A clean room is an energy intensive environment with strict requirements. The combination of smarter design and precise measurement technology can bring about real change. Continue reading to learn how to enhance the sustainability of cleanrooms, reduce energy consumption, and meet compliance standards - all without compromising reliability or performance.

What is a clean room?

A clean room is a space where the concentration of particulate matter in the air can be controlled. Its construction and usage can minimize the introduction, generation, and retention of particles in the space to the greatest extent possible. The temperature and humidity levels inside the clean room, as well as the pressure difference between different spaces, are also strictly controlled.

Cleanrooms are widely used in various fields such as pharmaceuticals, food, semiconductors, and research laboratories. The main standard that affects the construction and operation of clean rooms is EN ISO 14644, which defines the allowable number of particles in the air and other related content. Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) regulations also apply to cleanrooms in the pharmaceutical industry.

Manage clean room air quality

The selection, design, construction, renovation, and maintenance of clean rooms should be suitable for the needs of the process flow. They are usually designed using material flow diagrams, which describe the operations to be carried out in the clean room and draw the personnel and material flow. The purpose of this design is to minimize the risk of errors and cross contamination, achieve effective cleaning and maintenance, minimize the accumulation of dirt and dust, and eliminate any adverse effects on product quality.

People are usually the most important source of particles in cleanrooms, which is why special clothing is needed to filter particles released from human skin. The stronger the filtering ability, the fewer particles are released.

Maintain cleanliness through system design

A clean room is usually a dedicated room within a building, with strict environmental controls. Although the typical height is 2.6 meters, some process equipment may require more space. Maintaining pressure differential is crucial for maintaining cleanliness and may be a common mistake in cleanroom design.

The GMP guidelines recommend maintaining a pressure difference of 10-15 Pa between different cleanroom levels. Typically, airlock rooms and changing rooms have negative pressure relative to process rooms, but positive pressure relative to non cleanroom corridors. Interlocking doors help maintain pressure differentials and strictly control personnel entering and exiting the cleanroom.

The Importance of Compliance

The strict requirements for cleanroom space set high standards for indoor environmental control and related sensors. Maintaining the required temperature, humidity, and air pressure levels requires precise and reliable control of various conditions. The sensors that feed measurement data into the control system play a crucial role: the reliability and long-term stability of the sensors are essential for maintaining good conditions in the cleanroom space.

For example, the Vaisala HMT120 humidity and temperature transmitter has become a popular choice for cleanrooms because it can provide accurate, reliable measurements and good long-term stability. Replacing the probe is both simple and quick - the device uses a standard interface, so the probe that needs to be replaced for calibration can be quickly replaced. This will shorten the sensor downtime to just a few seconds.

In addition to control, it is also necessary to demonstrate the compliance of the cleanroom through regular measurement and recording. This is usually achieved through validated environmental monitoring systems, such as Vaisala viewLinc, which is favored by major pharmaceutical companies.

The environmental monitoring system consists of transmitters, data recorders, and particle counters, used to measure and collect pressure difference, particle counting, temperature, and humidity data. In order to comply with regulatory requirements, verification is necessary, which makes accurate measurements crucial from the design phase to debugging and normal operation. Continuous monitoring can confirm that the cleanroom is maintaining the correct conditions.

Optimize cleanroom design

An important factor in ensuring clean room cleanliness and energy efficiency is ventilation and ventilation control technology. The amount of air replaced per minute in a clean room is equivalent to the amount of air replaced per hour in an office. Moving so much air requires a lot of power for the fan. Therefore, the ventilation system consumes more energy than any other component in the cleanroom. If the fan runs at maximum speed regardless of room conditions, energy consumption will be particularly high. Smarter ventilation, precise control technology, and reliable components and products can bring significant savings.

Finding ways to save clean room energy is not only beneficial for the environment, but also part of the EN ISO 14644 standard. Part 16 of EN ISO 14644 now emphasizes energy conservation and requires users to consider this.

How to reduce energy consumption

To achieve sustainability in cleanrooms, the first step is to avoid excessive space and ventilation. By reducing unnecessary energy used for ventilation, energy efficiency can be further improved by shifting towards demand based active control mode, while considering the number of people in the space and the current ongoing processes. Dynamic systems can adjust airflow accordingly based on real-time usage, occupancy, and pollution risks.

In larger rooms or facilities, smaller clean areas can be independently controlled, which helps to further optimize air exchange rates. The flexible layout allows you to adjust only the desired area, rather than the entire room.

Why precise measuring instruments are important

Accurate measurement sensors are a key component of efficient and energy-saving systems, helping to ensure compliance and optimize energy consumption. Ensuring accurate calibration of sensors is also important, making the convenience of calibration an important consideration. High quality and stable sensors ensure that the control system operates based on accurate and reliable data, preventing excessive ventilation caused by incorrect readings.

Smarter design, precise control, and accurate measurement technology are fundamental elements for reliable and sustainable operation of cleanrooms. Vaisala offers a wide range of products that are favored by cleanroom operators around the world - making cleanroom energy efficiency possible without lowering standards.