ISO 16890 and beyond: getting closer to reality

The rationale in developing the ISO 16890 series was to establish a new approach to allow choosing air filters for general ventilation by means of "calculations", like for any other component of air-conditioning systems. Old test methods and classification systems aimed only at comparing products to allow fair competition in the market. ISO 16890 air filter ratings provide useful information for end users and HVAC designers by introducing a typical particle size distribution of the atmospheric aerosol for calculating the filter impact in cleaning the air. The next step to work on is the development of an ageing procedure using an ultrafine aerosol, with similar particle size distribution as the one used in ISO 16890, to load air filters during the laboratory test. In this way, it will be possible to predict much better the impact of air filters on the energy used by electric motors in ventilation systems.