Investigation 'clean spaces' (former page) General /Clean spaces/Investigation methods/ Report /Pollution warn system General (top of page) ‘Clean spaces’ (computer rooms) are important to sensitive computer equipment and its users. Computer equipment makes high demands on the quality of the indoor environment. Dust and humidity may cause serious disturbances. Monit’air gives advice on environmental aspects of clean spaces. Monit’air investigates whether these clean spaces are according to the international guidelines (NEN-EN-ISO 14644) and takes care of quality control and supervision. These investigations and precautionary measures will avoid premature pollution and malfunction of the climate control system. The working conditions of employees and other building occupants remain as good as possible. Disturbances of computer equipment due to bad environmental conditions are avoided. Clean spaces (top of page) Computers make high demands on the quality of the indoor environment and react extremely sensitive as to the required functioning conditions. For this reason most hardware manufacturers recommend a specific environmental temperature and relative humidity. These values may not be exceeded. Bad air currents may have a negative influence on the hardware cooler; air supply and air exhaust should be absolutely balanced in order to avoid among other things dust deposits in and around the computer equipment. Polluted air is a very important disturbance factor in the automation process. Moreover there may be aspects which are affecting employees such as too much or insufficient daylight, draught, excessive noise and static electricity that may increase the risk of human failures. Insufficient air pressure causes outside dust to enter the conditioned building complex, eventually infiltrating harmful substances. These substances may be harmful to hardware reading heads or information carriers, or cause short-circuit. The investigation which is normally carried out in clean spaces gives in combination with the collected dust samples and possibly micro-biological samples insight in the optimum environmental technical functioning of both man and machine. Such working place investigations are carried out under normal conditions. Safety measures or other measures for the benefit of the investigation are not taken. Investigation methods (top of page) Following investigations and controls can be carried out: Space conditions in computer spaces Air supply and exhaust of hardware Air supply in clean spaces Air current patterns and air speed Functioning of moistening system Functioning of cooling and heating system Influence of other heating sources Air dust particle measurements Floating dust sampling and analyses Fresh air filtration and return air filtrationCondition of air treatment installation and space Inside condition of air ducts Condition and pollution of spaces above the ceilings Dust inspection of horizontal surfaces Inside pollution of hardware Pollution and damage inspection of information carriers Presence of harmful gases Presence of serious vibrations and magnetic fields Noise and light levels Micro-biological contamination Report (top of page) The final investigation and laboratory results will be submit as a report to the customer. The analysis results are compared with the valid norms and current directives. Apart from the facts, the report will contain extended management information and recommendations enabling the customer to realise improvements if necessary. Pollution control system (top of page) Monit’air disposes of two special pollution-warning systems: the CASU air sampling system (Continuous Air Sampling Unit) to be used for ‘clean spaces’ and the PIP system for air treatment installations. By conducting air through special filter membranes these systems are able to control environmental air and/or conditioned air 24 hours a day. Once per investigation period the filter membranes are replaced by fresh filters and analysed in our laboratory. Nature and size of dust particles are established and compared with the results of previous periods. This dust analysis establishes the qualitative and quantitive dust increase or decrease. A  report is presented which contains graphics,  comments and advice.  The CASU air sampling system and the PIP system for air treatment installations can only be put at the customer’s disposal on the basis of a contract. Are you interested?  (top of page) For more details please feel free to contact Monit'air. We will be pleased to inform you without further obligation about our investigation methods and costs.