Filters

Fan Powered HEPA Filters Digital Control System (DCS)

Envirco has done it again, as the leader in Fan Powered Hepa Filter manufacturing and design for over 30 years Envirco has created the next generation of Energy Saving Controllable Fan Filter Units (FFU) by adding a fully automated Digital Control System (DCS).

1. Inherently Fan Powered Hepa filters for years have had limited ability to be controlled, monitored and adjusted (airflow) either manually, automatically or remotely. (One exception to this has been the Envirco Mac 10 I.Q. that has a built in processor that once set would adjust its air flow as the filter loaded.)

Some filters including the Mac 10 Original do offer a Solid State Speed Controller (or Rheostat) as a standard or optional component in their Fan Filter unit, but Rheostats do have draw backs:

• Rheostats are manual controls requiring you to physically adjust them either by hand or with a screwdriver.  
• Rheostats are typically located on top of the unit or may require the removal of an access plug from below. In either case this allows the possibility of contamination to be introduced into your cleanroom, requiring you to stop production and quite possibly requiring your room to be cleaned.
• Slowing a Fan Powered Hepa Filter with a standard Rheostat does not save you money!*
• Motor manufactures warn that slowing down a motor with a Rheostat more than 20-30% for any extend period of time can dramatically shorten the life of the motor.   

*Many people are under the impression that slowing down the motor with a rheostat will save you money either by lowering your power consumption and or reducing the heat-load, both are incorrect. Slowing down the motor with a Rheostat actually places an increased load on the motor so you could possibly see a higher amps-load, with little or no reduction in heat-load.

2. Envirco’s new Digital Control System has eliminated all of the drawbacks of a Rheostat while giving you true energy savings.

Features available with DCS:

• Remote monitoring and adjustment of either individual or groups of Fan Filter Units by way of a wall mounted console or by software.
• Energy saving manual or automatic set back, day /nights, weekends or holidays, slowing down individual, specific groups or all of your Hepas, saving you money on both your energy and air conditioning bills. (Some states offer rebates for this type of equipment)
• Automatic speed control (set it once and the units will maintain that speed until the static pressure exceeds the motor/blower capacity) just like Envirco Mac10 IQ.  
• Automatic Ramp up to preset levels (In the event of a power failure, once power is back this options slowly ramps up the filters motor so you do not have a surge of power which can trip circuits, leaving your room non-operational for hours or days on end.)
• Alarms (like L.E.D. lights embedded in each filter, Sound or Visual alarms remotely located on the control console. (Alarm is based on static pressure, which is more accurate than alarms based on motor failure.)
• Emergency shut down features.
• Cluster Control units that can control fan speeds of groups up to 5 FFUs.
• Field retrofit kits allowing you to convert and update any existing Mac 10 you currently own.
• Retrofit kits are also available for most other major brands of Fan Powered Hepa Filters.   
• Return on investment is typically less than 2.5 years and 14-18 months is not uncommon.

90-95% of all cleanrooms must stay operating 24/7/365 so they can maintain a positive pressure eliminating the chance for contamination entering the room even when it’s not occupied!

It is well documented that in most cases the single largest source of particle contamination in your Cleanroom is traditionally the personnel in the room.         

Think about the money you can save by reducing your energy cost, while still keeping the room operating and under a positive pressure.

• One year equals 365 days or 8,760 hours
• One business year is 260 days (less 6 days for major Holidays) or 6,096 Hours
• One working year is approximately 255 days x 10 hours or 2,550 Hours

This means your Cleanroom is only occupied “23%” of the time. Now let’s say your annual operating cost of your cleanroom in Energy and Cooling is a simple $10,000, and you are able to reduce the operating expense by 20%, by slowing down the motor in your FFU’s only during the off hours (while still maintaining a positive pressure).

• $10,000.00 / 8,760 hrs = app. $1.14 per hour if operating at full capacity 24/7/365
• 2,550 hrs working hours x $1.1415 = $2,907
• 6,220 hrs (off hours) x $.9132 = $5,660
• Annually estimated saving* $1,433 (14.3%) 

* This figure is only an estimated energy saving and does not include even larger savings you’ll see on you’re A/C bill. (It’s not uncommon for cleanrooms to require air conditioning year-round.)

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