Crystall Duct System
The Crystall Duct System is an innovative filtering system to be fitted on air outlets or inside ducting. It is made up of three main elements:
a) patented electronic plate filter ("Femec") b) electronic control and power board c) high voltage flexible connection cable
The system has been designed to reduce the spread, indoors, of various types of pollutants found in the ducting of air-conditioning systems. As a result, it is ideal for various types of environments, such as schools, hospitals and rest homes (corridors, waiting rooms, wards), doctors surgeries, hotels and anywhere indoor air quality needs to be improved.
There are many reasons why pollutants can be found in ducts. The main one is the lack of cleaning and maintenance of the ducts, together with other factors such as incorrect equilibrium and/or pressurisation, the circulation of air between different rooms when the system is off, the lack of suitable filters or the air being bypassed around the filtering cells inside the air handling unit, the lack of attention paid when replacing the filters, the presence of favourable conditions in terms of temperature and humidity for the proliferation of bacterial organisms, etc.
While pollution in ducts can be reduced through periodical maintenance, in reality this is rarely done due to the considerable costs, the difficulty in accessing the systems or the impossibility of shutting down the system for an extended period.
One possible alternative solution that significantly reduces the health risks and drastically cuts the costs of maintenance on ducts involves the installation of active electrostatic filters immediately before the air is introduced into the room.
Electronic filters are known to be very effective in trapping particles, fibres, biological substances, etc., even when these are very small in diameter (less than 1 micron), while only causing a moderate pressure drop in the passing air, both initially (when the filter is clean) and over time, that is, when there is dirt on the surfaces.
The bactericide action of electronic filters prevents the proliferation of biological substances (bacteria, mould, yeast, etc.) on the surfaces of the transiting dust, even if these are not trapped by the filter (other "mechanical" filtering systems may, on the other hand, represent a support that is favourable to the proliferation of biological substances).
The Crystall Duct System is consequently an effective, reliable and simple product. Furthermore, it has extremely low maintenance costs: it never needs replacing and can be washed and sanitised using ordinary detergents, without any decline in efficiency or product life.
The dimensions are perfectly adaptable to the most common and standard shapes of the outlets and diffusers currently available on the market.
The filtering units can also be installed on existing systems, without having to significantly change the characteristics of the system.
The filtering units can also be installed on existing systems, without having to significantly change the characteristics of the system. The electronic filtering units always have a slight additional pressure drop over normal outlets, which must be taken into consideration by the designer and the installer.
Two types of system solutions are available: a) filtering unit combined with outlets and/or diffusers (electronic terminal filter) b) filtering unit installed in a section of ducting (duct-mounted electronic filter)
A series of electronic terminal filters can be powered and controlled by just one electronic control unit, located as desired by the installer. The filters are connected together by a simple electrical connection.
When the filters become saturated by pollutants or if there is a malfunction in one of the filters, a signal is sent by the control unit (on/off), which can be connected to a light and/or audible device, as preferred by the user.
Electrical safety is ensured by special protection features on each filtering unit, which prevent accidental contact with live parts if the filter is removed without first disconnecting the power supply.
The electronic filter is removed for periodical cleaning at scheduled intervals, which vary according to the type and the age of the installation. In addition, the maintenance operations do not require the installation to be shutdown if a set of spare filters is used (in practice, a set of special low-cost extruded aluminium sections).
Advantages of the Crystall Duct System
Installation possible on existing systems Low impact on the thermal and aeraulic equilibrium of the installation Reduced pressure drop even when the filter is dirty Significant bactericide action on biological pollutants No cost for replacing the (the filters are totally regenerable by simply washing them) Very low additional energy costs Simple and fast maintenance No system downtime for the maintenance of the filtering units Remote power supply that can power multiple filtering units at the same time
Tests and certification
The Crystall Duct System has been the subject of numerous trials and efficiency and effectiveness tests to assess the functions and performance of the systems in real conditions.
The University of Ancona carried out over 180 laboratory tests on microbiological substances (total airborne microbiological load), including bacteria, mould, fungi, etc., which confirmed, through the statistical analysis of the data taken from the Fischer test, the effectiveness of the Crystall electronic filter in reducing the bacterial load.
Other tests have been carried out in the SABIANA laboratories on the flow-rate, pressure drop, electrical safety and instrumental efficiency of the filtration process on micro-particles by numerically counting the most common particle size categories in various rooms. The particles monitored had the diameters specified by the WHO (World Health Organization) and the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) as being the most harmful to our health (<2.5 micron PM 2.5), with volumetric counts (number/m3) being performed in a common living environment, using a laser particle counter (LPC).
