according to EN779:2012

In the early 1980s, Chinese researchers proposed atmospheric dust counting method for air filters’
detection and classification, which served as the basis of the Chinese national air filter test standard
GB12218-89. In 1993, GB/T14295-93 was proposed utilizing the same detection method of GB12218-
89, which was revised in October 2005. The latest standard GB/T14295-2008 (presented in Table 7)
is
in effect since January 2008 and revised since January 2016.

Classification in GB/T 14295-2008

Minimum Filter Efficiencies
What is a HEPA filter?

HEPA is an acronym that stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air, so a HEPA filter is a High
Efficiency Particulate Air filter. Filters, whether for an air purifier or other implementation, come
with many benefits and claims.

What sets HEPA filters apart from the rest is their claims are more than just claims. Because in
order to be called a true HEPA filter it has to be first be tested and approved, you know exactly
what to expect. HEPA filters are designed to filter 99.97 percent of particles with a diameter of
0.3 microns. The size of 0.3 microns is the most evasive for a particulate filter. A HEPA filter is
more efficient in trapping particles with larger or smaller diameters. When HEPA filters are
installed within HVAC systems, they should be challenged with a testing agent to ensure that
they are meeting their designed efficiency. Dioctyl phthalate (DOP) is usually used as the
challenging agent. A DOP generator creates aerosols with a mass median diameter of 0.27
microns that are injected into the HVAC system’s airstream, upstream from the filter bank. A
light-scattering photometer then determines the penetration of DOP aerosols that occurs through
the filter and around its gasket.

What is a micron?

Particles range from ultra-microscopic to entirely detectable to the human eye. Microns, which
are one-millionth of a meter, are how particles are measured. To give you a better idea of the size
of a micron, or less than a micron, consider that we cannot visually see anything less than 10
microns. Bacteria can be anywhere from 0.3 to 60 microns, and 1 inch equals 25,400 microns.

Micron Comparison Chart:

 Spores: 3 – 40 microns
 Mold: 3 – 12 microns
  Bacteria: 0.3 – 60 microns
 Car emissions: 1 – 150 microns
 Pure oxygen: 0.0005 microns

HEPA filters are also placed within biological safety cabinets, horizontal laminar flow benches,
and some exhaust ducts. One or two HEPA filters are placed within biological safety cabinets,
depending on the type of cabinet. Biological safety cabinets should be tested and certified
annually per the National Sanitation Foundation International Standard Number 49: Class II
(Laminar Flow Biohazard Cabinetry (NSF 49). Certification of biological safety cabinets
includes challenging HEPA filters with DOP aerosols. A biological safety cabinet may exhaust
into its room or outdoors, depending on its design and the pathogens used within the unit.

Filtration performance may affect IAQ in several ways. Poorly maintained filters with
inadequate seals and breaches in the filter media promote the passage of contaminants into
occupied spaces. This seriously affects IAQ in critical areas where clean environments are
needed. Particulate filters with MERVs of 14 (90 to 95 percent dust spot efficiency) or HEPA
filters may be needed for critical patient areas to protect patients from airborne pathogens that
may cause infections.
Severely occluded particulate filters increase the resistance of airflow through the filters,
affecting air supply rates. When filters are not changed according to the manufacturer’s
instructions, the performance of the HVAC system is compromised.

When HEPA filters are not properly maintained and tested regularly in biological safety cabinets,
there is risk of contamination of the product within the unit or release of airborne pathogens into
the occupied environments. Some types of biological safety cabinets are designed to supply
HEPA filtered air over the work surface to protect the product on the work surface from
contamination. HEPA filters are used within all biological safety cabinets to prevent airborne
pathogens released at the work surface from entering the occupied environment. When the
HEPA filters within a biological safety cabinet are not performing as intended, products on the
work surface may be contaminated, or pathogens used within the biological safety cabinet may
be exhausted into the room.

Are all HEPA filters the same?

Contrary to popular belief, not all HEPA filters are the same. There are significant differences in
composition and utilization. For example, Blueair uses what they call HEPASilent™ particle
filtration technology. The air first passes through an ionizer, which charges incoming particles
with a negative electrostatic charge.

The air then reaches the HEPA filter, which uses gradient composition of synthetic fibers to
capture the charged particles. RabbitAir uses what they call a BioGS HEPA Filter. Rather than
just trapping contaminants and having them build up over time, RabbitAir asserts that their filters
also reduce contaminants. This, in turn, works to prevent allergen buildup and the further growth
of bacteria and viruses on the filter, improving the overall efficiency. IQAir’s HyperHEPA
filtration uses what they call nanofibers to stop particles as small as 0.003 microns.

There are many different air purifier technologies out there – activated carbon, ionizing, ozone,
UV technology, and HEPA just to name a few. Some air purifiers use technologies in
conjunction with each other while others employ only one technology. Whichever you decide to
go with, knowing what to expect is important.

The specification usually used in the European Union is the European Norm EN 1822:2009. It
defines several classes of HEPA filters by their retention at the given most penetrating particle
size (MPPS):

For pathology workstations, permanganate filters are used for removal of formaldehyde vapors
in air. This type of filter works differently than particulate filters. As the formaldehyde vapor–
laden air passes through the filter, the vapors are absorbed onto the filter media. When the filters
experience their full absorption capacity, formaldehyde vapors are not absorbed onto the media
and pass through the filter. This results in formaldehyde vapors escaping into the occupied
environment.
To ensure that appropriate filters are being used and maintained in accordance with the
manufacturer’s instructions, maintenance and laboratory personnel should be trained on the
features of filters. Personnel should know the capabilities of the filters and when they should be
changed. Filter inspections and testing (HEPA filters) should be included in preventive
maintenance plans.