HVAC Filtration 101
Basics of HVAC Filtration
What is HVAC?
Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) is also known as comfort air conditioning. It describes the process of treating air to control simultaneously its temperature, humidity, cleanliness, and distribution to meet the comfort requirements of the occupants of the conditioned space.[1] That space may be an office, school, hospital, factory, residence, or other human occupied space. HVAC filtration is the primary process of ensuring the cleanliness of this conditioned air.
1997 ASHRAE Fundamentals Handbook
Principles of Filtration
Filtration is the process of separating or removing contaminants from a fluid stream; For the purpose of this presentation, the fluid stream is air. Many processes are involved in capturing and removing contaminants. These processes are discussed in more detail in the presentation Filtration 101 in the Resource Center on our Web site at www.kcfiltration.com.
Types of HVAC Filters
Impingement Filters Extended Surface Filters Gas Phase Filters Electronic Air Cleaners HEPA & ULPA Filters
Impingement Filters
Impingement filters are generally low cost filters designed to remove coarse contaminants from the air Common impingement filter types are Panel filters (aka: throwaway filters) Roll media filters Impingement filters typically employ a single, deep bat of spunglass, coarse synthetic fiber, or foam media for particle capture Adhesive (also know as a tackifier) can be applied to the media to aid in particle capture and retention
Extended Surface Filters
The most common types of filters used in HVAC today are extended surface filters An extended surface filter is designed to have more filter media area than the area of the filter itself Increasing media area decreases media velocity and adds dust capacity to a filter design Common types are: Pleated filters Pocket or bag filters Rigid cell filters Mini-pleated filters
Extended Surface Filters
Aluminum Separator
Pleated Filter
Rigid Cell
V-bank
Bag or Pocket Filter
Why Extended Surface Works
Panel Filter
Media Area = 4 ft2
Pleated Filter
Media Area = 12 ft2
Face Velocity = 300 fpm
Face Velocity = 300 fpm
Media Velocity = 300 fpm
Media Velocity = 100 fpm
Extending media area within a filter lowers media velocity and increases a filters capability to capture particles from the airstream
Illustration Only
Gas Phase Filters
Corrosive gases, irritant gases, and odorous gases may be removed through gas phase filtration Three basic methods are recommended for removing gaseous contaminants:
Source Control - Removing the source of the contaminant (put the wet dog outside) Ventilation Control - Introducing clean air to dilute the concentration of the contaminant (open the
windows)
Removal Control - Filtering out the contaminant
Gas Phase Filtration
Adsorption, Chemisorption, and Catalysis are the primary mechanisms of gaseous contaminant removal Gas phase filters are typically deep bed filters loaded with particulate such as activated carbon, potassium permangenate, or other agent that removes the particular gas that is targeted Once spent, gas phase filters must be replaced or, in some cases, they can be regenerated
Electronic Air Cleaners
Not to be confused with electrostatic filter media, electronic air cleaners use an active external power source to capture particles passing through the filter Electronic air cleaners have been demonstrated to capture very fine particles not readily collected by some media filters Their efficiency can be greatly reduced if they are not regularly maintained to remove particle build-up on the collectors They are also not recommended for high humidity environments or where combustible or explosive gases are present
Measuring Filter Performance
Primary measures of a filters performance
Efficiency
Tested by certified test labs under ASHRAE test protocols Based on the ability of a filter to remove particles of a specified size from a fluid stream See ASHRAE 52.1 and 52.2 Standards
Pressure Drop
Measures the airflow resistance of a filter Reported in initial and final (terminal) pressure drop
Dust Capacity
The accumulated mass of dust removed by a filter when it reaches its terminal pressure drop
ASHRAE Standard 52.1-1992
ASHRAEs original HVAC filter test standard Reports filter efficiency in Atmospheric Dust Spot Efficiency % (opacity measure)
Did not report efficiency by particle size No attempt to measure a filters minimum efficiency
Reports Synthetic Dust Weight Arrestance % Reports Dust Holding Capacity Still used to test coarse filters in the range of MERV 1 through 4
ASHRAE Standard 52.2 - 1999
Test Measurements:
Fractional Efficiency Composite Minimum Efficiency Curve Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value Pressure Drop Weight Gain
ASHRAE Test Dust
Particle Size Distributions
SAE Fine
Representative Atmospheric Dust
ASHRAE Test Dust 72% SAE Fine 23% Carbon 5% Linters
Used for filter loading as part of efficiency testing
0.01
0.1
10
100
1000
Particle Size (microns)
ASHRAE 52.2 Test Duct
Room Air
Particle Counter HEPA Filter Bank Test Filter
Aerosol Injection Pressure Drop Dust Feed
Final Filter*
* Final Filter Installed Only During Dust Loading
ASHRAE 52.2 MERV
Particle Size (microns) 52.2 Efficiency Range 0.3 - 1.0 1.0 - 3.0 3.0 - 10.0 E1 E2 E3
MERV: Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value
Typical 52.2 Test Report
LMS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
6423 Cecilia Circle Bloomington, MN 55439 (952) 918-9060, Fax: (952) 918-9061 Test Report-ASHRAE Test Standard 52.2
Test Requested By: Manufacturer: Product Name: Model Number: Dimensions: Number of Pleats: Filter Description: How Filter Obtained: 95% Aluminum Separator INTREPID 984L 24x24x12 120 sq ft media White synthetic minipleat filter Provided by manufacturer Kimberly-Clark Report #: 782 Test Date: 08/24/04
Product Information
Test Results
Test Air Flow Rate(CFM)/Velocity (FPM) Initial Resistance (in. WG) Final Resistance (in. WG) Minimum Efficiency Rating Value (MERV) Minimum Average Efficiency 0.3 to 1.0 Microns (E1) Minimum Average Efficiency 1.0 to 3.0 Microns (E2) Minimum Average Efficiency 3.0 to 10 Microns (E3) Dust Fed to Final Resistance(grams) 1968cfm / 492fpm 0.426 1.4 MERV 15 @ 1968cfm 86.6 97.3 99.8 269.0 grams
Test Result Summary
Test Description
Temp & Humidity: Particle Analysis: Test Dust: Test Aerosol: 70 @ 35% Hiac/Royco FE-80 ASHRAE 52.1 Dust KCL Neutralized
Test Description
Test Engineer : Approved By:
Mick Flom/Tom Atef/Kian Imani/Emile Tadros K. C. Kwok, Ph.D.
52.2 Efficiency Report
P (" H 2 O) Size Range ( m) 0.3-0.4 0.4-0.55 0.55-0.7 0.7-1.0 1.0-1.3 1.3-1.6 1.6-2.2 2.2-3.0 3.0-4.0 4.0-5.5 5.5-7.0 7.0-10.0 0.426in. 0.466in. 0.710in. 0.953in. 1.197in. 1.400in. *CME
Composite Minimum Efficiency
Fractional Efficiency (%) 78.0 84.4 89.8 94.0 95.8 96.9 97.9 98.7 99.3 99.8 100.0 100.0 83.3 88.5 93.8 96.0 97.6 98.7 99.5 99.9 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 87.1 91.6 95.0 97.1 98.5 99.3 99.9 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 91.7 94.5 96.0 98.1 99.2 99.8 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 95.6 96.9 98.1 98.9 99.9 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 98.6 99.4 99.9 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 78.0 84.4 89.8 94.0 95.8 96.9 97.9 98.7 99.3 99.8 100.0 100.0
E1 = 86.6% E2 = 97.3% E3 = 99.8%
E1, E2 and E3 used in ASHRAE lookup table to determine MERV
Filter Performance by Type
MERV Particle Size
17 20 13 16 <= 0.3m 0.3 to 1.0m
Application
Cleanrooms Hospitals and superior quality commercial buildings High quality commercial buildings and superior residential Commercial buildings and better residential Minimal commercial and residential applications
Filter Type
HEPA/ULPA filters Rigid pleat and bag filters Bag filters and high quality Pleats Pleated filters Panel and roll filters
9 12
1.0 to 3.0m
58 14
3.0 to 10.0m >10.0m
Other Filter Testing
Room Air Cleaner performance is established under the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) Standard ANSI/AC1-1998, which reports performance in Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) HEPA and ULPA filter performance is determined in the US by the Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (IEST) standard RP-CC001 and in Europe by the EDANA standard EN-1822 Fire resistance of filters is established by the Underwriters Laboratories under ANSI/UL 900-1995 for HVAC filters, and by ANSI/UL 586-1990 for HEPA and ULPA filters
Filter Operating Costs
All filters, no matter how good, cause some airflow restriction as they clean the air you breathe Typically, the higher the efficiency of a filter, the higher is its resistance to airflow HVAC systems use significant amounts of energy to condition and distribute air within a facility It is important to consider the energy cost when making a filter purchase decision Pressure drop is an indicator of energy consumption
Filter Operating Cost Components
Fact:
Energy cost is nearly 3 times the cost of a typical filter high efficiency glass filter
26%
Filter Cost Filter Cost
Energy Energy Cost
Cost
Installation Installation
3%
71%
Pressure drop influences operating cost more then purchase price in many filter installations
Energy Cost Analysis
Kimberly-Clark Filtrations Web site contains an online operating cost calculator for determining the full cost of your filter selection Go to www.kcfiltration.com and click on Resource Center to learn more about energy cost savings
