Portable High Efficiency Air Filtration (PHEAF) Device Field Testing and Validation Standard...

Portable High Efficiency Air Filtration (PHEAF) Device

Field Testing and Validation Standard

ANSI/IESO Standard 4310-2009

WHERE ARE HEPA FILTERSUSED?

WHERE ARE HEPA FILTERSUSED?

Whenever we need to move contaminated air -

without the contamination coming along for the ride

ASBESTOS, LEAD AND MICROBIAL REMEDIATION . . .

ASBESTOS, LEAD AND MICROBIAL REMEDIATION . . .

AFDs & HEPA Vacuums AFDs & HEPA Vacuums

MERCURY SPILL CLEAN UP, RADIOACTIVE PARTICLES

MERCURY SPILL CLEAN UP, RADIOACTIVE PARTICLES

AFDs & HEPA Vacuums AFDs & HEPA Vacuums

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

HEPA FILTERSHEPA FILTERS

HEPA filters are designed to be 99.97 efficient at 0.3 micron size particles

But what happens to that efficiency when youplace that filter into a portable filtration device?

They are no longer HEPA efficient !

1. They leak at the edges2. They leak at the seals 3. They loose their seal

during movement4. They get micro holes

5. They grow stuff

RESEARCHSHOWING ACTUAL PARTICLE

LEAKAGE

PHEAF DEVICE SHOWING NO LEAKAGE

PHEAF DEVICE SHOWING A LITTLE LEAKAGE

PHEAF DEVICE SHOWING SOME LEAKAGE

PHEAF DEVICE SHOWING WORRISOME LEAKAGE

HISTORYHISTORY

That was almost 20 years ago.That was almost 20 years ago.

The first call for a “in field” testing and certification standard for portable HEPA filtered devices

appeared in an article in Outlook magazine in 1990.

HISTORY

Since 1990, the cost and portability of the particle counting equipment required for “in field”

testing and certification has significantly decreased.

This equipment is now within the price range for large contractors or for consultants to test equipment

as part of their oversight of an abatement or remediation project.

HAND-HELD PARTICLE COUNTERS

LIGHTHOUSE KANOMAX MET ONE FLUKEIQAir

HOW CRITICAL IS PHEAF DEVICE TESTING?

• Only the HEPA filters are “certified”•Testing is done by a 3rd party

• PHEAF device manufacturers do not test or certify the complete device

• There is no standard that requires testing or certification of the complete device

WHY SHOULD WE TEST THEM ?

CURRENT DOE EXPERIENCE

Replacement HEPA filter testing prior to installation into the HEPA device

by the Dept. of Energy showed a 20% failure rate of the filters alone

1 IN 5 NEW FILTERSWAS NOT HEPA EFFICIENT !

ACTUAL TESTING EXPERIENCE

1.HEPA filtered equipment contamination of a mold remediation

2. HEPA filtered equipment leaked on anasbestos abatement

3. Testing of numerous pieces ofcontractor equipment showed significant

leakage (shown in std. appendix)

SECONDARY ISSUE

Inability to adequately clean a PHEAF device when installing

a new HEPA filter

(The Kick Test)

DOE performs in field certification ofall HEPA filtered devices

because of their experience of significant failure rates and

leakage problemsevery time the equipment is moved

(USING AEROSOL GENERATION)

Portable High Efficiency Air Filtration (PHEAF) Device

Field Testing and Certification Interim Standard

ANSI/IESO Standard 4310-2009

This standard applies to Portable High Efficiency Air Filtration Devices.

(PHEAF Devices)

This would include vertical and horizontal portable air filter devices, movable vacuums,

hand held vacuums, and other filtered suction devices used for cleaning surfaces for the purposes of removing dust, dirt, mold, asbestos, lead and

other undesired particulate environmental contaminants.

2. Scope

What standard exist related to testing and certification of HEPA devices?

1. ASTM F1471 - 09 Standard Test Method for Air Cleaning Performance of a High-Efficiency Particulate Air- Filter System.

2. ASHRAE Standard 52.2-2007 : Method of Testing General Ventilation Air-Cleaning Devices for Removal Efficiency by Particle Size

3. DOE-STD-3020-97 : Dept. of Energy, Specification for HEPA filters used by DOE Contractors

4. EN 1822-1:1998 : High efficiency air filters (HEPA and ULPA). Classification, performance testing, marking.

5. JIS Z 8909-1 Test method of filter media for dust collection.

3. Filter Testing and Certification Standards

What standard should PHEAF devices be tested to?

ASHRAE 52.2 - Method of Testing General Ventilation Air-Cleaning Devices for Removal Efficiency by Particle Size

THIS IS THE STANDARD THATESTABLISHES MERV RATINGS

FOR AIR FILTERS

MERV RATINGS

Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value

(range from 1-16 and aremeasured in microns)

The PHEAF Device Standard usesthese ASHRAE MERV efficiencies

to establish the in field testing and validation criteria

Class 5 device - A portable high efficiency air filtration device that operates as a fully effective and functional air

filter, meeting all the filter efficiency requirements of a HEPA filter. (MERV 17)

This class of PHEAF device shall be required for all work in hospitals, in other environments

where the PHEAF device discharges into the general air space of the building

(and for vacuums used outside containment for contaminants such as mercury?)

4. Terminology

Class 4 device - A portable high efficiency air filtration device that operates at a level equivalent to a

99% efficient filter.

This class of PHEAF device shall be required for all work in commercial buildings or in

other environments where the unit discharges into the air space of the building

(and for vacuums used outside containment for contaminants such as mold and asbestos?)

Class 3 device - A portable high efficiency air filtration device that operates at a level equivalent to

a MERV 16 filter. (Approx 95% efficient)

This class of PHEAF device can be used for environmental contaminant filtering and/or

air scrubbing within a containment, provided the containment is under negative pressure and

discharges to the outside air.

Class 2 device - A portable high efficiency air filtration device that operates at a level equivalent to

a MERV 15 filter. (Approx 90% efficient)

This class of PHEAF device shall be the minimum class that is required for

portable vacuums that can be used to clean up small, uncontained mold or asbestos releases.

Class 1 device - A portable high efficiency air filtration device that operates at a level equivalent to

a MERV 14 filter.

This class of PHEAF device can be used for environmental filtering / air scrubbing,

within a containment, provided the containment is under negative pressure and discharges

to the outside air.

Class 0 device - A portable high efficiency air filtration device that operates at a level equivalent to

a MERV 13 filter.

This class of PHEAF device can be used to provide general exhaust or negative pressure within a

contained area when it discharges to the outside air.

This class of portable hand vacuums can discharge into a contained area that is under negative pressure and

from which the air is exhausted to outside of the building.

Classification Class 5 Class 4 Class 3 Class 2 Class 1 Class 0MERV * 17 NA 16 15 14 13

Particle size MINIMUM MEASURED PERCENT FILTER EFFICIENCY (in microns)

0.3 99.97 99 95 85 75 75 0.5 99.97 99 95 90 80 75 0.7 99.97 99 95 90 85 75 1.0 99.97 99 95 90 90 80 2.0 99.97 99 95 90 90 85 3.0 99.97 99 95 90 90 90 5.0 99.97 99 99 90 90 90

10.0 99.97 99 99 90 90 90

Table # 1 : Device Classification by Percent Reduction of Incoming versus Discharge Particle Counts by Particle Size

*This table is based on ratings interpolated from ASHRAE 52.2 -2007 MERV for air filters.

GRAPH 1.

The percent efficiency for each particle size range for the unit shall be compared to the percent

removal efficiencies in Table 1 or Graph 1 and recorded on the form in Appendix A.

A data point that falls between two classes should be rounded down to the lower class.

The lowest class recorded for all the size ranges measured will be the

designated efficiency class for the unit.

I. Reporting and Determining Efficiency Class

Test measurement data shall be recorded on the form in Appendix A. The percent particle count reduction (percent efficiency) for each particle size range shall be calculated using the equation below and also recorded on this form.

Discharge particle concentration1 - __________________________ x 100 = % reduction in particle Incoming particle concentration size concentration

H. Calculation and Interpreting of Results

APPENDIX A

PHEAF Device Testing Data Collection Form

Device Data

Device Description ___________________________ Mfgr _____________________

Unit ID # __________________ Owner ____________________________________

Other Info _____________________________________________________________

Test Event Data

Date _____________________ Test Administrator ___________________________

Location of Test ________________________ Temperature _______ RH _______

Particle Counter Model # ___________ Particle Counter Mfgr. __________________

Date of Calibration ____________________ Method __________________________

Background Airborne Particle Data

Size range Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Average (Bave)(in microns) (B1) (B2) (B3) (B1 + B2 + B3 / 3)

0.3 ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

0.5 ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

1.0 ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

2.0 ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

5.0 ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

10.0 ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

Test Results at Exhaust of Unit

Size range Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Average (Tave)(in microns) (T1) (T2) (T3) (T1 + T2 + T3 / 3)

0.3 ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

0.5 ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

1.0 ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

2.0 ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

5.0 ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

10.0 ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

Unit Evaluation

Size range Background Unit Test Efficiency Maximum (in microns) Ave. (Bave) Ave. (Tave) 1-(Tave/Bavex100) Class Rating*

0.3 ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

0.5 ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

1.0 ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

2.0 ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

5.0 ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

10.0 ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

* See Table 1 or Graph 1 for Minimum Particle Efficiencies for Different Classes of Portable High Efficiency Air Filtration Devices (Round down to lower class when data is between two classes)

Overall Classification of Device (minimum rating above) __________________

Comments ______________________________________________________

However, a rating under this method may not be the same

as the aerosol method.

Standard Challenge Concentration

Aerosol Equip. 100 µg/l 100 mg/m3 ASHRAE 52.2 16.3 x 109 p/ft3 70 mg/m3

ASTM F1471 7.0 x 109 p/ft3 30 mg/m3 EU 1822 3.52 x 107 p/ft3 0.15 mg/m3

STANDARDS FOR TESTING HEPA FILTERS

Standard Acceptable Leakage (1- 99.97%= 0.03%)

Aerosol Equip. 0.03 µg/m3 ASHRAE 52.2 4.89 x 105 p/ft3 0.021 µg/m3 ASTM F1471 2.1 x 105 p/ft3 0.009 µg/m3 EU 1822 1.05 x 103 p/ft3 0.00045 µg/m3

STANDARDS FOR TESTING HEPA FILTERS

Consultants in Northern California in the San Francisco Bay area

have been specifying mandatory testing of PHEAF devices

(using aerosol generation) on asbestos abatement projects

for the past 3 years.

TYPICAL TESTING RESULTS

• a leak in the seal against the filter housing (bead of silicone caulk can often fix it)

• physically-damaged HEPA filter - small hole (dab of silicone caulk can fill it)

• degraded HEPA filter (oil mist suspect) (may have to replace the HEPA filter)

• there may be a design flaw in the equipment

IF YOUR EQUIPMENT FAILS

QUESTIONS ?

And Hands-OnExercise