Application of High Efficiency Cabin Air Filter for Simultaneous Control of Ultrafine Particles and Carbon Dioxide in Passenger Vehicles

Details

• Personal Author:
  Fung C-C ; Lee E ; Zhu Y
• Description:
  Modern passenger vehicles are commonly equipped with cabin air filters, but the filtration efficiency is only at 40-60% for ultrafine particles (UFPs). Although setting the vehicle ventilation system to recirculation (RC) mode can reduce in-cabin UFPs by 80-95%, carbon dioxide (CO2) from exhaled breath of passengers can build up quickly inside the cabin. To avoid the CO2 build-up issue, the vehicle needs to be operated under outdoor air (OA) mode to allow sufficient air exchange. This study investigated in-cabin UFP removal under OA mode using high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters. UFP concentrations were simultaneously monitored inside and outside of 12 different vehicles under three different driving conditions: stationary, local roadway, and freeway. Under each experimental condition, data were collected with no filter, in-use original equipment manufacturer (OEM) filter, and two types of HEPA filters. The HEPA filters were found to reduce in-cabin UFP number concentration by 93% on average, much higher than in-use OEM filters (i.e., 41-65% on average). Using the HEPA filters also made the in-cabin environment more independent from the changes of driving speed and the fluctuation of UFP concentrations on different roadways. Throughout the measurements the in-cabin CO2 concentration remained at 626-816 ppm, a significant reduction from a typical in-cabin CO2 concentration range of 2500-4000 ppm in recirculation mode. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Carbon Dioxide Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety Transportation Ventilation
• Keywords:
  Air Filters Automotive Emissions Carbon Dioxide Particulates Ultrafine Particles
• Publisher:
  American Association for Aerosol Research
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20055859
• Citation:
  Proceedings of the AAAR 32nd Annual Conference, September 30-October 4, 2013, Portland, Oregon. Mount Laurel, NJ: American Association for Aerosol Research, 2013 Sep-Oct; :12IA.5
• CAS Registry Number:
  Carbon dioxide (CAS RN 124-38-9)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• Performing Organization:
  University of California Los Angeles
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of the AAAR 32nd Annual Conference, September 30-October 4, 2013, Portland, Oregon
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c873414956aed8d0ca7e1fd5c67da71fa64964cc2d4a5efe193ca6b877aaaffdd953a1efa7128f316a9532610fc66a903ceeb9a8e6f7555748a04898ac343c37
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/213620/cdc_213620_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 216.23 KB ]