VIREX AIR ANTIVIRAL AIR PURIFIER

The VIREX AIR purifier is 194 cm high to draw in dirty air as close to the floor as possible and blow clean air as close to the ceiling as possible. This ensures an even distribution of the cleaned air and at the same time promotes a flow throughout the room from the ceiling to the floor and back to the purifier. This air circulation system promotes the natural settling of aerosols and droplets and pushes contaminated air downwards towards the purifier intake.

Smaller air purifiers have less capacity, do not provide optimal air circulation from the ceiling to the floor of the room, and often just mix the polluted air in the room.

The capacity of a purifier is determined by the power of the fan and therefore its size – a larger fan means a larger airflow and a properly sized fan will ensure optimum airflow speed. This must not be too large or too small to allow particles to settle in the filter, and the air change in the room during a pandemic must be 6 times per hour. The dimensions of the purifier correspond to the dimensions of the built-in fan and the HEPA filter used, and the height of the purifier does not affect its capacity, but is related to the need for air distribution from the ceiling to the floor and back.

Fluorescent tubes 95 cm long with a total power of 4×30=120 W will provide 48 W of “clean” UV-C radiation, the rest is radiation in the remaining wavelength spectrum. This physically disrupts the DNA or RNA structures of unwanted microorganisms in the UV-C chamber. The spacious UV-C chamber and the longitudinal positioning of the powerful UV-C lamps ensure a high and consistent exposure of the air to UV-C radiation and thus a significant disinfection efficiency. The overall efficiency of the VIREX AIR purifier, where the HEPA filter alone captures 99.995% of microparticles, is significantly increased by passing the air through the UVC chamber, because the remaining 0.005% of microparticles are exposed to a high dose of UV-C radiation for a sufficiently long time to reliably break down and destroy them. In addition, by placing the UV-C chamber just before the HEPA filter, the filter surface is constantly disinfected by UV-C radiation. The operation of the UV-C emitters can be switched off if necessary and the purifier can only be operated with filtration.

UV-C radiation is safe if it acts in an enclosed space, as is the case with the VIREX AIR purifier, and not directly on humans, animals or plants. The UV-C tubes in the VIREX AIR purifier are safely hidden in a sealed chamber and their operation is automatically switched off when the unit door is opened. An example of unsafe UV-C operation can be common germicidal lamps if they are used incorrectly and their radiation directly affects humans, animals or plants.

The high efficiency of the HEPA filter is due to its design and material. Larger microparticles get trapped on the HEPA filter fibers or their leading edges, and electrostatic and adhesive forces in the filter material act like a permanent magnet (called an electret). As the microparticles approach or touch the surface of the filter fibres, they adhere to them and remain trapped. The VIREX AIR air purifier uses a HEPA 14 filter that captures 99.995% of very fine particles of 0.1-0.3 microns (according to EN1822). This means that out of 100,000 microparticles, only 5 will not be captured, but these are reliably taken care of by the UV-C radiation included in the VIREX AIR.

A virus never travels on its own, it needs moisture in the form of droplets or aerosols for transport and survival. The droplets evaporate spontaneously by the action of the air in the space and eventually no more than 50% of the original size of the droplet containing the virus, dirt and salt solution remains to prevent further evaporation. The virus and the remaining droplets can then move through the space in the so-called buoyancy, but the filters capture 99.995% of the virus. The virus droplets pass through the UV-C radiation, so that only the harmless elements are captured by the HEPA filter and can remain in the filter until it is replaced. UV-C radiation not only kills viruses, but also mould and bacteria. As the HEPA filter is constantly irradiated by UV-C rays, which continuously disinfect its surface, it cannot become mouldy.

The VIREX AIR purifier has an integrated filter clogging signal, working on the principle of measuring the filter pressure loss. However, the recommended HEPA filter replacement interval is 6 months. It should be treated as hazardous waste, i.e. use protective equipment – FFP2 class respirator and protective gloves. During a pandemic, it is recommended to place the filter in a plastic bag, tie it up, disinfect it, place it in a second plastic bag, tie it up and place it in a secluded place (a room with no people present) for self-decontamination for three days, and then the filter bag can be safely taken to a collection yard as mixed waste for environmentally friendly disposal. Before replacing the HEPA filter, it is recommended to turn off the power supply to the purifier and disconnect it from the mains. Replacement can be carried out by a person who has sufficiently familiarised himself with the installation, operation and maintenance instructions for the VIREX AIR air purifier.

The required capacity of the purifier is calculated according to the size of the room. It must filter the air in the room at least six times per hour, which corresponds to the theoretical recovery time of the room, i.e. the state when the initial concentration of particles in the room air drops to 1%. Then its capacity is calculated by multiplying the room volume by six, e.g. 150 m³ x 6, which is 900 m³/h. This model size corresponds to a normal classroom in a school, a larger office, a meeting room or a smaller dining room measuring 5x10x3 m.

If the room is empty, yes. Testing has verified that in a room with a volume of 103 m³ the initial contamination dropped to one hundredth in 32 minutes and to one thousandth in another half hour, confirming the theoretical assumption of the expected recovery time of a very well functioning air purifier. If the room is occupied, contamination occurs continuously, but is kept to a minimum by the VIREX AIR purifier.

The VIREX AIR purifier includes 4 tubes 95 cm long that emit UV-C radiation with a wavelength of 254 nm, which is effective not only against SARS-CoV-2, but also against similarly structured coronaviruses and influenza viruses that appear seasonally. The highly effective HEPA filter then captures the already harmless elements (the flu virus is around 0.09 micrometres in size, so it is roughly the same size as the SARS-CoV-2 virus). The VIREX AIR air purifier is of course also highly effective against bacteria, pollen and dust mites, which is especially appreciated by asthmatics or allergy sufferers.

VIREX AIR cleans the air of viruses, but the CO₂ needs to be ventilated. A suitable supplement to the VIREX AIR air purifier is therefore e.g. the WHISPER AIR heat recovery unit.

It is recommended to run the air purifier at least 1 hour before people arrive, so that the concentration of pollutants is at the minimum possible level. Subsequent to the arrival of people, the concentration of pollutants (droplets) will start to increase and the operation of the VIREX AIR will subsequently keep it at the lowest level possible.

Ventilation with heat recovery is certainly the best way to keep the air in a room clean, but it always depends on the specific conditions and ventilation is not always the appropriate solution. That is why, for example, in winter, on hot summer days, or if direct draughts reduce indoor comfort, it is advisable to use a VIREX AIR air purifier. The ideal is therefore a combination of ventilation and air purification, for example to ventilate briefly and intensively and then purify the air inside the occupied room. VIREX AIR is also the optimal complement for continuous heat recovery ventilation, e.g. with a WHISPER AIR unit.

The VIREX AIR air purifier does not need a duct connection from the outside. It does not supply air from outside or extract it from the room. It recirculates and purifies the air in the room.

It is possible to operate VIREX AIR continuously, but in principle it is not necessary. Simply switch it on before entering the room so that it can clean the air in time and then leave it running as required depending on the occupancy of the room. The required air cleaning time depends on the capacity of the purifier and the size of the room.

Installation of the VIREX AIR purifier is easy, it is the same as for any conventional appliance. It is equipped with a cable with a EURO connector, so you just need to plug it into a 230 V electrical socket and switch on the appliance.