According to a recent report from Research and Markets, the global cleanroom technology market was valued at US$4.78 billion in 2022 – and is expected to be worth US$6.92 billion in 2028. ‘ISO 1464 41-1’ defines a clean area as a specified area in which the concentration of airborne particles is regulated and classified, and which has been appropriately designed and is being operated for regulating the introduction, formation, and deposition of particles in the area.
Thanks to the American physicist Willis Whitfield, who realised that only the right kind of airflow design can ensure maintenance of a contamination-free zone, and developed the primary concept of a modern cleanroom. While we talk about cleanrooms, many people think about the pharmaceutical industries, however, today we have reached an era where cleanrooms are being used in many different kinds of industries, and their presence is growing across new industries. For example: in optical industry, cleanrooms are used to prevent dust or fine particles’ tainting over the delicate, high-quality lenses; in research facilities, cleanrooms prevent micro-organisms, particles, and other hard-to-detect airborne matters that can distort valuable data; in semiconductor industry, cleanrooms are used to get rid of the tiny particles that decrease the products’ efficiency; and so on.
In many cases, as a leak prevention measure in cleanrooms, the inside air pressure is maintained a bit higher than the outside or atmospheric air pressure. It is very essential to maintain the health of the cleanroom ventilation system, which includes maintenance of the parameters like, pressure, temperature, particulate air contaminants etc.
It is a fact that often pharmaceutical cleanrooms consume up to 15 times more energy than ordinary commercial building systems, where more than 50% of electricity is consumed by the cleanroom ventilation systems. In today’s situation, where energy prices are going up, it is necessary to concentrate on economization of energy requirement of the cleanrooms at their planning stage itself. Thanks to ISO 14644-16, Part 16, logical implementation of these guidelines can help in substantial reduction of the energy consumption in cleanrooms.
Pravita Iyer
Publisher & Director
