Increase the Germicidal Effectiveness of UV Lights Through the Use of HVLS Fans

Upper-Air (Upper-Room) UVGI Devices

ASHRAE recommends the application of upper-air (upper-room) UVGI devices to control the transmission of airborne pathogens. This can be seen in the 2019 ASHRAE Handbook. ASHRAE states that the overall effectiveness of upper-air UVC systems improves significantly when the air in the space can be well mixed.

Additional information from ASHRAE can be viewed in the ASHRAE Position Document on Infectious Aerosols (April 14, 2020).

Note: Section 3.2 addresses Ventilation and Air-Cleaning Strategies, including information on UV-C, UVGI. Conclusions and Recommendations can be found in section 4.

Upper-Room UVGI and Mixing Fan Use

CDC and NIOSH recommend the use of upper-room UVGI for Healthcare Settings for Environmental Control of Tuberculosis. A method to increase the UVGI system effectiveness is to use a mixing fan in the space. This can be seen on the CDC website.

Products & Solutions

Tom Barrow Company can help identify products and solutions that best fit a specific application. The combination of HVLS fans moving large volumes of air at a low speed and upper-air UVGI fixtures can help reduce airborne pathogens. Computation Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulations predicting airflow patterns to maximize the amount of exposure to a UVGI upper-air (upper-room) fixture are available.

A CFD airflow example can be seen here.

streamlinesFine.png#asset:2052:newsMain


Applications

The system of HVLS Fans and Upper-Air UVGI Fixtures can be applied on:

Office Buildings

  • Entrance Lobbies
  • Elevator Lobbies
  • Cafeterias
  • Any Space

K – 12 Schools

  • Common Areas
  • Cafeterias
  • Classrooms
  • Gyms and Locker Rooms

Hospitals

  • Lobbies
  • Waiting Areas
  • Common Areas

View Brochure: Applying Big Ass Fans to Improve Performance of Upper-Room UVGI Systems.

Note: This page was last updated on June 10, 2020.