Eurovent Industry Recommendation / Code of Good Practice

Eurovent 4/21 - 2019

Energy Efficiency Evaluation of Air

Filters for General Ventilation
Purposes
Fourth Edition
Published on 25 November 2019 by
Eurovent, 80 Bd A. Reyers Ln, 1030 Brussels, Belgium
[email protected]

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Document history
This Eurovent Industry Recommendation / Code of Good Practice supersedes all of its previous
editions, which automatically become obsolete with the publication of this document.

Modifications
This Eurovent publication was modified as against previous editions in the following manner:

Modifications as against Key changes

1st edition Implementation of ISO 16890 classification and testing methods in
place of EN 779.
2nd edition Modification of the total amount of dust fed for rating. Withdrawal of
key energy performance number (kep) for energy efficiency evaluation.
3rd edition Annex 1 concerning calculation of annual energy consumption at the
flow rate other than 0.944 m3/s.
4th edition Present document

Preface
In a nutshell
The purpose of this Recommendation is to:
- Define energy efficiency of air filters for general ventilation purposes
- Define energy efficiency evaluation methods
- Implement the ISO 16890 classification and testing methods

Authors
This document was published by the Eurovent Association and was prepared in a joint effort by
participants of the Product Group ‘Air Filters’ (PG-FIL), which represents a vast majority of all
manufacturers of these products active on the EMEA market.

Adoption
It has been approved and adopted through a formal voting procedure by Europe’s national Member
Associations from 20+ European countries, which ensures a wide-ranging representativeness based
on democratic decision-making procedures. More information on these members can be found at
www.eurovent.eu.

Important remarks
The Eurovent Association does not grant any certification based on this document. All certification-
related issues are managed by the association’s independent subunit Eurovent Certita Certification
in Paris. For more information, visit www.eurovent-certification.com.

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Contents
Eurovent 4/21 - 2019 _____________________________________________________________________ 1
Document history _______________________________________________________________________ 2
Modifications _________________________________________________________________________ 2
Preface _______________________________________________________________________________ 2
In a nutshell _________________________________________________________________________ 2
Authors _____________________________________________________________________________ 2
Adoption _____________________________________________________________________________ 2
Important remarks ____________________________________________________________________ 2
Background ____________________________________________________________________________ 4
Energy consumption related to air filters ___________________________________________________ 4
Symbols _______________________________________________________________________________ 6
Example _______________________________________________________________________________ 7
Literature _____________________________________________________________________________ 8
Annex 1 ________________________________________________________________________________ 9
About Eurovent ________________________________________________________________________ 10
Our Member Associations _____________________________________________________________ 10

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Background
In the context of increasing energy prices and the imperative of reducing CO2 emissions, the energy
consumption related to air filters is in the focus of attention. Air filters used for general ventilation are
tested and classified according to their particle efficiencies, especially with respect to the removal of
particulate matter, in accordance with the ISO 16890 series of standards.

The aim of this guideline is to assess the yearly energy consumption based on a laboratory test
procedure which can be the basis for an energy efficiency classification, to give the user of air filters
guidance for the filter selection. It has to be noted that to reduce the energy consumption by using
more energy efficient filters requires that the speed of the fan can be adjusted to supply a constant air
volume flow rate. If the fan is operated at a fixed speed, lowering the (average) pressure drop of the air
filters will result in an increased air volume flow rate. In the worst case, this may even result in a
situation where the fan is operated in a region with lower efficiency resulting in an increased overall
energy consumption.

It also has to be noted that the method provided in this document is based on laboratory test data with
standardised test conditions, which may differ significantly from the individual application in a building
ventilation unit. Hence, the yearly energy consumption calculated in this document can only be used as
an indicator for the classification system and relates only to the contribution of the air filters involved.
The yearly energy consumption in an individual, actual application may differ from this significantly.

The energy consumption of air filters can be determined as a function of the volume flow rate, the fan
efficiency, the operation time, and the average pressure drop. Due to the dust loading during
operation, the pressure drop of an air filter increases over time. The related energy consumption over
a certain duration can be calculated from the integral average of the pressure drop over this period of
time. As a laboratory test method, the average pressure drop is determined from a loading of the filter
according to ISO 16890-3 using a synthetic test dust specified in ISO 15957 as L2 (AC Fine).

According to this guideline fine dust filters are rated with an efficiency ePM10 ≥ 50%.

Energy consumption related to air filters

The energy consumption of a fan in an air handling unit can be evaluated as a function of the volume
flow rate supplied by the fan, the fan efficiency, the operation time, and the difference of the total
pressure (static plus dynamic pressure) after the fan and the static pressure of the ambient air
(assuming that the fan sucks in air from a static reservoir). Typically, the volume flow rate supplied by
the fan and the pressure difference the fan has to overcome are related to each other by the
characteristic fan curve. The efficiency of the fan is a function of the fan speed. The actual fan
efficiency also strongly depends on the design and the layout of the fan and can be in the best case as
high as 0.80 or even higher, and in the worst case as low as 0.25 or even lower.

The portion of the total yearly energy consumption which is related to the filters’ pressure drop can be
calculated using Eq. (1a):

q V × Dp × t
(1a) W=
h × 1000
Where we define: qV = 0.944 m³/s, t = 6000 h/a and η = 0.5

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As given above, the volume flow rate is considered to be fixed at 0.944 m³/s (3400 m³/h). This
corresponds in a real air handling unit to a fan with variable speed drive controlled to run at fixed
volume flow. Additionally, the fan efficiency is defined to 0.50, which can be considered as a typical
average efficiency of a fan in an air handling unit.

With the constant values given above, the only variable in Eq. (1a) is the average pressure drop and
hence, it can be written as Eq. (1b):

kWh / a
(1b) W = 11.33 × Dp
Pa
The rating shall be carried out for a full-size filter element (face dimension 592 mm x 592 mm
according to EN 15805) as described below.

1. Carry out a full test according to the ISO 16890 series of standards at a flow rate qV = 0,944 m³/s
and determine the ePMx efficiencies and the ISO ePMx group as described in ISO 16890-1.
2. Load the filter with ISO L2 dust (AC Fine) according to the procedure described in ISO 16890-3,
feeding the total amount of dust given in Table 1 or to the final pressure drop (300 Pa), whichever
comes first. During the course of dust loading, the pressure drop curve versus dust fed shall be
recorded with at least nine data points (mi, ∆𝑝, ) including the initial data point (m0 = 0 g, ∆𝑝. )
(minimum of eight loading steps). In the first step, 30 g of dust shall be fed to the filter or an
amount of dust that results in 10 Pa pressure drop increase, whichever comes first. For the last
loading step, the total amount of dust fed mn (n ≥ 8) shall be equal or slightly larger than the
amount of dust given in Table 1. The additional dust loading increments should give a smooth
curve pressure drop versus dust fed. The total amount of dust that shall be fed to the filter is
defined in Table 1, depending on the ISO classification.

ISO group ISO ePM1 ISO ePM2,5 ISO ePM10

Amount of dust fed Mx 200 g 250 g 400 g
Table 1: Total amount of dust fed

If the final pressure drop of 300 Pa is reached at a lower amount of dust than specified in Table 1,
the filter’s energy efficiency cannot be evaluated, and the procedure can be stopped.

ISO 16890-3 defines to load the test filter up to the final pressure drop (300 Pa). In case the final
pressure drop is not reached before the total amount of dust Mx given in Table 1 is fed to the test
filter, the loading procedure can be continued to achieve a full ISO 16890-3 test, but the additional
dust loading data are not used in this Eurovent document.

3. Calculate the average pressure drop by using Eq. (2) from the n+1 data points pressure drop versus
mass of dust fed.

2222, = 0,5 ∙ (∆𝑝, + ∆𝑝,89 ) where 𝑖 = 1 … 𝑛 − 1

∆𝑝

2222@ = ∆𝑝@89 + 0,5 ∙ ∆AB8∆ABCD ∙ (𝑀G − 𝑚@89 ) where 𝑚@89 < 𝑀G and 𝑚@ ≥ 𝑀G
∆𝑝 E 8E B BCD

∆𝑚, = 𝑚, − 𝑚,89 and ∆𝑚@ = 𝑀G − 𝑚@89

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1 n
Dp = × å Dpi × Dmi
M x i =1
4. Calculate the yearly energy consumption W related to the filter using Eq. (1b).

All data used for the energy efficiency evaluation (ePMx efficiency, ISO ePMx rating, and pressure drop
curve) shall result from the same filter specimen.

Symbols
ePMx Rated efficiency as defined in ISO 16890-1 (values rounded downwards to the nearest
multiple of 5% points)
η Efficiency of a fan for the transmission of electrical energy into energy content of the
air flow field
As a representative average value for the different installations and operating
conditions η is assumed to equal to 0.50
The total fan efficiency used in this document corresponds to ηtot as defined in EN
16798-3:2017, chapter 9.5
i Number of the dust loading steps
mi Total amount of dust fed to an air filter after the dust loading step i [g]
Δmi Dust increment fed to an air filter during loading step i [g]
Mx Amount of L2 dust fed to the test filter in accordance with ISO 16890-3 [g]
Used to calculate the average pressure drop
Mx represents one of the three values M10, M2,5, and M1 defined in Table 1
n Total number of dust loading steps used to feed the amount of test dust Mx to the air
filter (n ≥ 8)
∆𝑝0 Initial pressure drop of an air filter [Pa]
∆𝑝, Pressure drop of an air filter after dust loading step i [Pa]
2222
∆𝑝, Average of the pressure drops of an air filter measured before and after the dust
loading step i
2222
∆𝑝 Average pressure drop of an air filter [Pa]
qV Air volume flow rate at filter [m³/s]
t Time of operation [h]
For an air filter during a period of one year, a total operating time of 6000h is
assumed
W Yearly energy consumption [kWh]

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Example
As an example, the calculation method is shown based on test results for a pocket filter rated as ISO
ePM2,5 60% at 0.944 m³/s according to EN ISO 16890.

Figure 1: Pressure drop as a function of the dust loading at 0.944 m³/s according to EN ISO 16890-3

The red line marks the average pressure drop.

Dust feed Pressure drop Dust increment Av. Pressure drop

Step
mi [g] ∆𝑝, [Pa] Δmi [g] 2222𝒊 [Pa]
∆𝒑
0 0 68
1 30 69 30 68,5
2 70 70 40 69,5
3 100 71 30 70,5
4 150 74 50 72,5
5 180 76 30 75,0
6 200 78 20 77,0
7 230 80 30 79,0
8 260 85 20 82,0
Table 2: Test data for the pressure drop according to EN ISO 16890-3 as a function of the AC Fine dust feed

According to Table 1, the total amount of dust M2,5 = 250 g and by using Eq. (2) with the data given in
Table 2, the average pressure drop calculates to 2222
∆𝑝 = 73.4 Pa and the yearly energy consumption to
W = 833 kWh/a.

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Literature
[1] Goodfellow, H.; Tähti, E.: Industrial Ventilation, Academic Press, 2001.

[2] EN ISO 16890-1:2017: Air filters for general ventilation – Part 1: Technical specifications,
requirements and classification system based upon particulate matter efficiency (ePM), 2017.

[3] EN ISO 16890-3:2017: Air filters for general ventilation – Part 3: Determination of the
gravimetric efficiency and the airflow resistance versus the mass of test dust captured, 2017.

[4] Mayer, M.; Caesar, T.; Klaus, J.: Energy efficiency classification of air filters, Proc. 10th World
Filt. Cong., Vol. 3, p. 313 — 317, April 14 — 18, 2008, Leipzig, Germany.

[5] EN 15805:2009: Particulate air filters for general ventilation. Standardized dimensions, 2009.

[6] EN 16798-3:2017: Energy performance of buildings - Part 3: Ventilation for non-residential

buildings - Performance requirements for ventilation and room-conditioning systems, 2017

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Annex 1
The yearly energy consumption W according to this guideline is determined at a flow rate qV = 0.944
m³/s. However, in an actual application the air flow rate might be higher or lower. To estimate the
yearly energy consumption of an air filter at a given flow rate qact other than 0.944 m³/s, the energy
consumption Wact can be calculate by using the following formula:
∆𝑝. (𝑞act ) 𝑞act
𝑊act = 𝑊 ∙ ∙
∆𝑝. (𝑞W ) 𝑞W

Where ∆𝑝. (𝑞act ) is the measured initial pressure drop of the unloaded filter at the actual flow rate qact
and ∆𝑝. (𝑞W ) the measured initial pressure drop of the unloaded filter at the flow rate qV = 0.944 m³/s.

The larger the difference between qact and qV, the more inaccurate the estimation gets.

The pressure drop at the alternative airflow should be extracted from the same ISO 16890 test report
that was the basis for the kWh value at the nominal airflow (0.944 m³/s). This ISO 16890 test report
should be provided together with the calculated energy consumption at the alternative airflow.

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About Eurovent
Eurovent is Europe’s Industry Association for Indoor Climate (HVAC), Process Cooling, and Food Cold
Chain Technologies. Its members from throughout Europe represent more than 1.000 organisations,
the majority small and medium-sized manufacturers. Based on objective and verifiable data, these
account for a combined annual turnover of more than 30bn Euros, employing around 150.000 people
within the association’s geographic area. This makes Eurovent one of the largest cross-regional
industry committees of its kind. The organisation’s activities are based on highly valued democratic
decision-making principles, ensuring a level playing field for the entire industry independent from
organisation sizes or membership fees.

Our Member Associations

Our Member Associations are major national sector associations from Europe that represent
manufacturers in the area of Indoor Climate (HVAC), Process Cooling, Food Cold Chain, and Industrial
Ventilation technologies.

The more than 1.000 manufacturers within our network (Eurovent ‘Affiliated Manufacturers’ and
‘Corresponding Members’) are represented in Eurovent activities in a democratic and transparent
manner.

à For in-depth information and a list of all our members, visit www.eurovent.eu

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