Understanding Plasma-Based Air Filtration with Reviveaire Aireshield Technology
As a solid everything is packed together and doesn’t move easily from place to place. Solids have a definitive shape and volume.
Liquids, like solids have particles that still close together, but can move past each other making them fluid. Liquids assume the shape of the container they are held in. Additional heat was added to achieve this state.
Gases have particles that are far apart, move freely and collide with each other. Gases will achieve steady state concentration within a specific volume. As liquids more heat is added to achieve the gaseous state.
Plasma is the fourth state of matter, where molecules are stripped of their electrons, and particles passing through plasma fields become highly conductive and react while exposed to these fields. To top this off the highest level of heat / energy is applied to achieve this state.
Understanding Plasma-Based Air Filtration with Reviveaire Aireshield Technology
The States of Matter and Plasma
Matter exists in four primary states: solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. Each state is characterized by the arrangement and motion of its constituent particles, which change with increasing temperature and energy levels.
- Solids: Particles are tightly packed and have limited movement, resulting in a definitive shape and volume.
- Liquids: Particles are still close together but can move past each other, making them fluid and allowing them to assume the shape of their container. This state is achieved with added heat.
- Gases: Particles are far apart, move freely, and collide with each other. Gases achieve a steady-state concentration within a specific volume with even more added heat.
- Plasma: The fourth state of matter, plasma, is formed when molecules are stripped of their electrons, resulting in highly conductive particles. This state requires the highest level of heat and energy.
Plasma’s Role in Air Filtration
High-Voltage Plasma Fields and Airborne Pathogens
Reviveaire Aireshield technology utilizes a high-voltage electric field of 5500 volts to generate plasma. This high-voltage field ionizes gas molecules, creating a mixture of charged particles. When air containing biological particles and unicellular pathogens passes through this plasma field, several mechanisms contribute to their inactivation:
- Electric Discharge: The strong electric field induces an electric current through the pathogens, leading to thermal effects and potentially damaging their structures.
- Thermal Effects: The generated heat from the electric current can damage pathogens’ genetic material, proteins, and other vital structures.
- Electroporation: High electric fields disrupt the cell membranes of pathogens, creating pores that allow the plasma to interfere with their normal functions, leading to their death.
- Inactivation of Genetic Material: The energy from the electric fields disrupts the genetic material of viruses and other pathogens, preventing them from replicating or expressing their genetic information properly.
Mechanisms of Pathogen Inactivation
Electrostatic Disruption
The plasmic field generates a high-voltage electric field that induces strong electrostatic forces. These forces destabilize and permeabilize the cell membranes of biologicals and pathogens, causing the leakage of vital cellular contents and compromising their homeostasis.Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)
Thermal Effects
The energy within the plasmic field can raise the temperature of the surrounding microenvironment in the Aireshield, creating localized microheating. This denatures proteins and enzymes, disrupting essential metabolic processes and structural components of the pathogens. While the energy does not significantly heat the air to impact the HVAC system, it effectively damages pathogens.
Benefits of Reviveaire Aireshield Technology
Through these combined mechanisms, the Reviveaire Aireshield technology effectively damages and inactivates a wide range of biological and unicellular pathogens, providing a robust and reliable disinfection solution for improving air quality and safety. Additional benefits include:
- Sub-Micron Particle Agglomeration: Increases the MERV rating of installed particulate filters (e.g., a MERV 8 filter achieves MERV 13 performance).
- Biofilm Control: Prevents biofilm formation on cooling coils, improving cooling performance, lowering operating costs, and mitigating micro toxin formation that impacts indoor air quality.
By harnessing the power of plasma, Reviveaire technologies offer a valuable tool for maintaining indoor air quality and reducing the spread of airborne infections.
Visualization of Plasma Effects
Through the innovative application of high-voltage plasma fields, Reviveaire Aireshield technology sets a new standard in air filtration and pathogen control, ensuring a cleaner and safer indoor environment.
Reviveaire technologies harnesses this precious plasma state for elimination/disinfection of airborne pathogens that is used as a valuable tool for maintaining indoor air quality and reducing the spread of airborne infection.