Filter Feathers at Lincoln Park Zoo
Permatron Corporation offers Model In electrostatic
air filters with their exclusive Accumulator Chamber® design.
The filter's reportedly have an average arrestance efficiency of 78 percent. The company says each filter contains two panels of filter material pressed into a 6mm (1/4") steel frame, assembled inside a 1 inch frame to form the Accumulator Chamber. The first panel filter reportedly removes the majority of airborne particles, which are then swept into the Accumulator Chamber, where turbulence and electrostatic forces cause agglomeration into particles too large to pass through the second filter. The maker says the filters distribute captured airborne particles evenly over all layers of media and within the Accumulator Chamber to avoid face-loading problems.
In the Pink
The Chicago Park District chose the filters for use
in the Lincoln Park Zoo's Flamingo House. Approximately 17
Chilean pink flamingos, which must be protected from polluted air
as well as Chicago's harsh weather, inhabit the large glass dome
during the winter. Without proper indoor air quality control,
keeping the birds in an enclosed place can result in dust and
tremendously high airborne particulate levels.
The air filters reportedly were easy to install, requiring no modifications to the existing heating/ventilating system. Ongoing maintenance includes periodic washing of dirt buildup. The Chicago Park District uses two sets of each air filter per facility. As the dirty filter is taken out of the system for cleaning, the second set is immediately put in place. The dirty air filters are cleaned later, and the air filtration system is shut down for only a few minutes at a time during the exchange.