The deteriorating quality of air is one of the most significant threats to the environment today. The deterioration is mainly caused due to two major components:
- Airborne Molecular Contamination
- Atmospheric Particulates like Smoke and Dust
Most of the times, the sources of these contamination are found in the areas with heavy traffic, manufacturing units, dump yards, industries and big open drains. Moreover, while all these are sources of contaminants on the outside, many contaminants are generated in indoor spaces from a foul odour of sewage and food, indoor machinery etc.
Amongst the two components, airborne molecular contamination is considered more harmful and destructive. It is a form of chemical contamination generated due to the vapour of gases such as Chlorine, Nitrogen Oxide, Sulphur, Ammonia, Formaldehyde, Hydrocarbons and many more. When these gases come in contact with high humidity, they begin forming corrosive elements on various electronic circuits and equipment affecting their operational capabilities, reliability, longevity and process control. This scenario can be mainly seen in server rooms and data centres which are the main components in the manufacturing plants.
Airborne molecular contaminations have now become a highly serious problem to data centres and server rooms. Stats suggest that data centre outages cost nearly 700 thousand dollars every year to industries in the manufacturing sector. Due to the development of technology, the miniaturization of electronic devices is making them more susceptible to damage leading to increased downtime. The downtime leads to inefficient processes, excessive maintenance, and costly repairs to the manufacturers. Due to airborne contamination, the OEM’S deny providing annual maintenance for expensive equipment if the environmental conditions are not in the prescribed limit.
Factors That Cause Airborne Contamination
- Particulate Contaminants: Ambient particles that carry micro-sized contaminants and non-viable particles can spread through the data centre easily via the flow of air or the people entering the rooms. These particles can easily cause malfunctioning of the equipment in the long-run.
- Gaseous Contaminants: Gases that bear Sulphur like; Hydrogen Sulphide, and Sulphur Dioxide are the major gases that cause corrosion in the electronic equipment. The combination of these gases with ozone or NO2 can cause corrosion even to copper and silver materials. The corrosion rate of copper also depends on the fluctuations in the humidity levels. Higher the humidity in the air, higher will be the rate of corrosion.
Solution to Airborne Contamination
The best method to control airborne contamination in data centres is by using honeycomb chemical filters. The chemical in the filters adsorb the unwanted gases and neutralize them via a chemical reaction. The filters can also remove odorous gases, volatile organic compounds, and even ultra-low concentration of any contaminants from the air supply stream.
Why Honeycomb Chemical Filters Are Better Than Other Filters?
Due to the use of superior technology as compared to other filters, honeycomb chemical filters are the best choice for eradication of airborne molecular contamination. There are many features that make honeycomb chemical filters a better choice. Some of them are stated below:
- They possess the high structural strength
- They have low-pressure drop and footprint
- They have a high adsorption capacity
- They can be impregnated with hydroxides, bicarbonates and phosphoric acid
- They are more efficient and have a low energy cost
- The chemical filter equipment is of smaller size and can be made bactericidal
- They have high bulk density and longer mean time between replacements
Industries Where Honeycomb Chemical Filters Find Their Applications
The chemical filters with honeycomb technology are equally useful for both industrial and commercial applications. They eliminate odour problems, remove contaminants and reduce downtime caused due to excess amount of corrosive gases. The chemisorption process in these filters is ideal for industries such as:
- Paper and Pulp
- Petrochemical Refineries
- Waste Water Treatment
- Data Centers and Mission Critical Facilities
- Process Industry
- Server Rooms
- Research Labs
- Electronic and Semi-Conductor Industry
- Food Processing Industry
- Fertilizer Industry
In a nutshell, one can say that to protect costly equipment from the damage of airborne molecular contamination, the use of honeycomb chemical filters is imperative. These filters remove contaminants from the air with greater efficiency as compared to other filters and also keep the working environment healthy.