Mathematics of Air

Filtration
Presented by Rick Peckham
2011 Technical Seminar
Dallas, TX – April 13, 2011
 Airflow Quantity and Velocity
Quantity of Air “Q” (expressed as CFM)
Velocity of Air “V” (expressed as FPM)
Face Area “A” (expressed as Sq. Ft.)

With 2 known values – 3rd can be calculated

 Calculating Quantity (CFM)
When face area and velocity are known the
CFM can be determined.

4 x 500 = 2000

4 sq. ft. x 500 FPM = 2000 CFM

 Calculating Velocity (FPM)
When face area and air quantity are known
the velocity can be determined.

2000 / 4 = 500

2000 CFM / 4 sq. ft. = 500 FPM

 Calculating Face Area (sq. ft.)
When the velocity and quantity of air
are known, the face area can be
determined.

2000 / 500 = 4

2000 CFM / 500 FPM = 4 sq. ft.

 Application Example

An engineer wants to know how many filters

he needs to use for a system that delivers
40,000 CFM - desired velocity is 400 fpm.

Calculations
40,000 CFM / 400 fpm = 100 sq. ft.
Assume a 24x24 face size with 4 sq. ft.
100 sq. ft / 4 sq. ft. = 25 filters
 Another Method

Knowing he wants 400 fpm you would take

the face area of a 24x24 which is 4 and
multiply x 400 which equals 1600 CFM/filter

40,000 total system CFM divided by 1,600

CFM per filter also equals 25 filters.
 Square Inches to Square Feet

When dealing with a 24x24 it is easy

to come up with the face area (2x2=4)
Other sizes require conversion

Divide square inches by 144 (sq in/sq ft)

20x20 = 400 / 144 = 2.777 round to 2.78
20x25 = 500 / 144 = 3.472 round to 3.47
 Application Example
An engineer doesn’t have CFM data for his
system and wants to know what it is. He has
measured the velocity at 375 fpm and the
unit contains 24 - 20x20 filters.

Calculations
Convert sq. in. to sq. ft. 20x20 = 400 / 144
which equals 2.777 round to 2.78 sq. ft.
24 x 2.78 = 66.72 total sq. ft.
66.72 sq. ft. x 375 fpm = 25,020 CFM
 Application Example

A maintenance lead is having air delivery

problems and wants to lower the pressure
drop across his filter bank. He has room to
expand the filter bank. The bank contains
10 filters that were originally MERV 7 pleats
but have been upgraded to MERV 13. System
CFM is 24,000 and he wants to reduce his
velocity to 300 fpm to cause a big reduction in
pressure drop. How many filters does he need?
 Calculation Examples
He is asking for 300 fpm velocity
4 x 300 = 1200 CFM per 24x24 filter
Total system CFM 24,000/1,200 = 20 filters

Alternate Method

24,000 / 300 = 80 sq. ft. face area needed

80 / 4 = 20 filters needed.
 Media Velocity
Media velocity is calculated by starting with
the CFM per filter and dividing by the total
media area. It is an important consideration
because lower media velocities normally
improve the efficiency of a filter. Excessive media
velocities can adversely affect media performance!

Pleat – 2,000 CFM / 17.6 sq. ft. = 113.6 FPM

113.6 is the media velocity for this pleat

Bag or pocket filter – 2,000 CFM / 90 sq. ft.

equals 22.22 FPM media velocity
 Additional Examples

Box – 2,000 CFM / 58 sq. ft. = 34.48 FPM

Cell – 2,000 CFM / 100 sq. ft. = 20 FPM

4V – 2,000 CFM / 194 sq. ft. = 10.31 FPM

Hepa – 1,000 CFM / 160 sq. ft. = 6.25 FPM

 Practical Use

Some specifications identify media velocity

Reverse engineering – if you know the

correct range of velocity for a specific media
you can calculate the media area needed
for desired performance characteristics at
various airflows.
 Application Example
Customer wants a special filter with 90% or
MERV 14 fiberglass media. Size is to be
20x25x2 and he wants to know how much
CFM the filter will handle at .50 IPD.

Assume a MERV 14 glass bag with 90 sq. ft.

of media has an IPD of .50” @ 2000 CFM
 Application Example

Calculate media velocity

2,000 CFM / 90 sq. ft. = 22.22 FPM
The 20x25x2 filter will contain 10 sq. ft. of
media area.

10 sq. ft. x 22.22 fpm = 222.2 CFM

 Air Changes Per Hour (ACH)

This calculation is used extensively in the

Cleanroom industry. It impacts the overall
air quality since the more times the air is
changed the more potential there is for the
reduction of contaminants in the conditioned
space.
 Air Changes Per Hour (ACH)
For Existing Room

Information needed

Volume of conditioned space

Length x Width x Height = Cubic Feet

CFM being delivered converted to CFH

2,000 CFM x 60 minutes/hour = 120,000 CFH

Divide CFH by volume in Cubic Feet = ACH

 Application Example
Existing Room

Room is 25 ft. x 50 ft. x 8 ft.

At 2,000 CFM what are the air changes/hour

25 x 50 x 8 = 10,000 cubic feet

2,000 CFM x 60 min/hr = 120,000 CFH

120,000 CFH / 10,000 cubic feet = 12 ACH

 Application Example
Existing Room
Again, the room is 25 ft. x 50 ft. x 8 ft.
and the total amount of air delivered is 2,000 CFM

Think of it this way – 2,000 CFM fills the

room completely every 5 minutes
10,000 cubic feet / 2,000 CFM = 5 minutes to fill

60 minutes per hour divided by 5 minutes to fill

also equals 12 ACH – the room gets filled every
5 minutes so the air is changed 12 times per hour.
 Application Example
Existing Room
A homeowner wants to know how many
ACH he is getting in his house. House is
80 x 30 x 8 = 19,200 cubic feet of space.
He has a 5 ton unit delivering 2,000 CFM.

2,000 CFM x 60 = 120,000 CFH

120,000 / 19,200 = 6.25 ACH

 Same Application Example
Alternate Calculation

A homeowner wants to know how many

ACH he is getting in his house. House is
80 x 30 x 8 = 19,200 cubic feet of space.
He has a 5 ton unit delivering 2,000 CFM.

19,200 cubic feet / 2,000 CFM = 9.6 min

The house fills with air every 9.6 minutes
60 min/hr divided by 9.6 min = 6.25 ACH
 Air Changes per Hour
Room Design
Information needed

Volume of design space

Length x Width x Height = Cubic Feet

Desired ACH x Cu. Ft. = Total volume (CFH)

Total Air Volume in CFH converted to CFM

Divide Total Air Volume by 60 =CFM needed
 Application Example
Room Design

An HVAC engineer wants 25 ACH in the

room he is designing. The room dimensions
are 50 ft. x 100 ft. x 12 ft. What amount of
CFM will he need to provide?

Find the cubic volume

50 x 100 x 12 = 60,000 cubic feet
 Application Example
Room Design
60,000 cubic feet must be filled 25 times in
an hour. Total air volume needed is
60,000 x 25 = 1,500,000 cubic feet/hour

1,500,000 CFH / 60 min/hr = 25,000 CFM

Validate
60,000/25,000 = 2.4 minutes to fill
60 min/hr divided by 2.4 minutes to fill
equals 25 ACH
 Worksheet Problem Solving

Five application problems

Please take 15 minutes to work on these.

We will review the answers and how they
were calculated when you are finished.
 Answer to Question 1
A system contains 20 filters. The filter size is
24x24 and the total system capacity is 40,000 CFM.
What is the velocity in FPM?

Answer – 500 FPM

24x24 = 4 sq. ft. 4 sq. ft. x 20 filters = 80 sq. ft.

40,000 CFM divided by 80 sq. ft. = 500 FPM
or
40,000 CFM divided by 20 filters = 2,000 CFM/filter
2,000 CFM divided by 4 sq. ft. = 500 FPM
 Answer to Question 2
A system has a total capacity of 20,000 CFM and
the velocity through the filter bank is 250 FPM.
How many 24x24 filters does the system contain?

Answer – 20 filters

20,000 CFM divided by 250 FPM = 80 sq. ft.

80 sq. ft. total area divided by 4 sq. ft. = 20 filters
or
250 FPM x 4 sq. ft. in a 24x24 = 1,000 CFM/filter
20,000 total CFM divided by 1,000 CFM = 20 filters
 Answer to Question 3

A specification calls for a maximum of 25 FPM

media velocity through the subject filter at
2,000 CFM. How many square feet of media
must the filter contain?

Answer – 80 sq. ft.

2,000 CFM divided by 25 FPM = 80 sq. ft. media

 Answer to Question 4
A design engineer wants 10 air changes per hour
In a conditioned space that measures 40x50x12.
How much CFM will be needed?

Answer – 4,000 CFM

40 ft. x 50 ft. x 12 ft = 24,000 cubic feet

24,000 cubic feet changed 10 times = 240,000 CFM
240,000 is the total CFM needed in one hour
240,000 / 60 minutes in an hour = 4,000 CFM
 Answer to Question 5
An engineer is designing a room with the following parameters
100 ft. x 200 ft. x 12 ft. ACH desired are 25
Filters to be 24x24x12 - MERV 14 - @ 2,000 CFM each
Maximum media velocity desired is 20 FPM

How much total CFM is needed? Answer – 100,000 CFM

How many filters are needed? Answer – 50 filters

How many sq. ft. of media per filter? Answer – 100 sq. ft.
 CFM Calculation
100 x 200 x 12 = 240,000 cubic feet of space

240,000 x 25 ACH = 6,000,000 total CFH needed

To convert CFH to CFM you divide CFH by 60min/hr

6,000,000 divided by 60 min/hr = 100,000 CFM

 Number of Filters Needed

Total CFM needed is 100,000

Each filter is to handle 2,000 CFM

Simply divide 100,000 by 2,000 = 50 filters needed

 Media Velocity Calculation
Each filter is to handle 2,000 CFM
Maximum media velocity is to be 20 FPM

Simply divide 2,000 CFM by targeted media velocity

of 20 FPM to get minimum media amount

2,000 CFM / 20 FPM = 100 sq. ft. media required

End of Presentation

Questions