Vector Air Flow: What- How- Why- Who- When- Where?
Vector Flow Filters
By Robert Scholler
WHAT is Vector Air?
Vector Air is super clean air. Vector Air Flow is usually unidirectional flow highly filtered air in a uniform, but not perfect, laminar flow pattern.
ISO Standards 14644 and 14698 have eliminated the term “laminar flow” and replaced it with “unidirectional low”. Vector Air Flow may be unidirectional, radial, or non-unidirectional.
Special curved or arc-shaped HIGH EFFICIENCY PARTICULATE AIR (H.E.P.A./ U.L.P.A.) filters are used to supply final air into a room or Clean Zone in a manner that provides the optimum clean air flow over the critical area of work.
Vector Air – H.E.P.A filters are constructed of the newest “State-of-the-Art” filter media, providing filtration 
efficiency of 99.99% for 0.3 micrometer size particles or 99.9995% efficient for 0.1 micrometer size particles. Vector Air- H.E.P.A filters can be obtained with or without D.O.P. challenge.
The Vector Air System consists of a combination soffit type plenum, filter frame and curved filter protective screen that is located at the top of one wall at the ceiling level, extending from wall to wall, thus confining and directing and dispersing the clean air in a uniform, non-turbulent diagonal direction toward a low level combination air return, exhaust and pre-filter grille extending almost the full width of the opposite wall near the floor.
A typical Vector Air System provides ISO Class (5), ISO Class (4), Class (1) or better air to the room or work station and Class (7) or better air quality exiting the enclosure, depending upon the amount of contamination generated by the equipment, work, and personnel.
The Vector Air System provides better than 99% of the total air quality efficiency of a laminar flow system at 1/3 the cost, 1/3 the energy use and 1/3 the heat load; thus 1/3 the air conditioning tonnage required.
HOW is Vector Air Installed?
Vector Air Systems are easily installed in existing conventional cleanrooms, new standard construction type rooms, portable panel or partition type rooms and transparent plastic rooms and tunnels. The modular pre-fabricated combination soffit-plenum-filter holder and protective screen unit is light weight and can be hung on any wall at the ceiling. No floor space is required and there is no interference with standard lighting or fire sprinklers.
Return air and exhaust can be directed or returned through a narrow double wall system or ducted risers. Standard air conditioning/ heating/ humidity/ dehumidifier units can be incorporated to provide uniform environmental control at least energy cost. Optional Chilled Beam Cooling Systems are the most energy efficient when combined with Vector Air Systems.
WHY Use Vector Air?
Vector Air was developed to reduce the cost of high efficiency clean air systems. Many medical, military, and scientific as well as industrial clean air needs, have gone unfulfilled because of the high cost of conventional, as well as horizontal and vertical laminar flow systems.
Potential users for many clean air applications have rejected complete laminar flow systems as “over kill” for their specific applications.
ISO Standards also provide Class (7), (8) and (9) CleanRoom facilities which can be met by Vector Air Systems with less efficient filters. Vector Air economically exceeds these requirements, as well as providing the economical basis for future revision of any facility to a higher class CleanRoom.
Vector Air Systems do provide better than ISO Class (5) air quality to a room or work station with less than 1/3 the H.E.P.A. filter area, 1/3 the blower/motor requirement, less than 1/3 the sensible heat load, less than 1/3 the air conditioning equipment required and provides lass than 1/3 the energy cost of laminar flow system. The most economical number of clean air changes per hour in any enclosure can be obtained by standard motor speed controls.
WHO uses Vector Air?
The first United States medical Vector Air Room was constructed in 1977 as a cancer research tissue culture room for Scripps Clinic and Medical Center,La Jolla, California.
A Second room was constructed in 1979 at the newly constructed Scripps Research Facility. Since then, over 350 Vector Air Rooms and complete Vector Air facility complexes have been constructed for the following applications:
Ability Room- Cleanroom for Disabled Workers
Aircraft Windshield Production Air Lock to Cleanroom
Air Lock to Laminar Flow Room Allergy-Asthma Relief Room
ALP Room- Automated Liquid Packin Anti-Static Transducer Production
Anti-Static Powder Filling Animal Rooms
Antibiotic Rooms Antibiotic Filling Rooms
Bio Medical Laser Research Blood Plasma Filling Operation
Bottled Pack- Form/ Fill/ Seal Enclosure BSL-3 Laboratories
Brain Tumor Research Lab Capping Machine Enclosure
Change Room Chemical Process Room
Chemotherapy Drug Process Circuit Board Production Unit
Clean Machine Room Clean Photo Dark Room Complex
Clean Room Laundry for Class (5) Garments Computer Circuit Production
Computer Circuit Research and Development Computer Disc Plating
Computer Test Facility Confidential Military Unit
Conveyor Tunnel Enclosure Cryogenic Component Assembly Room
Crystal Production Facility Disc Drive Production
Disc Drive R&D Disc Drive Repair Lab
DIVAD Laser Facility DNA Research Facility
Electron Microscope Enclosure Emergency Burn Patient Isolator
Fiber Optics Production Field Hospital – E.T. Movie Set
Filter Production Facility Food Processing
Gallium Arsenide Facility General Surgery Room
Germ Free Room Halographic Clean Room
Heart Rooms Heart Valve Production Facility
Heart Valve Research Facility I.V. Solution Admixture Program
Injection Molding Facility Ion Implant Enclosure
Isotope Processing Unit Laser Surgery Rooms
Laser Table Clean Air Systems Laser Optical Material Production
Laser Disc Production Ligament Processing Room
Low Velocity Air Shower Lox Cleaning Room
Lyophilizer Enclosure Machine Shop Contamination Isolator
Magnetic Tape Processing Medical Injection Molding
Mobile Lab Ground Support Moon Rock Laboratory Filter Production
MX Missile Production Facility Neurosurgery Rooms
Nude Mouse Rooms Optical Tooling Room
Orthopedic Surgery Rooms Patient Reverse Isolator
Photo Process Room Photo Resist Chemical Room
Plasma Bottle Blow Molding Machine Enclosure Precision Optical Machinery Room
Printed Circuit Production Quality Control Test Room
R.F. Welding CleanRoom Robotic Test Cleanroom
Second Sight Lab Semi Conductor/ Transducer Research
Silk Screening Facility Solar Photo Voltaic Cell Production
Space Shuttle Hydraulic Assembly Sterilizer Enclosure
Steroid Process Room Skin Bank for Burn Patients
300mm Semiconductor Production Stem Cell Research Lab
Tissue Culture Laboratory Vector Air/ H.E.P.A Filter Exhaust System
Video Cassette Loading Video Tube Production Facility
Water Quality Laboratories Welding Enclosures
A number of leading manufacturers and medical facilities are planning to use Vector Air Systems in the established applications, as well as some new and more advanced scientific functions.
WHEN are Vector Air Systems used?
Vector Air Systems have been used when:
A. Time is short and rapid or emergency installation is needed.
B. Relocation of clean air facility is anticipated
C. Expansion of facility is anticipated.
D. Conventional Cleanrooms do not meet the cleanliness requirements.
E. Horizontal laminar flow systems take up too much floor space.
F. Vertical laminar flow obstructs lighting or other important ceiling functions.
G. Laminar flow systems are“overkill” for the particular requirement.
H. Laminar flow systems are too expensive for the specific clean air requirements.
I. Economy of installation is necessary.
J. Energy savings is mandatory.
K. Available electrical power is limited.
L. Owner wishes to purchase equipment qualifying for rapid tax depreciation.
WHERE are Vector Air Systems used?
Vector Air Systems are used in the United States, Europe, and Asia in most every application that conventional, horizontal or vertical laminar flow systems were used, plus a number of unique special applications.
Vector Air Systems are used in commercial applications where cost savings is important to profits, as well as quality control and reduced reject rate.
Vector Air Systems are used in health care and medical facilities where the ability of the Vector Air H.E.P.A. Filters is needed to efficiently reduce harmful particles, radio-active dust, smoke, bacteria, spores, germs, pyrogens, filterable viruses, as well as other contaminates 0.1 micrometers in size and larger. Special Vector Air pre-filter options also reduce specific gases, odors, and reactive chemicals.
Completely pre-fabricated Vector Air Cleanroom Systems have been shipped by air freight, train, motor truck, boat, cargo container and private vehicle without damage or delay of any kind.
Vector Air Systems have been shipped with optional explosion-proof motors, non-sparking blowers, anti-static devices, 50-60 cycle power and special lighting systems.
CONCLUSION
- The new International Standards ISO-14644 and 14698 can be met or exceeded in every class of cleanliness by Vector Air Flow.
- Vector Air has a special unique place as another choice in the rapidly expanding clean air system technology. For specific applications where diagonal air flow is desirable, if not mandatory, such as in certain Laser technology, semi-conductor production, and medical contamination control, Vector Air does the most efficient job.
- The next generation of Vector Air H.E.P.A. Filters will produce the equivalent of Class (1) air quality for more advanced applications.
- The new ISO Standards are most favorable to Vector Air.
Victor Hugo
Vector Air Systems, as well as Vector H.E.P.A. / ULPA/ VULPA Filters are made available under license to responsible organizations who agree to install and test to rigid quality control standards.