Project Scope
At Capsule Factory they make capsules, tablets, bottling and pouching for many nutraceutical products. Dealing with such consumables requires strict standards to maintain an environment clean and free of contaminants, thus guaranteeing a high-quality healthy product. Some areas of the factory such as the mixing rooms, capsule rooms and packaging rooms are critical and very well isolated from the rest of the plant. This eliminates cross contamination and facilitates control of indoor air quality. The Capsule Factory were keen to further improve air circulation in these rooms and introduce filtration to mitigate airborne particles generated from the different powder mixes they use in their processes.
The Solution
Oxford Plumbing engaged O’Dell to tap our vast filtration knowledge and support their efforts to address the customer’s requirements.
Since we are dealing with fine powder particles in the micron range, we proposed using a 3-stage filtration process using Tri-dim Tri-lock HEPA housing. Stages 1 and 2 were important to capture larger size particles, using MERV8 and MERv13 filters, The final stage was a HEPA filter, rated at a minimum efficiency of 99.97% capture on 0.3-micron particles. This guaranteed a filtered clean air back to the rooms of concern.
To circulate air at the required air changes per hour for the different rooms we supplied durable PennBarry inline fans. However, we knew for this application that a special control was needed in order to maintain efficient operation of the system and constant air flow circulation in the rooms. Without it and as air starts moving through these filters, particles will build up on the filter’s face causing static pressure to increase and thus decreasing the air changes in the rooms. For this reason, we utilized JCI Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) and pressure differential sensors to tackle this imminent issue. The sensors will monitor the change in pressure across the filters and send a signal to the VFD which in turns ramps up the fan’s motor frequency consequently compensating the increase in static across the filters.
After installation, we thoroughly commissioned the system to ensure to solution was operating to the satisfaction of the owner.
