Price Industries: HVAC Solutions for Reducing Airborne Pathogens

With the pandemic beginning to curve downward as the vaccine becomes more available across the country, people are slowly starting to go back to how life was before. This means more people in the office, more people in stores, more people in schools, and more people visiting hospitals and other medical offices. But what does that mean for the future of safety and health in these commercial spaces?  

Clean, healthy air has never been more important to keeping building occupants happy, healthy and comfortable. This pandemic has forever changed our standards for indoor air quality. Whether working on new construction or retrofit applications, reducing airborne pathogens to improve indoor air quality should be one of the top goals of every building owner, designer, and facility manager.  

Here is a list of Price Industries’ HVAC solutions for reducing airborne pathogens for new construction and retrofit applications:  

Solutions for New Construction:  

Stratified Air Systems that Promote Occupant Wellness 

Stratified Air Systems deliver air directly into the breathing zone pushing contaminants up and out of the space.  

Underfloor Air Distribution: This is an alternative to traditional overhead air distribution that delivers air from a pressurized air plenum beneath a raised access floor, relying on the natural buoyancy of air to remove heat and contaminants. 

Displacement Ventilation: In displacement ventilation, the fresh air is delivered from below, forcing contaminated air up and out. 

Displacement Supply, Filtered Return, and Room Filtration 

Option 1: Ceiling Displacement (Displacement Flow Ceiling Diffuser [DFC]): A ceiling model DFC displacement diffuser can be installed in a typical ceiling grid and paired with overhead ductwork and terminal units. 

Option 2: Ceiling Displacement with Fan Mixing Box: A fan mixing box with a MERV 13 filter is paired with ceiling mounted displacement diffusers (DFC) to provide enhanced filtration of the recirculated air. 

Option 3: Low Level Displacement with Fan Mixing Box (1 Way Corner Displacement Diffuser [DF1C]) : Ductwork can be routed from the ceiling or walls and connected to the corner Displacement Corner Cabinet. 

Overhead Supply with Supplementary Filtration  

Option 1: Portable Air Purification (Room Air Purifier [RAP]): The Price Room Air Purifier (RAP) improves indoor air quality with air filtration wherever and whenever you need it.  

Option 2: Recessed Diffusers with Integrated Ceiling-Access Filters (Filtered Diffuser Module ([FDM]): Diffusers with ceiling-access filters have a 6" plenum box and are installed on top of the t-bar ceiling grid, replacing existing diffusers. 

Option 3: Overhead Air Purifier (OAP): The goal of the Overhead Air Purifier (OAP) is to filter room air through consistent air changes. The fan powered unit draws air directly from the space, through a MERV rated filter, and discharges the clean air directly back into the space. 

Pandemic Ready Patient Rooms 

The pandemic ready patient room solution from Price and Antec Controls allows the hospital to build one room that can be used for either standard patient care or as an AIIR, and can change between operational modes at the touch of a button, a feature that may be sought-after post Covid-19. 

For more information on Pandemic Ready Patient Rooms, click here to view the full brochure. 

Dental Operatories  

Dental Operatory solutions from Price make use of engineering controls including high-volume source extraction1, HEPA filtration2, and recirculated room air to improve indoor air quality while maximizing contamination control and system efficiency. 

For more information on Dental Operatories, click here to view the full brochure. 

Solutions for Retrofit Applications:  

Overhead Mixing System with Integrated Filtration 

Option 1: Retrofit Existing Diffusers (Filtered Diffuser Module [FDM]): Retrofit filtration attachments include a 2", MERV 13 or 15 filter and a secondary diffuser face and are suspended directly below existing diffusers so that ductwork changes are not required.  

Option 2: Recessed Diffusers with Integrated Ceiling-Access Filters (Filtered Diffuser Module [FDM]): Diffusers with ceiling-access filters have a 6" plenum box and are installed on top of the t-bar ceiling grid, replacing existing diffusers.  

Option 3: New Diffusers with Integrated Room-Side Accessible Filter (Louvered Face Diffuser with Filter [AMDC] and Radial Vane Diffuser with Filter [RVDC]): Diffusers with room-side accessible filters have a 6" plenum box and are installed on top of the t-bar ceiling grid, replacing existing diffusers. As the name implies, room-side replaceable filters provide convenient access to the filter from the room side for periodic filter replacement. 

Overhead Supply with Supplementary Filtration 

Option 1: Portable Air Purification (Room Air Purifier [RAP]): The Price Room Air Purifier (RAP) improves indoor air quality with air filtration wherever and whenever you need it.  

Option 2: Filtered Exhaust Booster: The booster unit is designed to drop into existing duct work and provide filtration to exhaust air before returning to the air handler. 

Option 3: Overhead Air Purifier (OAP): The goal of the Overhead Air Purifier (OAP) is to filter room air through consistent air changes. The OAP is designed to be installed directly above any space and does not require modification to existing ductwork or other HVAC equipment. 

Overhead Supply with Supplementary In-Ceiling HEPA or ULPA Filtration  

Option 1: Supply Puraflo with Return Grille (Fan Filter Unit for Commercial Applications [PURAFLO]): This configuration makes use of a standard return grille (like the Price 80 series) and a supply style Puraflo unit to draw room air in through the return grille and distribute the HEPA or ULPA filtered air to the space with a laminar airflow pattern. 

Option 2: Exhaust Puraflo with Supply Diffuser Grille (Fan Filter Unit for Commercial Applications [PURAFLO]): This configuration features an exhaust Puraflo unit and a standard supply diffuser (like the Price SPD) to draw room air in through the face of the Puraflo and distribute the HEPA or ULPA filtered air to the space with your desired throw characteristics. 

Displacement Supply, Filtered Return, and Room Filtration  

Option 1: Ceiling Displacement (Displacement Flow Ceiling Diffuser [DFC]): A ceiling model DFC displacement diffuser can be installed into an existing ceiling grid removing the existing supply grille. 

Option 2: Ceiling Displacement with Fan Mixing Box: Using existing ductwork, a fan mixing box with a MERV13 filter replaces the VAV terminal unit. this option requires ceiling mounted displacement diffusers (DFC), and a fan mixing box with a MERV13 filter for enhanced filtration of the recirculated air. 

Option 3: Low Level Displacement with Fan Mixing Box (1 Way Corner Displacement Diffuser [DF1C]): Existing ductwork can be rerouted down from the ceiling and connected to the corner Displacement Corner Cabinet. This low level supply provides improved ventilation effectiveness, quiet air delivery, and comfortable airflow for occupants. 

Negative Pressure Isolation Rooms  

Option 1: Ceiling Mounted Exhaust Puraflo Grille (Fan Filter Unit for Commercial Applications [PURAFLO]): In this permanent application, an exhaust flow Puraflo is installed in the ceiling near the patient. Air is drawn from the room, HEPA filtered, and then exhausted through existing exhaust/return ductwork. 

Option 2: Freestanding Exhaust Puraflo Grille (Fan Filter Unit for Commercial Applications [PURAFLO]): An exhaust flow Puraflo unit can be placed on the floor of the patient room and plugged into a standard wall socket, drawing air in through the face of the unit and exhausting HEPA filtered air out through ductwork that is directed to a room exhaust/return grille, an adjacent space, or out a window.  

Dental Operatories  

Recirculating Diffuser: The Modular Louvered Face Diffuser (SMD) supplies HEPA filtered, recirculated air from the Puraflo to the space.  

Supply Diffuser: The Modular Louvered Face Diffuser (SMD) provides fresh air to the space.  

Combination Exhaust and Recirculating Puraflo: The Puraflo removes air from the room, passes it through a HEPA filter to remove harmful contaminants, then recirculates a portion of the airflow to the room and exhausts the remainder. Recirculating airflow increases the air change rate while keeping energy consumption low. 

For any additional questions about HVAC solutions for reducing airborne pathogens, please reach out to your local Price Industries representative.  

Blog source: Price Industries