Air Filtration for Buildings | Optimum indoor air quality
Blue.care+ Air Purifier against Covid
Make short work of Covid-19!
Whether classrooms, teaching and seminar rooms, doctors' surgeries, offices or restaurants - the Blue.care+ antiviral air purifier ensures clean, healthy indoor air everywhere. The latest development from filter system expert Hengst SE has been tested by scientists at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster and is already in use in hundreds of schools, daycare centers, surgeries, offices and restaurants.
After just 10 minutes, the viral load in the room air is reduced by 50%, after just 30 minutes even by 90% (room size 80 m²) at an air exchange rate of 6 times per hour.
The HEPA class H14 combi filter achieves a filter efficiency of ≥ 99.995 %. Fine dust, allergens, bacteria and the smallest viral-contaminated aerosol droplets are reliably filtered out of the room air. And without the use of UV-C radiation.
The noise level in continuous operation at 800 m³/h nominal volume flow is below 35 db(A). The Power Diffusor Pro distributes the intake air evenly towards the ceiling without any disruptive draughts. This achieves the best possible air circulation in the entire interior. + The robust, flow-optimized design and energy-efficient technology guarantee safe continuous operation and low energy consumption.
The air purifier is controlled via a clear display. The room size can be conveniently entered here, which automatically sets the optimum performance of the purifier, and the air exchange rate can also be adjusted at any time (a 4-fold exchange rate per hour is recommended). A weekly schedule can be programmed in the menu and a silent or booster function and a run-on time can be activated. The filter saturation and the room air quality are displayed and the device can be controlled via a weekly schedule. The air purifier also has a daylight sensor and a timer.
Benefits
Blue.care+ Air Purifier against Covid – Your customer benefits at a glance:
The HEPA class H14 combi filter effectively removes ≥ 99.995 % of airborne viruses and aerosols.
Fine dust, allergens, bacteria and the smallest viral contaminated aerosol droplets are reliably filtered out of the room air.
Without the use of UV-C irradiation.
Reduction of the viral load by >90 % after 30 minutes (room size 80 m²). At an air exchange rate of 6 times per hour.
The noise level in continuous operation at 800 m³/h nominal volume flow is <35 db(A) (as of October 2022).
The Power Diffusor Pro distributes the intake air evenly towards the ceiling without any disruptive draughts. This achieves the best possible air circulation in the entire interior.
The robust, flow-optimized design and energy-efficient technology guarantee safe continuous operation and low energy consumption.
Made in Germany.
FAQ
Here you will find (almost) all the answers to your questions at a glance:
What are aerosols?
Aerosols are generally defined as a fine distribution of tiny suspended particles in a gas, in our case the air. The current discussion focuses primarily on droplets of different sizes and quantities that people exhale with the air when breathing and speaking. Larger droplets (> 5 µm) sink quickly due to gravity, while small and tiny droplets can float in the air for a long time. The mixture of these very small droplets (especially suspended particles < 1 µm) and the surrounding air is called an aerosol; the smallest droplets themselves are often called aerosol particles - also to distinguish them from larger droplets. In infected persons, these exhaled droplets and aerosol particles contain infectious viruses that are distributed in the ambient air via the aerosol. Indirect infection via aerosol transmission is considered an important transmission route, particularly in closed rooms [i, ii].
Does the Blue.care+ air purifier make ventilation superfluous?
The Blue.care+ is a recirculating air purifier and has been specially developed for the safe filtration of airborne viruses, germs, bacteria and spores in order to clean the room air of harmful aerosols in the shortest possible time. This is done to reduce the risk of infection. The device does not draw fresh air into the room from outside. However, it is well known that people need oxygen to breathe, and it is also important that the CO2 exhaled by people does not become too concentrated in the room. Incidentally, these correlations apply regardless of the current coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, rooms must be ventilated regularly as usual to maintain good breathing air quality and to supply the room with fresh air.
How effective is the antiviral air purifier?
Our simulations show that, if positioned and adjusted correctly, the Blue.care+ can halve the viral load in a room within approx. 10 minutes. After 30 minutes, the concentration of viruses can be reduced by up to 90 %. This effectiveness significantly reduces the risk of indirect infection. To ensure the effectiveness of the Blue.care+, it is important that the Air flow of the device is set appropriately for the room size (see also "How high must the air exchange rate of the air purifier be?").
Can indirect infection be prevented with Blue.care+?
The risk of infection due to infectious aerosols in closed rooms is determined on the one hand by the viral load (i.e. virus concentration) in the room and on the other hand by the exposure time, i.e. the length of time a person who is not yet infected stays in the room. The higher the virus concentration and the longer the exposure time, the higher the risk of indirect infection. How exactly the risk can be quantified and where exactly the threshold for infection lies is still the subject of extensive studies, e.g. [iii, iv]. However, it is not possible to simply reduce the length of time people spend in rooms, for example in schools, as long as face-to-face teaching is to be maintained. Room air purifiers therefore aim to reduce the other decisive factor, the concentration of viruses in the room. See also hri-pira.github.io [8], which can be used to estimate the risk of infection depending on the room size, room occupancy and use as well as the ventilation situation. Blue.care+ is able to very effectively reduce the concentration of (infectious) aerosol particles indoors. This significantly reduces the risk of indirect infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and other viruses.
Can the use of the device release me from official requirements?
No, the current official regulations on social distancing, mouth and nose protection, etc. are not invalidated by the use of the device. The combination of the AHA rules with ventilation and recirculating air filtration provides the best possible protection against infection.
How high must the air exchange rate of an air purifier be?
Various publications point out that the effectiveness of indoor air purification devices depends in particular on achieving a sufficiently high air exchange rate. The air exchange rate is the ratio of the Air flow of the device and the room volume (i.e. floor area x height of the room). Studies that cite this relationship include [3, 4]. It is shown here that an increase in the Air flow in relation to the room volume improves the cleaning performance accordingly - and vice versa. On the other hand, an ever-increasing recirculated air volume flow in rooms has a negative effect on people's well-being. In [7], an air exchange rate of 6 is suggested as a sensible setting to ensure sufficient purification of the room air. For a room with a floor area of 8m x 8m and a room height of 3m (i.e. a room volume of 192 m³), for example, this results in an air exchange rate of six with an Air flow of 1,152 m³/h.
What kind of Filter Elements are used?
A HEPA combination filter of filter class H14 according to standard EN 1822 or ISO 29463 consisting of a specially matched pre-filter and main filter is used. The pre-filter and main filter are offered as an integrated HEPA H14 filter set for easy handling.
Why is a HEPA filter of filter class H14 used?
Many sources recommend that mobile room air purifiers should be equipped with high-efficiency filters of filter classes H13 or H14, as only these are effective in reducing viruses in the air. One of these sources is the Federal Environment Agency [v]. The effectiveness of air purifiers for the filtration of infectious aerosols in the ambient air was examined in a study by the Bundeswehr University in Munich [7], where the use of H14 filters is explicitly recommended.
What is a HEPA filter?
Air filters can be divided according to their efficiency into coarse dust filters, fine dust filters and high-efficiency filters. The high-efficiency filters are those with the highest efficiency. High-efficiency filters are standardized in the EN 1822 and ISO 29463 standards. HEPA filters are high-efficiency filters and are used in places where very high cleaning performance is required, for example in operating theaters in hospitals. "HEPA" also stands for "High efficiency particulate air filter".
What exactly does H14 mean and does the HEPA H14 filter really only filter particles from 0.1-0.3 µm?
Due to the effective separation mechanisms, a HEPA filter has a very high separation efficiency for practically all relevant particle sizes. This also makes sense, as contaminants in the (breathing) air can have very different particle sizes. Viruses or smoke particles, for example, are significantly smaller than bacteria, which in turn are significantly smaller than pollen or dust particles. A HEPA filter is tested for different particle sizes. For a HEPA filter to be labeled with a certain filter class, it must achieve certain minimum filtration levels for the particle size that it is weakest at (the so-called MPPS "most penetrating particle size"). This means that for all other relevant particle sizes, it achieves even higher separation efficiencies than at the MPPS. This also applies to particles even smaller than 0.1 µm. The MPPS is usually in the range between 0.1 and 0.3 µm. A class H13 filter must achieve at least 99.95% efficiency in the MPPS. A class H14 filter must even achieve at least 99.995%. As already mentioned, the efficiency is even higher for all other relevant particle sizes. In addition, the standard stipulates that each individual filter element must be tested at the factory to ensure that it is leak-free; this means that the performance of the filter elements is checked 100%. It can therefore be assumed that almost ALL particles are actually filtrated in filter elements that have been qualified as H13 or H14 according to the standards mentioned. The filter set in the Blue.care+ achieves filter class H14 at nominal volume flow and smaller air volumes.
Why does the Blue.care+ not use UV-C radiation or heat in the device to destroy viruses?
The use of UV-C rays in non-industrial applications has been little tested. Depending on the technology, it cannot be ruled out that waste products (endotoxins) may be produced that could be harmful to humans. The Federal Environment Agency is therefore critical of the use of this technology [8]. Thanks to the HEPA H 14 filter, viruses and bacteria are safely trapped inside the air purifier. We do not consider additional heating to be necessary, as viruses cannot multiply in the Filter Elements and become inactive ("die off") on porous surfaces after a relatively short time anyway. We therefore do not use unnecessary procedures to destroy viruses in the filter, as such procedures only consume additional energy without providing further protection.
How often does the filter insert need to be changed?
The filters must be replaced every 6 months if used as intended and for no more than 40-50 hours per week on average. Replacement filters are available at www.hengst.shop. Depending on the room conditions and types of use, a shorter or longer service life may also be appropriate. According to VDI 6022, however, filters must be changed after 12 months at the latest.
How do I change the filter?
The Blue.care+ can be opened with the supplied cabinet key. The HEPA combi filter itself is clamped in the housing with two nuts and can be loosened with a standard wrench (SW17). In addition, changing the filter is described in the operating instructions in an easy-to-understand and illustrated manner.
What do I have to pay attention to when changing the filter and how should the installed filter be disposed of?
When changing the filter, care must be taken to ensure that dust particles are not accidentally released and come into contact with the mucous membranes or are inhaled. After all, an unmanageable number of types of contamination have accumulated in the filter during operation. It is therefore a precautionary measure to wear appropriate protective equipment when changing the filter in accordance with the Blue.care+ operating instructions. The used filter must be disposed of in a tear-proof, sealed plastic bag of a suitable size. The original spare part is packed in a bag suitable for disposal. The materials used in the filter can usually be disposed of with household waste, but if in doubt, please check local regulations.
How much space does the Blue.care+ need and where do I have to place the device?
The dimensions of the Blue.care+ L are: Length 560 x width 730 x height 1.68 mm. In principle, the appliance can be positioned anywhere in the room, both in the middle of the room and further to the edge. The air inlet and outlet should not be directly obstructed or covered and should be at least 30 cm away from the walls. Special considerations may be necessary for special room geometries such as long corridors or angled floor plans. The same applies to room dividers or particularly large pieces of furniture that protrude into the room: Here, special care must be taken to find a location for the appliance that allows an even flow of air through the room. In very large rooms or very unfavourable floor plans, however, several room air purifiers may need to be used. If there is a joist in the room, it may make sense to place the device directly underneath it, see => "I have several Blue.care+ in use, what is the best way to distribute them in the room?".
How is uniform clean air distribution ensured?
The special design of the PowerDiffusor Pro with its specially developed design ensures even, room-filling ventilation with filtered air. In order to achieve sufficient cleaning performance, the correct air exchange rate is particularly important, see => "How high should the air exchange rate of the air purifier be?".
The placement must be planned carefully, see => "How much space does the Blue.care+ need and where do I have to place the device?" Does the Blue.care+ also work if there are large pieces of furniture in my room or other obstacles that could deflect the air flow? We have developed and designed the Blue.care+ for fully occupied classrooms, offices or restaurants. The simulations clearly show that the function is not restricted by tables, chairs or even people. This has also been shown in practical measurements, e.g. by the University of the German Armed Forces [7]. As long as no objects directly cover the Blue.care+, its function is not restricted. The placement must be chosen carefully (see also "How much space does the Blue.care+ need and where should I place the device?").
I have several Blue.care+ in use, what is the best way to distribute them around the room?
This will mainly be the case if you want to equip either a very large room or a room with an angled geometry, such as an L-shaped floor plan. The appliances should then be positioned a few meters apart from each other in the room. And in such a way that each of them is "responsible" for cleaning a part of the room. The best way to find the best placement is to divide the room into two halves with a partition wall and then place the appliance in the appropriate part of the room.
Can I change locations quickly with the Blue.care+?
Thanks to its sturdy wheels and the appliance height of 1.95 m, which allows it to pass through all normal doors and elevators, the robustly constructed room air purifier can quickly change locations.
What do I need to bear in mind during commissioning?
The Blue.care+ antiviral air purifier is supplied already assembled and equipped with a HEPA H14 filter set and commissioning only requires a few simple Handles. The cold appliance plug must be plugged into the appliance and a standard 230 V socket. Please switch the appliance on using the on/off switch. The room size can be entered via the easy-to-use display and the appliance automatically sets the correct Air flow. Please also refer to the operating instructions.
Is overnight operation necessary?
No, it is completely sufficient to start up the Blue.care+ when the room is in use. The Blue.care+ L air purifier has a booster function that automatically switches on a fixed maximum power setting. A daylight sensor can also be switched on so that the device switches off automatically when it gets dark.
Product variants
Blue.care+ (variant L)
Dimensions
1,68 x 0,73 x 0,56 m
Weight
135 kg
Noise
Sound pressure level at 1 m distance at 800 m3/h <35 db(A), sound pressure level at 1 m distance at maximum volume flow at 2000 m3/h 46.2 db(A)
Max. Air output
1.800 m³/h
Air exchange rate
Variable adjustable via the touch display. Recommendation according to VDI-EE 4300 sheet 14, the device should be set to a 4-fold air exchange per hour.
Electricity
230 Volt / 50Hz
Power consumption
250 watts at nominal volume
Filter efficiency
≥ 99.995 % of all particles incl. bacteria and viruses
Filter combination
HEPA H14 combination filter according to standard EN 1822 or ISO 29463
Execution
L
Was sind die Vorteile eines großen Luftreinigers gegenüber eines kleinen Luftreinigers?
- Konstruktionsbedingt ist bei kleineren Geräten die Luftwechselrate deutlich geringer als die empfohlenen 6 x pro Stunde, daher eignen sie sich nur für sehr kleine Räume. Siehe => „Wie hoch muss die Luftwechselrate des Luftreinigers sein?“.
- Ein kleineres Gerät stößt die gereinigte Luft auf Körper- oder Kopfhöhe oder gar bodennah aus, die entstehende Zugluft wird als unangenehm empfunden (direktes Anströmen, Zugluft).
- Nur in einem großen Gerät haben die wichtigen HEPA-Filter eine ausreichende Filterfläche, um einen langfristigen Schutz ohne ständigen Filterwechsel zu gewährleisten.
- Um eine geringe Lautstärke sicherzustellen, muss eine ausreichende Schalldämmung verbaut sein, die nur in größeren Geräten Platz findet.
- Aus dem gleichen Grund setzt man in einem großen Gerät einen entsprechend leistungsfähigen Ventilator ein, den man in dem angegebenen Nennbereich des Volumenstroms nicht voll auslasten muss.
Blue.care+ (variant M)
Dimensions
1.08 x 0.45 x 0.40 m (with handles and door)
Weight
50 kg
Noise
42 dB(A) - Sound pressure level at 1m distance at nominal volume flow rate
Max. Air output
770 m³/h
Air exchange rate
6 x per hour for a room up to 50 m²
Electricity
230 Volt / 50Hz
Power consumption
75 Watt
Filter efficiency
≥ 99.995 % of all particles incl. bacteria and viruses
Filter combination
HEPA H14 main filter and F7 activated carbon pre-filter according to standard EN 1822 or ISO 29463
Execution
M
Test passed! Room air in. Clean air out.
The Blue.care+ has a HEPA filter class H14 and is equipped with a nominal volume flow rate of 1,150 m³/h. This achieves particle reductions of between 94 and 95 % under reproducible conditions in practical tests by an independent accredited test laboratory. This at the relevant particle size of 0.5 µm. The Blue.care+ [to the test report] thus proves that it is an effective helper in reducing the risk of coronavirus infection.
