ASHRAE Journal - April 2022 - 20
TECHNICAL FEATURE
Interpreting Air Cleaner
Performance Data
BY BRENT STEPHENS, PH.D., ASSOCIATE MEMBER ASHRAE; ELLIOTT T. GALL, PH.D., ASSOCIATE MEMBER ASHRAE; MOHAMMAD HEIDARINEJAD, PH.D., P.E., ASSOCIATE MEMBER ASHRAE;
DELPHINE K. FARMER, PH.D.
The global COVID-19 pandemic has prompted widespread demand for air cleaning
technologies aimed at reducing risks of airborne pathogen transmission inside buildings.
The commercial landscape for air cleaning devices is complex, ranging from
conventional technologies such as high-efficiency fibrous-media filters and ultraviolet
germicidal irradiation (UVGI) to a wide variety of electronic air cleaning technologies
such as plasma generators, hydroxyl radical generators, ionizers, photocatalytic
oxidizers and others.
This article demonstrates some frequently prevalent issues in electronic air cleaner
performance testing and reporting and proposes a path forward to meet research
needs and improve test methods that could reduce the current uncertainty about
the performance of electronic air cleaning technologies. It also provides tools to
support practitioners and consumers in their decision-making regarding air cleaning
technologies.
The ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force (ETF) has published
extensive guidance for those who must make decisions
on ventilation, air cleaning and more, often in the context
of the limited resources available to building owners
and managers. Along with increased ventilation, the
ETF has advised that cleaning indoor air using particle
filtration at MERV 13 or higher can improve air quality
and reduce risks from COVID-19 by removal of viral
aerosols and by diluting their concentration.
To date, the ETF has published limited specific guidance
on the risk reduction potential of electronic air
cleaning technologies, and the " ASHRAE Position
Document on Filtration and Air Cleaning " 1 cites a
lack of definitive conclusions on the efficacy of many
electronic air cleaners. This is consistent with the fact
that no ASHRAE or other industry standard currently
exists to validate the marketing materials of many of
these technologies. And, ETF's " Core Recommendation
for Reducing Airborne Infectious Aerosol Exposure, " 2
Brent Stephens, Ph.D., is a Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology. Elliott T.
Gall, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Portland State University. Mohammad Heidarinejad, Ph.D., P.E., is an Assistant
Professor in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology. Delphine K. Farmer, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the
Department of Chemistry at Colorado State University.
20
ASHRAE JOURNAL ashrae.o rg
A P R I L 2022
http://ashrae.org
ASHRAE Journal - April 2022
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ASHRAE Journal - April 2022
Contents
ASHRAE Journal - April 2022 - Intro
ASHRAE Journal - April 2022 - Cover1
ASHRAE Journal - April 2022 - Cover2
ASHRAE Journal - April 2022 - 1
ASHRAE Journal - April 2022 - Contents
ASHRAE Journal - April 2022 - 3
ASHRAE Journal - April 2022 - 4
ASHRAE Journal - April 2022 - 5
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ASHRAE Journal - April 2022 - Cover3
ASHRAE Journal - April 2022 - Cover4
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