Standard Airflow Patterns in Class 10,000 Clean Workshops
2025.02.20
In the construction of Class 10,000 clean workshops, the selection and design of the airflow pattern are crucial elements to ensure that the workshop meets strict cleanliness standards. As a professional constructor, Guangzhou Cleanroom Construction Co., Ltd. is well aware of the significant impacts of different airflow patterns on the cleanliness of the workshop, the uniformity of temperature and humidity, as well as energy consumption. The following will delve into the standard airflow patterns in Class 10,000 clean workshops and the professional considerations of Guangzhou Cleanroom Construction Co., Ltd. in practical applications.
I. Overview of Class 10,000 Clean Workshops
A Class 10,000 clean workshop refers to a clean production environment where the number of dust particles with a particle size ≥ 0.5μm per cubic meter of air does not exceed 352,000, and the number of dust particles with a particle size ≥ 5μm does not exceed 2,930. It is widely used in industries with high requirements for the production environment, such as electronics, pharmaceuticals, food, and optics. In such workshops, even tiny dust particles and microorganisms can have a significant impact on product quality. Therefore, a reasonable airflow organization is essential for maintaining the cleanliness of the workshop.
II. Common Airflow Patterns
(I) Unidirectional Flow
1. Vertical Unidirectional Flow
· Airflow Principle: Vertical unidirectional flow means that the air flows vertically downward from the top of the workshop at a uniform speed and in a single direction, and then is discharged from the ground. This airflow pattern is like an "air piston", quickly pushing out pollutants such as dust particles and microorganisms, thus maintaining a highly clean environment in the workshop.
· Application Scenarios: It is often used in areas with extremely high cleanliness requirements, such as the photolithography process workshop in electronic chip manufacturing. During the photolithography process, even the tiniest dust particles can cause short circuits in the chip circuits or a decrease in photolithography accuracy. Vertical unidirectional flow can minimize the contamination of dust particles on the chip and ensure the high-precision requirements of chip manufacturing.
· Design Highlights of Guangzhou Cleanroom Construction Co., Ltd.: When designing a vertical unidirectional flow system, Guangzhou Cleanroom Construction Co., Ltd. pays attention to the layout of the air supply outlets and air return outlets. The air supply outlets usually adopt the form of full coverage with high-efficiency filters to ensure that the supplied air has extremely high cleanliness. The air return outlets are evenly distributed on the ground to ensure the smooth discharge of the airflow. At the same time, the air supply volume and wind speed are accurately calculated. Generally, the wind speed is controlled at 0.3 - 0.5m/s to ensure that the air can effectively carry away the pollutants and will not generate excessive airflow disturbances.
2. Horizontal Unidirectional Flow
· Airflow Principle: In horizontal unidirectional flow, the air flows horizontally from one side of the workshop to the other side at a uniform speed. Similar to vertical unidirectional flow, it carries away pollutants through the directional flow of air to maintain the cleanliness of the workshop.
· Application Scenarios: It is more common in some large electronic display manufacturing workshops. Since the display screen has a large area, horizontal unidirectional flow can provide uniform clean air in a large horizontal space, meeting the requirements of the clean environment during the production process of the display screen.
· Design Highlights of Guangzhou Cleanroom Construction Co., Ltd.: When designing horizontal unidirectional flow, Guangzhou Cleanroom Construction Co., Ltd. will reasonably arrange the air supply outlets and air return outlets according to the length and width of the workshop. The air supply outlets are generally set above the wall on one side of the workshop, and the air return outlets are set below the wall on the other side. At the same time, considering the attenuation of the air during the flow process, the wind speed of the air supply outlets will be reasonably adjusted to ensure that sufficient cleanliness can be maintained at the far end of the workshop.
(II) Non-unidirectional Flow (Turbulent Flow)
· Airflow Principle: The airflow movement direction of non-unidirectional flow is irregular, and there is a certain degree of turbulence. After the air is sent out from the air supply outlet, it forms a mixed and stirred airflow state in the workshop, diluting the dust particles and discharging them out of the workshop.
· Application Scenarios: It is suitable for areas in Class 10,000 clean workshops with relatively lower cleanliness requirements, such as the drug packaging workshops of some pharmaceutical enterprises and some process areas of food processing workshops. Although these areas have requirements for cleanliness, compared with processes such as chip manufacturing, a certain degree of dust particles is allowed to exist.
· Design Highlights of Guangzhou Cleanroom Construction Co., Ltd.: When designing a non-unidirectional flow system, Guangzhou Cleanroom Construction Co., Ltd. will reasonably select the type and quantity of air supply outlets according to the function and layout of the workshop. Diffusers or louver outlets are usually used as air supply outlets. By adjusting the angle and wind speed of the air supply outlets, a relatively uniform turbulent airflow state can be formed in the workshop. At the same time, the position and quantity of the air return outlets are reasonably set to ensure that the air containing pollutants can be effectively discharged. In addition, to improve the cleanliness, the air change rate is increased. Generally, the air change rate of a Class 10,000 non-unidirectional flow clean workshop is 15 - 25 times per hour.
(III) Mixed Flow
· Airflow Principle: Mixed flow combines the characteristics of unidirectional flow and non-unidirectional flow. Unidirectional flow is adopted in the key areas of the workshop to ensure high cleanliness requirements, while non-unidirectional flow is used in other areas to meet the air change needs of a larger space and reduce costs.
· Application Scenarios: It is widely used in some large comprehensive electronic factory clean workshops. For example, unidirectional flow is adopted in the core process areas of chip manufacturing to ensure the high cleanliness of the chip production environment; while non-unidirectional flow is used in areas such as material storage and personnel passages, which can not only meet certain cleanliness requirements but also reduce construction and operation costs.
· Design Highlights of Guangzhou Cleanroom Construction Co., Ltd.: When designing a mixed flow system, Guangzhou Cleanroom Construction Co., Ltd. will accurately divide the unidirectional flow and non-unidirectional flow areas. A transition area is set at the junction between the unidirectional flow and non-unidirectional flow areas. Through reasonable airflow organization design, the clean air in the unidirectional flow area can be prevented from being contaminated by the non-unidirectional flow area. At the same time, according to the functions and cleanliness requirements of different areas, the layout of the air supply outlets, air return outlets, as well as parameters such as the air supply volume and wind speed are adjusted respectively to ensure that the cleanliness of the entire workshop meets the Class 10,000 standard.
III. Consideration Factors for Guangzhou Cleanroom Construction Co., Ltd. in Selecting Airflow Patterns
(I) Production Process Requirements
1. Differences among Different Industries
The production processes of different industries have significantly different requirements for cleanliness and airflow patterns. The electronics industry is extremely sensitive to dust particles, especially in chip manufacturing, where unidirectional flow airflow patterns are often required to ensure the ultra-high cleanliness of the production environment. While the food industry also requires a clean environment, the control of microorganisms is more crucial. In some packaging processes, a non-unidirectional flow airflow pattern combined with good disinfection measures can meet the requirements.
2. Characteristics of Process Links
Even within the same industry, different process links have different requirements for airflow patterns. In the pharmaceutical industry, the filling process of sterile drugs has extremely high requirements for cleanliness, and unidirectional flow is usually adopted; while the outer packaging process of drugs has relatively lower requirements for cleanliness, and non-unidirectional flow can be used. Guangzhou Cleanroom Construction Co., Ltd. will deeply understand the production process of customers and select the most suitable airflow pattern according to the characteristics of different process links.
(II) Space Layout and Cost
1. Space Factors
The space layout of the workshop has an important impact on the selection of the airflow pattern. For a long and narrow workshop, horizontal unidirectional flow may be more suitable, which can effectively transport clean air in a long space; while for a square or nearly square workshop, vertical unidirectional flow or non-unidirectional flow may be more likely to achieve a uniform airflow distribution.
2. Cost Considerations
The construction and operation costs of the unidirectional flow system are relatively high, requiring more high-efficiency filters, a higher air supply volume, and a more precise control system. The cost of the non-unidirectional flow system is relatively low. On the premise of meeting the cleanliness requirements of the production process, Guangzhou Cleanroom Construction Co., Ltd. will comprehensively consider the space layout of the workshop and the customer's budget, and select the airflow pattern with the highest cost performance to provide customers with an economical and reasonable solution.
(III) Difficulty of Maintenance and Management
1. Maintenance Requirements
The unidirectional flow system has high requirements for equipment and filters, and the maintenance work is relatively complex, requiring regular replacement of high-efficiency filters and inspection of the performance of the fans. The maintenance of the non-unidirectional flow system is relatively simple, but it still requires regular inspection of whether the air supply outlets and air return outlets are blocked, as well as the operation status of the air conditioning system. Guangzhou Cleanroom Construction Co., Ltd. will explain in detail to customers the maintenance requirements and costs of different airflow patterns, and help customers select the airflow pattern that is easy to maintain and manage to ensure the long-term stable operation of the workshop.
2. Management Convenience
From the perspective of management, the mixed flow system has relatively high management difficulty due to the division of areas with different airflow patterns and parameter adjustment, and requires more professional personnel for operation and monitoring. While the single non-unidirectional flow system is relatively convenient to manage. Guangzhou Cleanroom Construction Co., Ltd. will provide appropriate suggestions on the airflow pattern according to the customer's management ability and personnel configuration to ensure that the airflow system of the workshop can be effectively managed and maintained.
The selection of the airflow pattern in a Class 10,000 clean workshop is a process that comprehensively considers various factors. With rich experience and a professional technical team, Guangzhou Cleanroom Construction Co., Ltd., on the basis of fully understanding the customer's needs, the characteristics of the production process, and the actual situation of the workshop, carefully designs the most suitable airflow pattern for customers to create a high-quality production environment that meets the Class 10,000 cleanliness standard.
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