Commercial Air Purifiers - Economies of scale
The Economic Case for Commercial Air Purification.
It comes as quite a revelation to many HVAC engineers just how incredibly cost effective commercial air purifiers can be.
When the cost of commercial air purifiers is analysed on the basis of capital and running cost for air volume treated and power used there are some incredible results.
It started with a hunch.
We offer a variety of air purification solutions, indeed we have for over 15 years, and there has always been a assumption that treating an airflow in a duct was far cheaper per m3 of air flow than treating air with mobile air purifiers. But then we did some number crunching and comparisions and the results were astounding.
Here we are going to compare our principle offerings from our UVC air purification range.
Here's the runners and riders;
UPT ceiling mounted UVc air purifier with fan and optional filters
Sanuvox Biowall - Commercial In-duct UVc Air Purifier.
The Sanuvox Biowall range is nothing new. The range is near 2 decades old and just shows how sometimes when a product is designed properly from the off, it does not need to evolve in order to remain an excellent system. Installed in the centre of the duct an with an array of 5 UVC lamps in parabolic reflectors running parrallel to the airflow, it delivers a very high intensity of UVc for the maximum time as the air passes. There is no better arrangement for in-duct UVc air purification. These largest Biowall units are capable of treating 30,000m3/h with a dose of 4mJ/cm2 and are easily scaleble for treating huge air flows.
Sodeca CGR - Rectangular Duct Section UVc Air Purifier
For smaller recangular ducts where perhaps the Biowall might be too big, there is the CGR range. This is a easily retrofited UVc chamber with flanged ends that can ban be bolted into rectangular ducting. Although the UVc lamps run across the air stream there are plenty of them to enure that the UVc dose is high and depending on the airflow through the chamber the UVc dose is usually in the same range as those found in Biowall applications so the deactivation rates are similar.
Sodeca CG/LP - Round Duct Section UVc Air Purifier
The CG/LP is a germicidal chamber without a fan for circular ducts equipped with UVc ultraviolet lamps and with the option of including filtration stages. Ideal for installation in existing air conditioning and ventilation system. If filtration is used the additional potential pressure drop must be considered.
Sodeca SV/Filter - Round Duct Section UVc Air Purifier with fan and filters
SV/Filter are Air purifying units, with UVc germicidal chamber, in-line for duct installation and available with different stages of filtration. F7 + F9 Filters are available as standar and optionally G4+F6 or F6+F8.
Sodeca UPA UV - Large Flow Mobile UVc Air Purifers With Filtration.
Units specifically designed for cleaning and purification of indoor air, in any type of premises and especially in areas with high occupancy, also suitable for pharmaceutical and healthcare applications. The vertical Unit (UV) ideal for direct use in the rooms being purified, it can also be supplied on request with a drive module with outlet diffusion grille and with wheels if required. The horizontal Unit (UH) deigned to be installed in ceiling spaces and ducted to the areas where the air needs to be treated.
Sodeca UPM UV - Medium Flow Mobile UVc Air Purifers With Filtration.
The UPM / EC air purifying units have been designed for mobility, purifying and cleaning air and eliminating odours, in areas of high occupancy where low noise and versatility are important.
Sodeca Puri-50 - Small Office Portable UVc Air Purifers With Filtration.
Its cylindrical design allows air to be drawn in through a large surface area, increasing its efficiency and filtration performance. Although it contains a UVc stage no claims are made as to its performance. It has excellent filtration power thanks to a drum type filter with three stages of filtration. The first stage captures large PM10 particles such as dust, fibres and lint. The second stage captures particles between PM0.3 and PM2.5 in size, such as pollen and spores. The third stage eliminates odours generated by tobacco, cooking and pets.
Sodeca UPT Ceiling Mounted UVc Air purification with fan, and filters
UPT series air purification and disinfection units are equipped with Plug Fans and have been specifically designed to be installed into false ceilings in high occupancy areas. Stale internal air enters through the inlet panel, which is equipped with a washable pre-filter that retains large size particles. Then, the air passes through an absolute HEPA H14 filter, which retains 99.99% of solid particles. After going through these two filtration stages, the air passes through the UVc ultraviolet germicidal chamber, destroying all viruses and bacteria as well as other pathogens. Finally the air returns to the room, fully cleaned and disinfected. See the exploded view below.
Comparison of the product ranges
We thought it would be interesting to look at the relative merits of the the various product ranges in terms of....
A - the equipment cost per m3/h treated
B - the typical UV dose achieved in mJ/cm2
C - The volume of air treated per watt of power consumed.
Generally the larger scale Biowall equipment is the most efficient, treating far more air per Watt consumed than the quipment smaller ranges, the only exception being the CGR UV range which treats a lot of flow, admittedly with a very small dose of UV. To get the same UV dose as the Biowall range, the airflowto the CGR/UV would need to be reduced by a factor of 4 however.
What should I choose?
As so often 'Horses for Courses' is the phrase that springs to mind.
For single room (non ducted) applications such as dental or medical facilities; small suites of offices and the like, the mobile units are ideal. Similarly suited is the UPT model which delivers a considerable UV dose yet requires no floor space.
As the application increases in size to the point that small to medium sized ventilation systems are employed, there are options for retrofitting products directly into existing or new circular or rectangular ducts.
The real Economies of Scale however are are found in the larger ducted systems using Biowall technology. Here the systems are custom designed and computer modelled based on our clients system specifications. They are therefore more economical to operate, and more efficient in terms of both UV dose and cost per m3 treated.
As you would expect, a centralised treatment system incorporated into a building's air handling system results in both capital and operating costs being greatly reduced compared to having multiple smaller scale treatment systems. The UV dose is also far more controllable, predictable and repeatable as each system is specifically designed to meet the particular client's requirements.
