Clean air is something we should all be entitled to

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Lifa Air Ltd.

Lifa Air is a leading supplier of products guaranteeing safe and clean indoor air, with a particular focus on the hygiene of ventilation systems and protecting buildings and their users from airborne hazards. The company’s HepaClean units have been primarily designed for use during construction and renovation work and can deal with numerous problem substances.

Lifa’s HepaClean negative-pressure vacuum/ air cleaner units have been designed to collect and remove dust during construction, renovation and restoration projects, and ventilation cleaning work. Their portability and low noise footprint make them ideal for use in small and cramped spaces.

In addition to being reliable and easy to maintain, they are very efficient at dealing with dust containing asbestos, quartz, hardwood, mineral wool, or micro-organisms, mould, and fungal spores. They do this thanks to powerful fans and durable HEPA filters. As their motors can withstand pressure drag, the useful life of their filters is extended without any loss of negative pressure.

In cases where exhaust air cannot be led out of a space and the greatest possible separation rate is called for – such as in hospitals and facilities handling delicate electronics – two smaller units can be connected together for more efficient filtration. This is particularly useful when working in areas contaminated with large amounts of asbestos.

Solutions for a range of needs

Lifa believes that good indoor air quality should not be seen as an optional expense or a luxury, but as something essential for our overall health and that of our buildings as well.

The Lifa AirClean 8000 is the largest and most efficient unit in Lifa’s HepaClean family. A multifunction unit, this can handle a large volume of air in spaces containing even very fine asbestos, mould, construction, quartz, powder, and wood dust; and can generate a ‘gale force’ airflow of 18-22 m/s in vacuuming mode.

A broad range of filters are available for the AirClean 8000, enabling contractors to select the combination best suited for their needs. Its HEPA filter, for example, has an extremely high separation level and is capable of removing 99.97% of particles over 0.3 μm in size, meeting the criteria set for asbestos work.

With the help of an exhaust side connection unit and a plastic sock, exhaust air can be channelled outside, keeping work areas at a lower pressure than the surrounding environment and preventing the spread of contaminated air.

The HepaClean 2500 is ideal for mediumsized jobs and offers the option of an active carbon filter for removing gaseous components; while the HepaClean 800, weighing only 20 kg, is perfect for small jobs.

Lifa believes that good indoor air quality should not be seen as an optional expense or a luxury, but as something essential for our overall health and that of our buildings as well.

Dust-free access with the Innovi Reno

Doorways can often be a problem for projects concentrating on just part of a building, as they often allow dust and/or odour to penetrate into other areas. Lifa’s solution here is the Innovi Reno dust control door.

The door or doors leading into a space being worked on are simply removed and replaced with Innovi Revo units. These are then connected to HepaClean units, such as the HepaClean 1100, 2500, or 4000, located either inside or outside the area, which feed purified air fed back into the work area or outside. Air fed back inside meets HEPA purity standards, while that fed outside is filtered to F7 standards.

The Innovi Reno is easy to fit, strong, and light, and keeps all of its connections out of the way to maximise convenience and is suitable for openings from 60 cm to 100 cm wide. Thanks to its compact design, an Innovi Reno is easy to transport from location to location as needs change during the course of a project.

Efficient measurement

Lifa has developed a special system for measuring the airflow rate, filtration efficiency, and detection of possible leaks in a HepaClean system very precisely in just a few minutes. This uses an aerosol generator to produce DESH particles at a constant rate and an optical particle counter to register aerosol upstream and downstream concentrations. The system is capable of measuring units with air flow rates ranging from 400 to 5,000 m³/h.

Graph: Lifa Air systems guarantee very high standards of internal air quality.

A filtration expert

HepaClean technology reflects Lifa’s extensive expertise in efficient filtration systems, such as the Lifa 3G Filter and the Lifa High Security Filter. Lifa also offers mobile units for hospitals and other emergency purposes, such as ambulances.

The multistage Lifa HS 3G Filter, for example, offers filtration efficiency in excess of 99.99% for 0.1 μm particles and 99.5% for gases. It does this by equipping an electrostatically charged filter with a particle-charging section and a gas filter made of activated carbon media.

A nanoelectric UV light can be added to destroy any airborne virus or bacteria, and even small molecules.

> Kimmo Haapalainen

(Published in HighTech Finland 2010)