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Optimizing Vertical Unidirectional Airflow in Cleanrooms: An Integrated Approach to Floor Perforation, Plenum, and Fan Filter Unit Configurations

Huang, Zonghua; Zeng, Cheng; Wang, Zhichu; Lu, Jun; Xiang, Qian; Huo, Xingcheng; Tan, Tingdong; Li, Yan; Feng, Wenmao; Zhang, Guitao

Authors

Zonghua Huang

Profile image of Cheng Zeng

Dr Cheng Zeng C.Zeng@hull.ac.uk
Lecturer in Renewable Energy & Sustainable Technologies

Zhichu Wang

Jun Lu

Qian Xiang

Xingcheng Huo

Tingdong Tan

Yan Li

Wenmao Feng

Guitao Zhang



Abstract

Maintaining vertically unidirectional airflow in cleanrooms is crucial for achieving air cleanness and protecting occupants inside, from industrial semiconductor technicians to hospital surgeons and patients. This study investigates airflow inclination and develops optimization strategies for vertical unidirectional flow cleanrooms, with a focus on enhancing airflow verticality and uniformity to reduce airborne contamination. A new dimensionless parameter, K1, is introduced to quantify the impact of lower interlayer airflow velocity on cleanroom airflow inclination, thereby providing a practical metric for design optimization. Key influencing factors, including flooring perforated plate configurations, plenum heights, and FFU (Fan Filter Unit) layout rates, are systematically evaluated. The results indicate that lower perforation rates (e.g., 10%) significantly improve vertical airflow by reducing inclination angles to below 25°, with a non-uniform perforated plate arrangement proving essential to sustain airflow verticality. Moreover, non-uniform perforated plate configurations are particularly effective in designs with low plenum heights (below 1.3 m). In addition, FFU layout rates above 60% are found optimal to provide vertical airflow, consistently achieving inclination angles below 20°. Further changes in FFU layout rate show minor returns on airflow verticality. The study establishes clear design guidelines for airflow optimization and highlights the dual benefits of these configurations in safeguarding occupational health and controlling airborne contamination in cleanrooms.

Citation

Huang, Z., Zeng, C., Wang, Z., Lu, J., Xiang, Q., Huo, X., Tan, T., Li, Y., Feng, W., & Zhang, G. (2025). Optimizing Vertical Unidirectional Airflow in Cleanrooms: An Integrated Approach to Floor Perforation, Plenum, and Fan Filter Unit Configurations. Atmosphere, 16(6), Article 632. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16060632

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date May 16, 2025
Online Publication Date May 22, 2025
Publication Date 2025-05
Deposit Date May 22, 2025
Publicly Available Date May 27, 2025
Electronic ISSN 2073-4433
Publisher MDPI
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 16
Issue 6
Article Number 632
DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16060632
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/5182187

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Publisher Licence URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Copyright Statement
© 2025 by the authors.
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.




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