What Does
Positive Pressure Room Mean?
A positive pressure room is an isolated chamber from which air flows out but not in. Its purpose is to create and maintain a higher level of pressure in the room compared to the surrounding environment.
Positive pressure rooms are used in clean rooms and other spaces where contamination must be prevented. They may be found in hospitals, laboratories, pharmaceutical facilities, microelectronics manufacturing, aerospace facilities, and precision manufacturing operations.
Positive pressure rooms are also known as pressurized rooms.
Safeopedia Explains Positive Pressure Room
Positive pressure containment systems are used in industries that require the integrity of their processes and products to remain intact. The pharmaceutical industry, for instance, ensures the quality and safety of the products it manufactures by using positive pressure to create sterile environments.
Positive pressure rooms make use of isolators, which are physical barriers that ensure a clean working environment. The processes can be externally manipulated without sacrificing the integrity of the enclosed space. Isolators for aseptic applications have a positive pressure of at least +60 Pa that serves as both a physical barrier and a dynamic barrier to protect from particulates.
In addition to isolators, positive pressure rooms maintain their environment by maintaining a positive mass flow rate. This is accomplished by introducing a greater quantity of air into the room compared to the quantity of air removed.
Moreover, the room is continuously monitored to prevent any sudden loss of pressure. High-quality air should be maintained in the high-pressure room and there should be no source of contamination within it, as the air can spread to other parts of the facility.
Components of a Positive Pressure Room
Both positive and negative pressure clean rooms require the use of the following:
- Powerful high-efficiency particulate absorption (HEPA) filters
- Automatic doors and well-sealed windows, walls, ceilings, and floors to maintain appropriate air-pressure levels
- Multiple air changes per hour to maintain air quality and pressure
- Ante-rooms for changing into personal protective equipment (PPE) and delivering material and equipment
- In-line pressure monitoring systems
Other Uses of Positive Pressure Rooms
Many scenarios require continuous filtration of harmful contaminants out of a particular environment. In the medical field, this is helpful in treating patients with compromised immune systems, as any harmful element will be filtered out efficiently. It is also used in nurseries, in-vitro fertilization labs, and operating theaters. Positive pressure helps maintain a specific type of atmosphere in a room.
In the manufacturing industry, positive pressure rooms are used to keep the product clean and safe from particulate matter. For instance, in the manufacturing of microchips, the integrity of the final product can be compromised with the introduction of even the tiniest particle.