Coronavirus
Technology Solutions
ATI Introduces Automated Filter Tester With
Higher Flow Rates
AAF Netherlands HEPA Manufacturing Facility Now
Seven Years Old
Remploy has Been Testing Filters in Cumbria UK
for More Than Ten Years
High Efficiency Residential Air Filters Do Not
Significantly Increase Energy Consumption
SGS Expands Air Filter Testing Capability
INDA Forecasts Increasing Air Filter Market
Freudenberg Filtration Acquires Protect Plus Air
Holding
Park Group in India Assures High Quality HEPA
Products With Extensive Testing
ATI 100 X Has Been Extensively Used to Validate
N95 Masks
HEPA Filter Leak Testing was Incorporated in ISO
29463
Recognition Growing of the Importance of
Fitted Filter Efficiency (FFE)
_____________________________________________________________________________
ATI Introduces Automated Filter Tester With
Higher Flow Rates
Air Techniques International (ATI), a global
leader in the design and manufacture of
specialized testing equipment for HEPA filters,
media, filter cartridges, respirators, and
protective masks, has introduced he High Flow EN
13274-7:2019 compliant Paraffin Oil option to
its 100X Automated Filter Tester lineup.
The new High Flow option provides greater
flexibility for testing a wider range of masks
and cartridges, including PAPR cartridges, and
increases production throughput vs. standard
flow options.
“The High Flow option is a valuable feature for
manufacturers looking to increase production
rates while still complying with the strict
standards for particle size and concentration
specified in the EN 13274-7:2019 Paraffin Test,”
said Gautam Patel, Global Product Manager.
By offering a flow rate of 170 L/min vs. the
standard rate of 120 L/min manufacturers can
benefit from increased production throughput by
testing multiple filter cartridges at once.
The High Flow option also allows testing of a
wider range of applications. “A common
application that requires a higher aerosol
challenge flow rate is the testing of PAPR
(Powered Air Purifying Respirator) filter
cartridges. PAPRs typically require flow rates
much higher than standard filter cartridges,”
said Patel. The High Flow option is ideal for EN
12941 and EN 12942 PAPR testing standards.
The High Flow option allows more cartridges to
be tested at once vs. standard flow rate units.
This is important to manufacturers using the
100X in their high-capacity automated production
lines. Complete test cycles can be performed in
as little as six seconds.
In addition to EN 13274-7:2019, the 100X
Automated Filter Tester product range meets
other major industry standards, such as NIOSH 42
CFR Part 84, GB 2626, ISO 23328, JICOSH/JMOL,
ASTM F3502-21, and more. The 100X Automated
Filter Tester is used worldwide in production,
quality control, and R&D applications to test
and validate filter media, cartridges, and
respirators.
The AAF cleanroom facility for HEPA filter
manufacturing at its main European production
location in Emmen, the Netherlands was built in
2013.
The cleanroom is constructed as a separate area
inside the Emmen facility, AAF’s largest
European manufacturing plant. The total floor
area covers 900m2 and consists of
four core process steps: media pleating, filter
assembly, testing and packaging. For pleating
the media, assembly into HEPA filters and filter
testing according to the EN1822:2009 standard,
an ISO 7 controlled environment has been
designed.
Packaging of the HEPA filters is done in an ISO
6 controlled environment to minimize any
contamination risk from the filter itself, once
it enters the cleanroom at the customer’s site.
Both cleanroom areas are designed, constructed
and validated following ISO 14644 principles.
In 2011 ATI-DOP Solutions, designed, built and
installed a filter-testing facility at Remploy
Filters.
A comprehensive study was conducted
by Emerson Electric to understand: (1)
the relationship between filter efficiency and
CADR (clean air delivery rate) and reduction of
the PM (particulate matter) concentration in a
house with a forced-air residential HVAC
(Heating Ventilation air-Conditioning and
Refrigeration) system; and (2) the interaction
between the event room, where the PM is
generated, and other rooms based on different
filters and RAP (room air purifier)
configurations.
This study concluded that: (1) high-efficiency
filters had a negligible impact on HVAC energy
consumption when compared to fiberglass filters;
(2) high-efficiency filters maintained the same
level of energy consumption throughout the
designed service life; and (3) high-efficiency
filters do not necessarily have higher pressure
drop versus lower-efficiency filters, because
the filter pressure drop depends mostly on the
filter media and filter design, not necessarily
on the filter efficiency.
https://www.filtnews.com/impact-of-high-efficiency-filters-on-energy-consumption/
Post Covid-19, SGS IBR’s air filtration testing,
certification and consultancy services have been
in particular demand. Now, following significant
investment, SGS IBR has extended these
capabilities in China and the UK. The company’s
new and expanded, laboratories in Suzhou and
Milton Keynes are equipped with cutting-edge
testing technology to offer enhanced performance
tests with rapid turnaround and accurate
results. These new facilities complement SGS
IBR’s existing laboratories in Asia, the UK and
USA, providing even greater presence and
industry expertise.
Brad Kali of INDA is optimistic about the market
for air filters in coronavirus-related
mitigation efforts but also other applications.
Consumer and workplace health and safety is
creating new filtration needs and is raising the
bar on performance. The assumption is that the
filtration industry will be able to deliver the
needed filters and masks.
The air pollution prevention benefits of masks,
HVAC filters, and dust collectors are also
greater due to the steady increase in wildfires.
Concerns that media manufacturers have about
building capacity, which will go unused after a
vaccine is perfected, is somewhat unwarranted.
Not only are there non-mask uses, but air
pollution, indoor pollution, wildfires, and new
viruses will boost mask demand.
Increases in filtration efficiency for
commercial air systems and at residential
locations will cause dollar sales to increase at
a more rapid rate than units, given the higher
cost per unit.
https://www.filtnews.com/core-applications-and-drivers-in-the-north-american-air-filtration-market/
Freudenberg’s Filtration Technologies business
is acquiring Protect Plus Air Holding, Inc. from
its current owner, the Indianapolis-based
private equity firm HKW. Based in Hickory, North
Carolina, Protect Plus Air is a producer of air
filters that are mainly sold through retailers
for residential buildings. The company has 940
employees and generated $118 million in revenue
in 2020. Terms of the acquisition were not
disclosed.
“With the acquisition of Protect Plus Air, we
are expanding our portfolio of filtration
solutions in the important North American market
by adding the attractive, fast-growing field of
residential building ventilation,” said Dr. Mohsen
Sohi, CEO of the Freudenberg Group. “Protect
Plus Air is expanding and strengthening our
already existing filtration portfolio for
mobility and industrial applications worldwide.”
PARK Group specializes in
quality filtration media through globally
accredited and renowned analytical instruments,
such as Palas GmbH & Anton Paar GmbH, Mitutoyo
[Japan] and RBM.
·
Quality Testing: In house testing lab with
well-renowned equipment for Breathing
Resistance, Tensile Strength, Elongation, GSM
Test, Dust Holding Capacity, Particulate
Efficiency, Pressure Drop, Pore Size.
·
Manufacturing Technologies: PARK excels in
various manufacturing technologies, including
meltblown, needle punch, chemical/thermal bond.
·
Air Filtration: PARK offers a variety of media
for air filtration, including HEPA/ULPA/HVAC
that meet or exceed different global standards,
while also offering low pressure drop,
energy-saving and longer media life.
PARK Group was incorporated in 1997 at Haryana,
India where the group has its headquarters and a
massive production plant. PARK Group specializes
in the production of a variety of products under
the nonwoven and polymer categories.
PARK serves 1,000+ customers in 25+ industries,
exporting to 75+ countries with 10+ plants in
all major cities of India.
An essential requirement of an automated filter
tester is its ability to accurately test filter
media for resistance and penetration. Precise,
repeatable results are vital to minimizing false
failures while at the same time not failing
product that is within spec. ATI’s 100% Sampling
Aerosol Detection System is designed to produce
accurate results and can test a wide range of
HEPA and ULPA grade filters, up to 99.9995%
efficiency, respirator masks and high-efficiency
filtration media.
https://www.filtnews.com/high-accuracy-low-maintenance-filter-testing/
In 2015
global standard, ISO 29463: High Efficiency
Filter and Filter Media for Removing Particles
in Air was developed. Although having roots in
the prevailing European norm, EN 1822 (1), the
new ISO standard has similarities to current
testing practices and filter classification of
the major standards in use around the world.
Part 4: Test method for determining leakage of
filter elements (Scan method)
https://www.filtnews.com/iso-29463-a-global-standard-for-hepa-and-ulpa-filters/
“A year ago we could say that we were concerned
about shortages for health care workers, so we
were telling people to make your cloth mask, and
any mask is better than no mask,” says Linsey
Marr, an environmental engineer and aerosol
science expert at Virginia Tech. But given what
scientists know now—especially with the virus’s
highly transmissible Delta variant spreading and
people spending more time indoors in schools,
for example—“I think the CDC should be
recommending high-performance masks for everyone
when they’re in these risky indoor situations,”
she says
When it comes to mask effectiveness, the most
important parameters are filtration, fit and
comfort. Filtration generally refers to the
percentage of particles the mask material
blocks. For example, an N95 filters at least 95
percent of airborne particles. But that does
little good if gaps around the mask let air in
freely. A well-fitted mask should sit snugly
against the face and over the chin, with no gaps
around the nose or mouth. Comfort is also an
extremely important metric: a mask does no good
if people simply find it intolerable to wear.
In the absence of more specific guidance from
health authorities such as the CDC as to which
brands of respirators and other masks provide
the best protection, some skilled amateurs have
stepped in to fill the gap.
Aaron Collins, aka “Mask Nerd,” is a mechanical
engineer at Seagate Technology with a background
in aerosol science. In his free time, he makes YouTube
videos in
which he tests and reviews high-filtration masks
made by various manufacturers. Collins says he
does not earn any money from mask manufacturers
or his videos themselves—he considers them a
service and wants them to be objective.
Collins has a mask-testing setup in his
bathroom, where he assesses masks’ filtration
efficiency by generating aerosols of sodium
chloride (salt). He then uses a condensation
particle counter—a device that measures the
concentration of particles inside and outside a
mask he is wearing—to determine the total inward
leakage through and around the mask. (For
comparison, NIOSH’s N95 standard requires
manufacturers to measure leakage through the
respirator material itself. And OSHA measures
how a respirator fits on someone’s face, which
often involves wearing an N95 in an enclosed
space with saccharin or another distinctly
flavored test aerosol sprayed in: if the wearer
reports tasting the substance, the mask fails
the fit test.)
Collins also tests “pressure drop,” which is
basically how easy it is to breathe while
wearing a mask. If doing so is too difficult, a
wearer might not only find the mask less
comfortable but also suck in air around its
sides, negating its filtration. Some cloth
masks—including those outfitted with coffee
filters—have this problem. “There’s a reason
N95s aren’t made from cloth,” Collins says.
“To me, the minimum I want to see people wear is
a KN95 or KF94 with the Delta variant,” Collins
says. “I don’t think surgical masks are good
enough anymore, and we should’ve gotten rid of
cloth masks last summer—they’re not even in the
spectrum” of good filtration. (To be clear, some
studies have found that surgical and cloth
masks can provide
at least some protection against COVID. A recent
large, randomized study in Bangladesh found
that surgical
masks significantly lowered the risk of
infection;
cloth masks did not have a measurable benefit,
although other studies suggest they provide some
protection.)
With children starting school in-person, many
parents are understandably worried about their
kids, especially those who are too young to be
eligible for vaccination—and particularly in
states where politicians have tried to ban mask
mandates in schools. These parents might find
Collins’s recommendations for high-filtration kids’
masks particularly
helpful. There is no N95 standard for children,
but plenty of manufacturers make KF94 or KN95
masks for them. Such masks are designed for
small faces and are easy to put on. Collins sees
no reason why kids could not tolerate them. “I
have my own son,” Collins says. “He’s five years
old. He wore them all summer.”
An issue with commercially available
high-filtration masks is that they may not come
from reputable suppliers. The CDC’s Web site
warns that about 60 percent of KN95
respirators available in the U.S. are
counterfeit. To find ones that are legitimate,
Prather recommends the Web site Project
N95.
Masks can also be ordered directly from
suppliers such as Bona Fide Masks, which sells
KN95s made by Powecom. “That’s the one people
swear by,” Prather says. They cost around $1
each. DemeTECH sells
N95s for around $4 apiece, as well as other
types of masks.
One reason people may be reluctant to use KN95s
and similar masks is because they are usually
considered disposable. But several experts say
they can in fact be worn multiple times. “You
can probably reuse it until it becomes visibly
damaged or soiled,” Marr says. Collins’s amateur
testing suggests mask can be used for up 40
hours with no decrease in their filtration
efficacy (he recommends using them within six
months of opening a package). The virus likely
does not survive long on these masks, but it is
not a bad idea to have a few in rotation,
reusing one every three days or so, Collins
says.
One popular way to increase effectiveness is to
wear a cloth mask on top of a surgical mask.
This strategy, which the CDC has recommended,
combines the filtration efficiency of the
surgical mask material with the fit of a cloth
mask. But how well does it actually work?
According to Collins, pretty well. He measured a
filtration efficiency of upward of 90 percent
for a cloth mask (with nose wire) over a
surgical mask. But the pressure drop was almost
twice as high as that of an N95. One reason the
CDC and others have recommended against the use
of N95s by the general public, apart from their
previous scarcity, is that they can be difficult
to breathe through—so Collins finds it
“baffling” that the CDC would recommend double
masking. “So does double masking work? Yes, but
… I think there are better solutions,” he said
in one of his videos.
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