The Ceiling Grid UVC Air Purifier

With a return to offices now imminent for many so many people, it is great news that there is now a UVC air purifier that has been designed specifically for use in rooms that have suspended ceilings.

Not only does it work well aesthetically, it also is right mechanically.

Allow me to explain exactly why the Sodeca UPT ceiling grid UVC air purifier has been included in our range.

But first a little background.

We have a long history in the ceiling grid UVC air purifier market. For many years we supplied a product from our other key UVC air purifier supplier, Sanuvox. The Sanuvox unit was perfectly effective although its one glitch was that it was manufactured with imperial dimensioned ceiling grids rather than metric ones. The result was a unit that was slightly larger than ideal and an overly tight fit for metric dimensioned ceiling grids that are standard in Europe. We eventually stopped selling them because the CE certification lapsed as the regulations this side of the Atlantic developed and the components in the unit did not.

And so for at least 3 years we have had a hole in our range, until Sodeca launched the UPT ceiling grid UVC air purifier.

Sodeca UPT ceiling grid UVC air purifier - Aesthetic Design

The thing that Sodeca have cracked, that others have not, is the aesthetic aspect.

Often ceiling grid air purifiers have limited symmetry and have both air inlet and air outlet in the visible face. This inevitably means that the appearance does not follow the ceiling grid aesthetic convention where every thing is square. Sodeca solve this problem by having a square inlet grille in the centre of the unit. The outlet is a narrow perimeter slot that is only just visible because the face of the unit hangs under the ceiling grid by less than an inch.

Sodeca UPT ceiling grid UVC air purifier - Mechanical Design

Because of the square central inlet in the face of the unit, the mechanicals above are similarly symmetrical.

A square mesh pre-filter, a square H14 grade HEPA filter, a 4 lamp square UVC clamber and a centrifugal plug fan mounted with 4 fixing points. The fan pulls the air through the filter stages and UVC chamber and changes its direction before expelling it through the perimeter discharge slot.

In terms of mechanical symmetry and aesthetic, it could not be better.

Sodeca UPT ceiling grid UVC air purifier - Product Variants

The UPT ceiling grid UVC air purifiers all have a HEPA H14 filter as part of the package. This means that the microorganisms that you are aiming to zap with a dose of UVC will invariably be caught by the HEPA H14 filter in any case, so it is arguable that the UVC is almost surplus to requirements as it is down stream of the the UVC stage. If that is your view then there is the option to have the unit without the UVC stage.

The UPT range comes with a choice of fan motor. An AC motor version with an air flow of 150m3/hr and the other with an EC motor which has a higher air flow 350 m3/hr.

Sodeca UPT ceiling grid UVC air purifier - UVC dose

The germicidal effectiveness of any UVC based air purfier is dependant on the wavelength of UVC light from the lamp, the intensity of that light within the chamber and the length of time that the air is exposed to that light as it passes through the chamber.

EC motor with the higher air flow of 350 m3/h delivers a UVC dose top the passing air of 5.3mJ/cm2 which is very respectable and would be expected, with ease, to have 1st pass efficiency of over 99% efficiency against COV-2 virus. The AC motor version which has a lower air flow of 150m3/hr delivers a massive UVC dose to the passing air of 12.4 mJ/cm2. This is far higher than we have ever seen in any comparable machine.

With these figures it would be daft to choose the AC version instead of the EC version particularly if you are looking to use in a larger room.

ceiling grid UVC air purifier flow pattern

How many ceiling grid UVC air purifier to use ?

If the ceiling grid UVC air purifiers are being used to make a workplace relatively 'covid safe' then the formula to use is based on achieving an air change rate of around 12 air changes per hour.

The reasoning behind this is identical to the reason why we used the same air change rate for air cleaners to treat cigarette smoke in pubs and clubs when that was an issue. The motive behind such a high rate is to control quicker than it has a chance to spread. Better to change or treat the air every 5 minutes than say every 20 or 30 minutes.

If there is any pre-existing mechanical ventilation system that brings in fresh air then factor this in to the calculation. Here’s an example;

A selection of 2 x Sodeca UPT ceiling grid UVC air purifiers each with 350m3/hr will provide a total flow of 700m3/hr and this added to the mechanical ventilation would deliver 13.33 air changes. Excellent solution!

If, on the other hand, these ceiling grid UVC air purifiers are for general air purification - in other words not to counter a significant health threat such as COV-2, then normal air change rates can be used. Aim for 3-4 air changes being delivered to the room.

Summary.

We reckon that the Sodeca UPT range are a great addition to our air purification range. You can find more detail via the following links ;

Ceiling grid UVC air purifiers

UPT-AC-CG - 150m³/h ceiling unit for purifying and disinfecting air air using HEPA filtration and U/V (AC Motor)

UPT-EC-CG - 350m³/h ceiling unit for purifying and disinfecting air using HEPA filtration and U/V (EC motor)

Ceiling grid air cleaners

UPT-AC - 150m³/h ceiling unit for cleaning air using HEPA filtration (AC motor)

UPT-EC - 350m³/h ceiling unit for cleaning air using HEPA filtration (EC motor)

If you have an application with a suspended ceiling grid and you are looking for an air purification solution then let us know more about it so we can answer the questions you may have. 01729 824108

ceiling grid UVC air purifier with typical backdrop

Heat Load	Watts	BTU
Average The Room Is A Normal Residential Room, Office, Reception Area Or Similar, Where There Is Not Overly Crowded With People, Computer And Office Equipment.
Above Average There Are Factors That Contribute To Additional Heat Being Generated In The Room E.G. Strong Lighting, Overcrowding With People And Office Equipment, Conservatory Type Room, Or Flat Roofed Room.
High There Are Factors That Contribute To A High Heat Load In The Room. E.G. Commercial Cooking, Much Computer And Server Equipment, Switchgear, Temporary Building With Thin Walls And Flat Room, Plain Glass Conservatory.

Variable	Units	Notes/Guidance
System Airflow	M3/Hr	If you have it in cfm then multiply your cfm value by 1.7 to get m3/hr
Average Combined Pressure Drop Of Filters Of Higher Than F6 Efficiency	Pascals	F8 bag filters pressure drop - typical clean clean to dirty, 160 - 250 Pascals F9 compact filters pressure drop - typical clean to dirty, 160 - 350 Pascals H10 HEPA filter pressure drop - typical clean to dirty, 250 - 600 Pascals 9.8 Pascals = 1 mm wg, & 249 Pascals = 1 inch wg
Carbon Filters Pressure Drop	Pascals	For compact type carbons pressure drop between 100 - 150 Pa Bonded carbon panels typically 150 - 170 Pa Loose granular carbon panels typically 130 Pa
Annual Operational Hours	Hrs/Annum	8760 hours in a year If operating for 5 days a week, excluding public holidays, for 12 hrs/day = 3000 hrs
Cost Of Power	Pence Per Kwh	Huge variance in what different companies pay. heck your last bill to be sure, otherwise put in 10p
Fan Efficiency	(As Decimal Value, Eg 100%=1)	Would typically be around 60%, so if you don’t have specific information use 0.6
Fan Motor Efficiency	(As Decimal Value, Eg 100%=1)	Larger motors should be around 90%, so if you don’t have specific information use 0.9

The Total Average Pressure Drop Over Your Higher Efficiency Filters And/Or Carbon Filters Is;		Pascals
This Pressure Drop Is Costing In Energy Alone	£	Per year
It Is Probable That A Sanuvox In-Duct System Could Break Down The Biological, Chemical And Odourous Contaminants On This Air Flow For Between 16 And 25% Of This Running Cost	£	Lower energy cost estimate of an equivalent Sanuvox system (16%)
	£	Higher energy cost estimate of an equivalent Sanuvox system (25%)

Type Of Building	Kw Range		BTU Range
Sports Centres
Retail Premises
Office Premises
Small Industrial Unit
Medium Industrial Units
Larger Industrial Buildings
School/Community Halls
Churches

Room/building volume	m3
Temperature differential (deltaT °C)	°C

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Ceiling Grid UVC Air Purifier

The Ceiling Grid UVC Air Purifier

Sodeca UPT ceiling grid UVC air purifier - Aesthetic Design

Sodeca UPT ceiling grid UVC air purifier - Mechanical Design

Sodeca UPT ceiling grid UVC air purifier - Product Variants

Sodeca UPT ceiling grid UVC air purifier - UVC dose

How many ceiling grid UVC air purifier to use ?

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