Media filters remove contaminants from air and other gases by stopping and collecting them. As a result, they clog and need maintenance and, sooner or later, replacement. In addition, as they clog, media filters and air purifiers increasingly impede the flow of air. When they do, the blower has to work harder and consume more electricity or other power to maintain the same airflow and air pressure at the application. In contrast, because they do not trap debris, ACBs do not clog. Without clogging, the filter maintenance is almost eliminated, and, consequently, so is deferred maintenance. Perhaps more important, particularly to designers of the systems, when ACBs supply the air moving and air cleaning, they eliminate the fluctuations in airflow, air pressure and power consumption, which makes it much easier to predict and calculate the air-systems’ performances, and therefore, to design optimal systems.
Rugged, light-weight and self-contained, and easily transported, mounted and removed without training, and often by one person, ACBs can readily travel with troops. However, that same compact design can be scaled up to building size and still retain the ruggedness, relatively-light weight, and compactness versus other filter-blower systems. Civilian air conditioner manufacturers already integrate them into their air conditioners to reduce maintenance—and deferred maintenance. They can be designed to run on virtually any type of electricity, even direct current from vehicles. Therefore, they can bring improved comfort and health conditions, even in expeditionary activities.
