High efficiency dust collectors are best known for maintaining cleanliness in industrial manufacturing spaces. But offices, conference areas, control rooms, server rooms and similar spaces in these facilities must also be protected against dust infiltration from nearby manufacturing processes or from particulate contaminants in the outdoor air.
Pressurization in combination with proper air filtration is the most effective approach to this challenge. High-efficiency HVAC filters are the most common solution, but cartridge-type industrial dust collectors can offer an effective and often overlooked alternative.
How pressurization works
Pressurization is a well-known ventilation technique in which a positive or negative atmospheric pressure is maintained in an isolated or semi-isolated environment. It has been used by the health care industry for many years for infectious disease control.A patient with an immunodeficiency disorder will typically be housed in a positive pressure isolation room, which maintains a flow of air out of the room, protecting the individual from contaminants and pathogens which might otherwise enter. Conversely, a patient with a contagious disease will be housed in a negative pressure isolation room, which maintains a flow of air into the room to keep the infection from spreading to other patients and health care workers.
In industrial settings, positive pressure (known as “inflating the building”) is similarly used to keep particulate or gaseous contaminants out of a room, creating an air barrier between the outside and the inside. This makes it possible to protect the space from dirty outdoor air conditions, from dust or fumes generated by an adjacent production process, or even from excess humidity that might seep in through walls or other openings. Offices, labs, electrical rooms and server rooms in industrial facilities are especially prone to dust infiltration that can create unpleasant or even hazardous working conditions while causing problems with critical equipment, especially electronics.
Conversely, in a pharmaceutical facility where potent compounds are used, or a mining facility where toxic minerals are being processed, negative pressure may be applied – sometimes in conjunction with containment systems – to prevent the dust generated in a manufacturing space from cross-contaminating other areas of the plant.
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