Ventilation and Filtration Analysis:

A pharmacy work space is required to keep clean with a dust level below 0.08 mg/m 3. A filter will be
located in the mixed-air (M/A) duct (location B in Fig. 4-9). A filter efficiency of at least 70% for
filtering dust (mean size of 3 µm) is to be used to clean the air. It is estimated that, due to the condition
of the placements of outlet diffusers and return grilles in the space, the occupied zone bypass factor is S
= 0.2 (see Figs. 4-7 and 4-9). Assuming that an average person produces about 1.3 mg/hr of dust (dead
skin) and the outdoor air has 0.3 mg/m 3 of dust, determine the following:
(a) If the ventilation efficiency is 100%, i.e. the supply air is completely mixed well in the occupied
zone, determine the outdoor air requirement for ventilation per person.
(b) Determine the actual outdoor air requirement for ventilation per person.
(c) Determine the minimum rate of recirculated air.
(d) Based on Fig. 4-8, select a filter that will have a gravimetric efficiency of at least 70% for filtering
the dust.

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Solution:

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(a) Assumptions: 1) Steady-state conditions. 2) The ventilation efficiency for the pharmacy work space

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is 100%.

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Due to the assumptions, the ventilation requirement can be obtained from page 105 in Table 4-2
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(which is from ASHRAE Standard 62). Therefore, for pharmacy work space, the required ventilation
is 15 cfm/person, which is the minimum ventilation requirement.
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(b) Since there is a portion of the supply air being returned back without going to the occupied zone, i.e.
S = 0.2, the actual outdoor air requirement for ventilation shall be determined as follows:
aC s
vi y re

Q o Q o 15 cfm / person
Ev 100% Ev 100%
Q o     18.8 cfm / person
actual Ev actual
1 S 1  0 .2
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Note: Q o  18.8 cfm / person is the outdoor air requirement for ventilation, i.e. for maintaining
healthy level of O2 or low level of CO2 at 1000 ppm.
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(c) Assumptions: 1) Steady-state conditions. 2) An average person produces 1.3 mg/hr of dust. 3)
Outdoor air has 0.3 mg/m3 of dust. 4) All the dust will remain airborne.
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The required recirculated air rate per person is given by Eq. (4-12) (after rearrangement) for a
filter location B (see Fig. 4-9 on page 112):

RQ r 

N  Ev Q o 1  E f Co  Cs


N  1  S Q o 1  E f Co  C s  
Ev E f C s 1  S E f Cs
mg hr  ft 3   mg  mg  0.0283 m 3
1 .3  1  0.218.8  1  0.7  0.3 3   0.08 3 
hr  person 60 min  min person    m  m  ft 3
 3
1  0.20.7  0.08 mg3  0.02833 m
 m  ft
 20.4 cfm / person
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 Note:
1. The recirculated air rate of 20.4 cfm/person is the minimum required recirculated air in order
maintain the indoor dust level at 0.08 mg/m 3. However, the actual required recirculated air
rate may be higher in order to meet the heating and/or cooling loads of the space. In this
situation, the indoor dust level will be lower than 0.08 mg/m 3 due to higher recirculated air
rate.
2. Q  18.8 cfm / person
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RQ r  20.4 cfm / person Space

 R  20.4 / 39.2  0.52

Q r  18.8  20.4  39.2 cfm

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(d) If a filter will be selected from Fig. 4-8 to have at least 70% filter efficiency for filtering dust with

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a mean size of 3 µm, filter M-2 can be selected with a filter efficiency of Ef = 80%.

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aC s
vi y re
ed d
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Since the actual Ef is 80%, the recirculated air rate per person will need to be re-evaluated:
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RQ r 

N  Ev Q o 1  E f Co  C s  

N  1  S Q o 1  E f Co  C s 
Th

Ev E f C s 1  S E f Cs
mg hr  ft 3   mg  mg  0.0283 m 3
1 .3  1  0.218.8 1  0.8 0.3 3   0.08 3 
hr  person 60 min  min person   m  m  ft 3
 3
1  0.20.8 0.08 mg3  0.02833 m
 m  ft
 9.08 cfm / person

Q o  18.8 cfm / person

RQ r  9.08 cfm / person Space

 R  9.08 / 27.9  0.33
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Q r  18.8  9.08  27.9 cfm
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