Advancing Sustainable HVAC Practices: A New Chapter for the Life Sciences Sector
Posted November 26, 2024
As the drive for sustainability increases in the life sciences industry, balancing environmental controls with responsible energy management has become increasingly important. The newly released International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) HVAC Good Practice Guide, Second Edition, represents a significant advancement in energy efficiency, environmental management, and operational excellence. This guide is the result of a collaborative effort by multiple authors dedicated to advancing best practices in Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC )design and operation. In this article, we explore key themes and insights from the energy and environment sections of the guide while highlighting practical HVAC strategies that are reshaping life science facility design.
Aligning HVAC Design with Sustainability Goals
HVAC systems maintain product quality and compliance in life science facilities yet contribute significantly to energy use and emissions. The revised guide provides strategies to enhance energy efficiency without compromising performance. It includes techniques to lower air change rates, recover waste energy, and explore alternatives to steam for humidification.
In non-unidirectional cleanrooms, air change rates are frequently overestimated, resulting in excessive energy consumption. The guide presents data-driven methods to address this issue and enable better alignment of HVAC operations with actual demands while maintaining cleanliness standards.
Air Change Rate Reduction: From Rules of Thumb to Analytical Approaches
One of the major improvements in the updated guide is the shift toward more accurate methods to determine air change rates in non-unidirectional cleanrooms. Although computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling provides the most detailed analysis, it is not always practical or cost-effective. The guide introduces continuous dilution modeling as an effective middle-ground solution to bridge the gap between traditional guidelines and complex CFD simulations.
The continuous dilution modeling method uses empirical data to determine air change rates, considering factors like particle generation, recovery time, and room dimensions. This quantitative method provides a more accurate assessment than traditional rules of thumb, allowing facilities to:
- Establish air change rates that comply with cleanliness standards while reducing energy consumption.
- Properly sized HVAC equipment, potentially lowering capital expenses.
- Perform air change reduction studies in existing cleanrooms to optimize energy performance.
By adopting these modeling techniques, engineers and building owners can significantly improve energy efficiency and cost savings without compromising cleanroom standards.
Energy Recovery and Sustainable Humidification: Integrating Advanced Technologies
The guide highlights the importance of waste energy recovery, particularly in energy-intensive pharmaceutical settings. Facilities can harness and repurpose energy that would otherwise be lost through exhaust using technologies like enthalpy wheels, heat pipes, and run-around coils. This method reduces emissions and lowers energy costs.
The guide examines innovative humidification technologies as alternatives to traditional steam-based systems to support the industry's decarbonization efforts. It presents high-pressure water and compressed air atomizers as viable options to maintain strict environmental conditions while reducing energy consumption and meeting sustainability objectives. These technologies can eliminate the need for fossil fuels or electric heating elements typically used in steam generation.
By incorporating advanced energy recovery and humidification technologies within a risk-based framework, life science facilities can greatly advance their sustainability goals while adhering to stringent environmental control standards.
A Commitment to Responsible Facility Design & Operation
The new HVAC Good Practice Guide is more than just a technical document; it’s a commitment to the efficient and responsible operation of life science facilities. As the sector targets its sustainability initiatives, energy-efficient HVAC systems are key. This guide balances environmental responsibility with cleanroom standards and helps facilities achieve operational and sustainability goals.