Study On The Hygienic Requirements For The Operation Of The Air Conditioning And Ventilating Systems In Shanghai

The Air Conditioning and Ventilating Systems, or generally called the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems, can provide the comfortable indoor environment for human being; however, lack of effective management and maintenance would lead to the pollution of HVAC systems and cause health problems. To strengthen the management and maintenance for the operation of HVAC systems becomes a very important approach to prevent the health impact of the pollution of HVAC systems. Many countries, including the USA, the UK, Japan, and German, have set up legislatives, standards, and guidelines for the good practice of the operation of HVAC systems.The large scale application of HVAC systems in China was in recent decades and the research for the legislative and standard about the hygienic management for the operation of HVAC systems was laggard compared with the above countries. Nowadays, in China, there are one legislative - "The regulation about hygienic management for the central air conditioning and ventilating systems in public places (Ministry of Health, 2006)", one standard - "Code for the operation and management of central air conditioning system (GB 50365-2005)", and one guideline - "The hygienic standard for the central air conditioning and ventilating systems in public places (Ministry of Health, 2006)" relating to the hygienic management for the operation of HVAC systems. These documents play important roles in the management and maintenance of HVAC systems; however, they are still insufficient. Here are some examples:(1) The simple regular cleaning mode does not completely concern the pollution situation of HVAC systems. More monitor index may increase the economic burden of the owner and cause the waste of resources. Currently, it affects the implement of standards.(2) The present evaluation items for the cleanliness of air ducts including several indexes which are overlapped and provide the same function. It should be integrated and modified.(3) The implement of hygienic requirements and management for the operation of HVAC systems are limited and cover few components and processes of HVAC systems. Furthermore, it provides the general principles of hygienic requirements and lack for systematicness.In addition, the hygienic management and maintenance for the operation of HVAC systems should consider the local environment and situation, so the local government should establish the regional standard according to their situation as the supplement of the national standard. Therefore, based on the current national standards and technical documents, it is necessary to analyze and make an operational and detailed local standard which fits for the current situation of Shanghai to control the pollution of HVAC systems. This standard is helpful to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases and protect population health.To provide scientific foundation for setting up the local standard of Shanghai on the hygienic requirement of the operation of HVAC systems, this study includes three parts as follow:Partâ… was the analysis of the current domestic and international legislatives, standards, and guidelines in relation to the hygienic management of the operation of HVAC systems. The results demonstrated that every country frames related regulations and standards and emphasizes the hygienic management and maintenance according to the pollution characteristics of the different components and processes of HVAC systems, including the outdoor air intake, fresh air rate, air duct, air handling unit, air filter, humidification equipment, control, cooling coil, water cooler, cooling tower, and managerial policies and document. Compared with other countries' managerial system for the operation of HVAC systems, the current legislative, standard, and guideline in China have limitations in hygienic management for the operation of HVAC systems. It is vital to optimize the regular hygienic management measurements and the evaluation indicators for the cleanliness of air ducts in order to increase the hygienic level in the operation of HVAC systems.Partâ…¡was the study on the current status of the hygienic management and maintenance for the operation of HVAC systems and the evaluation indicators for the cleanliness of air ducts. The results indicated that a large percentage of HVAC systems in Shanghai were polluted and the current hygienic management and maintenance requirements had several issues which should be addressed in the new local standard of Shanghai by increasing related items. As the evaluation indicators for the cleanliness of air ducts, the accumulated dust mass and epiphyte counts could effectively work; therefore, it would be concerned to replace the three indicators in the current national guideline (the accumulated dust mass, germ counts and epiphyte counts).Partâ…¢was the study on the application of Delphi in the selection of the hygienic requirements for the operation of HVAC systems. The results pointed out that the final 25 items were identified and confirmed by experts. These items could be applied into the regular management and maintenance of the operation of HVAC systems.In the implementation of the three studies, we made the management and maintenance requirements for the operation of HVAC systems and the evaluation indicators for the cleanliness of air ducts, which are more comprehensive, scientific, operational, and suitable for Shanghai. All of the study results could be adopted in the establishment of the Shanghai local standard about the hygienic management and maintenance for the operation of HVAC systems.