HVAC air filter testing: the need for a field test method.

Air filters may be used to reduce indoor airborne concentration which is one of the main indoor air pollutants. Air filters performances have to be measured in order to be able to select the right product for a given application. But differences do exist between laboratory and field filter test results and HVAC installations have to be controlled regularly. EUROVENT 4/10 recommendation describes guidelines for the evaluation of the perpromances of HVAC air filters according to particle size in an installation. The objective of our study was the assessment of the method and its use in real applications. The same type of air filters (G4 pleated filter, F6 bag filter and F8 compact filter) has been tested according to EUROVENT 4/9 method (laboratory) and EUROVENT 4/10 method (field). After the method has been validated, it has been used to determine the in-situ fractional efficiency of an installation (HVAC system for office buildings) located in Lyon (France). The main conclusion of our study is that EUROVENT 4/10 method is suitable for filtration efficiency field measurement in a simple way (according to 'good practice') and can be considered as a valuable tool for HVAC installation control.