‫‪SPACE‬‬ ‫‪(+/- ) = 2.

5 : 5 Pa‬‬
‫ﺗﻌﻘ ﻢ وﺗﺨﺪﻳﺮ‬ ‫‪++‬‬
‫اﻓﺎﻗﺔ‬ ‫‪++‬‬
‫ﻣﻤﺮ ﻋﻤﻠ ﺎت‬ ‫‪+‬‬
‫ﺗﻐ ﻣﻼ ﺲ‬ ‫‪++‬‬
‫ﻋﻤﻠ ﺎت‬ ‫‪+++‬‬
‫ﺣﻤﺎم‬ ‫‪-‬‬
‫ﻋﺰل ﻣﺮض ﻛﺮوﻧﺎ‬ ‫‪--‬‬
‫ﻋﺰل ﻧﻘﺺ ﻣﻨﺎﻋﻪ او زرع‬ ‫‪++‬‬
‫ﻋﻨﺎ ﺔ ﻣﺮﻛﺰە‬ ‫‪++‬‬
‫ﺧﺎﺻﺔ ﺎﻟﻌﺰل ‪antiroom‬‬ ‫‪-‬‬
‫ﺣﻤﺎم ﻏﺮﻓﺔ اﻟﻌﺰل‬ ‫‪---‬‬
 Room Pressurization Applications

Table 1 lists various room pressurization applications and the normal static pressure
relationships required.

Table 1. Room Static Pressurization Applications.

Application Recommended Relationship Comments

Static to Adjacent
Pressurization Area(s)
Level
Inches Pascals
Chemical Laboratory 0.01 2.5 Negative These values apply to general chemistry
to to laboratories. (Higher hazard laboratories
0.02 5 such as those handling toxic chemicals or
radioactive substances should be at an
increased negative pressurization level.
Such labs may require double door entry
provisions and a two-stage pressurization
level.)
Biological lab: BL-1 & BL-2 0.01 2.5 Negative Although negative pressurization is not
specifically required for BL-1 labs, it is
recommended for odor control.
Biological lab: BL-3 0.01 2.5 Negative Lab support areas should be at lesser
to to negative pressurization levels than the
0.03 8 laboratory itself to ensure airflow is from
the area of least risk to highest risk.
Biological lab: BL-4 0.01 2.5 Negative Airlock entry/exit provisions, clothing
to to change areas, other support areas, and
0.05 12 the laboratory itself should all be under
increasingly negative pressure to ensure
airflow is toward the laboratory as the
highest hazard area.
Animal Holding Room 0.01 2.5 Positive Air supplied to surgery rooms to meet
ventilation and pressurization
requirements should not be re-circulated
from other areas.
Animal Support Areas 0.01 2.5 Negative These general support areas include
autopsy rooms, cage washing, and feed
storage rooms, as well as incinerator and
sterilizer rooms.
Animal Surgical Room 0.01 2.5 Positive Surgical support areas such as gowning,
to to hand washing, etc., should be positively
0.02 5 pressurized at multiple pressurization
levels, keeping the surgical room as the
most positive area.
Hospital - Protective 0.01 2.5 Positive The CDC actually recommends a
Isolation Room minimum pressurization level of 0.001
i h f h h

Siemens Building Technologies, Inc. 9

Room Pressurization Control Application Guide

Table 1. Room Static Pressurization Applications.

Application Recommended Relationship Comments

Static to Adjacent
Pressurization Area(s)
Level
Inches Pascals
Hospital - Infectious 0.01 2.5 Negative inches w.c. for these rooms; however,
Isolation Room most designs incorporate higher
pressurization levels. The most effective
isolation room arrangement incorporates a
lower pressurized anteroom as a buffer
zone between the isolation room and
corridor.
Hospital Surgical Suite 0.01 2.5 Positive Surgical suites include gowning, hand
to to washing, etc. All areas of the surgical
Delivery 0.02 5 suite should be positively pressurized
Nursery using dual or multi-staged pressurization
Cystoscopy levels to keep the surgical room the most
Trauma positive area.
Clean Room: 0.05 12.5 Positive Pharmaceutical processing rooms should
to to be 0.05 inches positive with respect to
Pharmaceutical Mfg. 0.10 25 rooms leading into the processing room.
Such rooms should be at least 0.02
inches positive with respect to each other
and non-classified areas.
Clean Room: 0.05 12.5 Positive Clean spaces used for highly critical
to to processes should be at least 0.05
Micro-Electronic Mfg. 0.20 50 inches positive to any connecting
Data Storage Mfg. space and so on. An anteroom having
Optics Mfg. 0.02 inches less positive
pressurization should separate
adjoining spaces that are of the same
classification but used for different
purposes.

10 Siemens Building Technologies, Inc.

Room Pressurization Control Application Guide

Room Pressurization Reference Data

As indicated in Table 1, good ventilation system design for chemical laboratory rooms should
ensure that the rooms are at a negative static pressure of approximately 0.01 inches w.c.
with respect to adjacent non-laboratory spaces, such as a corridor3.

The specific relationship between Room Differential Pressure, Room Leakage Area, and the
Differential Airflow is expressed by the following equations4 based on inch-pound (IP) or
metric (SI) units.

(IP) Q = 2610 A (dP)1/2

where:
Q is the differential airflow in Cubic Feet per Minute (cfm)
A is the total room leakage area in Square Feet
dP is the differential pressure in Inches of Water (inches w.c.)

(SI) Q = 840 A (dP)1/2

where:
Q is the differential airflow in Liters per Second,
A is the total room leakage area in Square Meters
dP is the differential pressure in Pascals

The graph in Figure 3 depicts the relationship between room differential pressure, room
leakage area and differential airflow. Figure 3 also shows room leakage area in square feet
as a family of curves on the graph. The differential airflow (difference between the total room
supply and total room exhaust airflows) is shown as Cubic Feet per Minute (cfm) along the
horizontal axis of the graph. The resulting room differential (static) pressurization values are
shown as Inches of Water (inches w.c.) along the vertical axis.

To determine what room differential airflow is needed to provide a particular differential

pressure, the desired differential pressure value on the vertical axis is followed to where its
horizontal line intersects the room leakage area curves. The required differential room airflow
is then indicated along the bottom of the graph directly below the points of intersection.

3
In applications where it is necessary to prevent contamination by air flowing into the laboratory room from adjacent spaces, the
laboratory room can be maintained at a positive static pressure. However, the laboratory room must be separated from the
adjoining area (a corridor) by a vestibule room that is maintained at a negative static pressure.
4
Equations taken from 1999 ASHRAE Application Handbook, Fire and Smoke Management Section, Page 51.5.

14 Siemens Building Technologies, Inc.

 Room Pressurization Factors

0.020
0.019
0.1 Ft2
0.018
ROOM LEAKAGE AREA CURVES
0.017
0.2 Ft2
0.016
0.015
0.3 Ft2
0.014
0.013
0.4 Ft2
0.012
DIFFERENTIAL
PRESSURE 0.011
0.5 Ft2
0.010
INCHES 0.009
0.6 Ft2
of 0.008
WATER 0.007
0.75 Ft2
0.006
0.005
1.0 Ft2
0.004
0.003
0.002
1.5 Ft2
0.001
LAB0194R1

0.000
0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200 225 250 275 300 325 350 375 400

ROOM DIFFERENTIAL AIRFLOW - CFM

Figure 3. Room Differential Airflow vs. Differential Pressure for Various Room Leakage Areas.

Room Pressurization Factors

As Figure 3 shows, a room’s static pressurization value is wholly dependent on the
differential airflow and the room’s leakage area. For instance, the graph shows that for a
room with 1.0 sq. ft. of leakage area, a differential pressure (dP) of just under 0.010 inches
w.c. occurs when the difference between the room’s supply air and the total room exhaust is
250 cfm. This relationship exists regardless of what the room’s ventilation rate is (air changes
per hour). Therefore, to maintain a specific room pressurization value, the room’s differential
airflow must be controlled and maintained at the appropriate value.

Leakage Area
Most modest sized rooms, such as a two-person laboratory with two hinged doors, will have
a total room leakage area of about 0.5 to 1.0 sq. ft. even with relatively tight construction. To
obtain a tighter room, extensive sealing and meticulous attention to poke-throughs (places
where conduit, piping, ducts and other items pass through the room’s walls, ceiling, and floor)
is required. However, room pressurization can be more easily maintained at a constant value
if the room construction is not extremely tight.

Siemens Building Technologies, Inc. 15

 Clean Rooms

Clean Room Pressurization Applications

Figure 9 shows a simplified clean room arrangement for a pharmaceutical processing
application. The cleanest area is the aseptic16 filling area, which is most likely where the
finished product is packaged (oral tablets, medications, etc.).

FINISHED
PRODUCT
OUTLET

++ ++
PREPARATION
AREA

ASEPTIC FILLING
AREA AIRFLOW

+++ DIRECTION
ARROWS

+ +
PERSONNEL CORRIDOR
LAB0200R1

EXIT & ENTRY &

DE-GOWNING GOWNING
AIRLOCK AIRLOCK

Figure 9. Potential Clean Room Arrangement for Pharmaceutical Processing.

Workers enter and exit through the respective airlock in which they either put on the required
outer garments for entry or remove them upon exiting. The airlocks are each equipped with
two sets of doors (sliding or hinged) with an electrical interlocking arrangement that allows a
door to be open only when the other door is fully closed17. By allowing only one door to be
open at a time, the amount of air that can flow out of the clean spaces through an airlock is
limited. Using airlocks for the entry and exit provisions ensures that the required level of
positive pressurization in the clean spaces is always maintained.

16
Aseptic refers to a space or area in which the bacterial count is contained within required limits. Although it is not a 100%
sterile space it enables pharmaceutical products to be processed with a high degree of purity. Aseptic areas are generally
Class 100 per FE 209E.
17
In some airlock arrangements a time delay of as much as several minutes is also incorporated to allow time to ventilate the
airlock before the other door can be opened.

Siemens Building Technologies, Inc. 33