Get Clean with Air Showers

Cleanroom entrances have a high potential for contamination. They should be treated accordingly. Piggy-backing contaminants can be minimized by using air showers. These enclosed chambers use powerful bursts to remove particulates from people and transport carts. Pass-throughs with an air shower and room entrances serve to protect critical and non-critical areas. Because personnel is the biggest source of contamination in cleanrooms, most methods of contamination reduction (including air showers) were designed to accommodate them. Depending on their purpose, air showers can be of different sizes and constructed. They are used by many industries. How do air showers work? Learn more below!

Design and operation of an air shower

Modular air shower chambers or tunnels use high-velocity streams of HEPA or ULPA-filtered, HEPA- or ULPA filter air to remove surface particulates as people and/or parts enter the antechamber/buffer room. The motor and blower are self-contained. Personnel/parts are then "scrubbed," by the accelerated air to remove any contaminates. The unit's dirty air is then pulled out by a closed-loop, recirculating exhaust system through wall plenums and vents. To remove particulates from the recirculated filtered air, the air is now routed through a HEPA filter or ULPA filter. Interlocking doors in the tunnel prevents users from simultaneously opening them. This reduces inflow contamination.

Different policies and cleaning requirements apply to different facilities. To reduce contamination from street clothes and other contaminants, some facilities place an air shower at the entry to a gowning area. This is done before changing into cleanroom clothing. Others place the air shower in between the cleanroom and the gowning area, so workers can access it after they have finished the garbing process. Many labs require air showers at the exit and entrance of controlled rooms.

What are the different types of air-showers?

Terra offers single-person, isolated air showers and tunnels for air showers. There are also various sizes of pass-through chambers for air showers. An air shower tunnel can be larger than an individual air shower and allows multiple workers to enter/exit the controlled area. Both the tunnel and chamber designs have uniformly spaced, ISO 5 rated nozzles that provide concentrated airflow at speeds up to 41 m/s (8,000 feet/min).

An air shower pass-through chamber can be mounted on a wall or floor and allows for the transfer of parts, materials, and equipment from one side to the other. A pass-through allows personnel to save time and reduce the cost of cleanroom clothes when moving items into critical areas. The "dirty" side of the pass-through vents the particle-laden air out. Terra's pass-through chambers feature the same door interlock system as the walk-in showers and offer an airflow velocity of 41m/s (8,000 feet/min).

Who uses an air shower?

Although an air shower is not necessary in all cases, some industries have strict requirements regarding sanitary conditions. To maintain the cleanliness required, all items entering the cleanroom should be free from particles.

For example, airborne contaminants can easily compromise the sensitive integrated circuits (ICs) or chips during the production of semiconductors. Although the machinery is used in many processes, staff still play a crucial role in IC production. They can also cause damage to the integrity of the chips.

Due to their roles in the development and production of drugs and medicines, pharmaceutical companies must adhere to strict cleanliness standards. For example, when working with laboratory animals, air showers prevent allergens from leaving the controlled area. Consumer health can be affected if products are damaged during manufacturing.

Cleanrooms are also used in other industries that require special regulations. Aseptic cleanrooms are used by biotech companies when they study biomolecular or cellular processes to develop new technology. Complex optoelectronic products require high-precision optical equipment to be free of contaminants. Specialized surgical procedures like stem-cell transplants or gene therapy are performed in cleanrooms. Doctors must be decontaminated before they can enter the clean environment.

The most dangerous areas in a cleanroom are their openings. Pass-throughs reduce foot traffic, which can be a major contributor to contamination. However, personnel still need to use doors to access and exit the controlled environment. You can increase your chances of a successful application by adding air showers that "re-enforce" the openings.

Learn more about TECHNO Air Showers. There are many configuration options to suit your facility and workflow. 

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