The difference in core concepts between FFU fan filtration unit air supply system and traditional cabinet air supply system
- FFU air supply system: a distributed and modular solution. Each FFU is an independent air supply unit, equipped with a fan and high-efficiency filter (HEPA/ULPA), directly installed on the ceiling keel, forming the air supply ceiling of the entire clean room.
- Traditional cabinet air supply system: a centralized solution. The air is centrally processed by a large central air conditioning unit (AHU), and then transported to the high-efficiency air supply outlets (HEPA boxes with diffusion plates) in each clean room through a massive air duct network.
Comparison Table of Advantages and Disadvantages between FFU Fan Filter Unit Air Supply System and Traditional Cabinet Air Supply System
| comparative dimension | FFU fan filtration unit air supply system | Traditional cabinet style air supply system |
| System structure and occupied space | Advantages: No bulky air duct system, saving space above the ceiling and reducing floor height requirements. Modular structure, flexible layout. Disadvantage: The ceiling is covered with FFUs, and maintenance channels need to be reserved | Advantages: Centralized management of the computer room with fewer clean room equipment. Disadvantages: It requires huge supply and return air ducts, occupies a large amount of ceiling space, and has high requirements for building height |
| Airflow control and cleanliness | Advantages: Excellent uniformity of airflow, capable of forming stable vertical unidirectional flow. It can easily achieve local high cleanliness (such as only placing FFUs above the equipment). Indoor pressure gradient can be easily controlled through speed regulation | Disadvantage: The uniformity of airflow depends on the layout and debugging of air vents, and distant air vents are prone to attenuation, resulting in relatively poor uniformity. The entire system is a whole, making it difficult to achieve flexible local control |
| Energy consumption performance | Advantages: The fan has high efficiency (mostly using EC motors) and extremely high efficiency under partial loads. Intelligent group control, speed regulation and energy saving based on actual resistance/demand. Disadvantages: With a large number of fans, the total installed power of the motor may be relatively high | Advantages: fewer fans (usually 1-2 large fans). Disadvantages: The fan has low efficiency and operates at a fixed frequency outside the high-efficiency point all year round. The air duct system has high resistance, high head loss, and high energy consumption. Extremely low efficiency at low loads |
Flexibility and Scalability |
Advantages: Modular design facilitates workshop layout adjustment and renovation. Easy to expand, adding FFU can expand the area of the clean zone. Very suitable for phased construction and technological upgrading projects | Disadvantage: Very rigid. Once the air duct is installed, it is almost impossible to change. To adjust the layout or expand, it is necessary to renovate the air ducts, which involves a large amount of work, high costs, and long cycles |
| Maintenance Management | Advantages: A single FFU failure does not affect the overall system and has high system reliability. Replacing the filter can be done in a clean room without affecting other areas. Disadvantages: scattered maintenance points, large quantity, and heavy management workload (but can be remotely monitored through the group control system) | Advantages: Centralized equipment, easy for maintenance personnel to operate. Disadvantage: Central fan failure can cause the entire system to malfunction, with concentrated risks. Replacing filters or maintenance requires shutdown, which affects the operation of the entire clean room. |
| Noise and vibration | Disadvantage: The noise source is scattered throughout the ceiling, and although a single unit has low noise, the background noise of thousands of FFUs cannot be ignored | Advantages: The main noise source (fan) is located in the computer room, and after noise reduction treatment, the background noise in the clean room is relatively low |
| Initial investment cost | Disadvantage: The high cost of a single FFU leads to initial equipment procurement costs | Advantages: The initial equipment procurement cost is relatively low |
| Long term operating costs | Advantages: Great energy-saving potential (especially for intelligent group control EC-FFU), lower long-term electricity costs. Controllable maintenance costs | Disadvantages: High energy consumption, electricity bills are a huge burden for long-term operation. The maintenance cost may increase due to the complexity of the system |
