Assess Air Exchange Reductions In Controlled Environments For Energy Savings Using Instantaneous Microbial Detection™

This application note provides some ideas on ways in which air quality can be managed by using the Azbil BioVigilant’s IMD-A® system as tool for airflow reduction assessments leading to utility cost reductions. The IMD-A system can be used as a way to accurately quantify microbial variability within an environment, both passively and continuously, thus supporting the reduction of Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) operation in cleanrooms to reduce energy costs within a facility.

Pharmaceutical HVAC systems are designed, not only to maintain specific temperature requirements, but also to reduce the amount of airborne particulate through the cycling of room air and HEPA filtration. Because of this, HVAC energy requirements could be as much as 50 times more than a conventional cleanroom.1 Additionally, those operations that create more dust could require even more air-handling changes, resulting in even greater energy requirements. Because microbial contamination is a major concern in these environments, oftentimes, HVAC systems operate at much higher rates to overcompensate for any perceived contamination risk. While the intent of increased air-change rates is to reduce overall particulate levels, the final HVAC setting may be overcompensated, according to the need of the environment. In short – a more focused assessment of the room air environment could support potential energy savings for a room or series of rooms.