Characterizing the Long-Term Performance of Four Corsi-Rosenthal Boxes
GRAHAM JAEGER, Theresa Pistochini, Richard Corsi, Christopher Cappa,
University of California, Davis Abstract Number: 658
Working Group: Control and Mitigation Technology
AbstractAs wildfires intensify and worsen outdoor air quality, securing clean indoor air is more important than ever. Portable air cleaners are one way to improve indoor air quality. The DIY Corsi-Rosenthal Box (CR box), consisting of four MERV-13 filters and a box fan, is a particularly cheap and effective portable air cleaner, and it often out-performs commercially-available HEPA air cleaners. This paper describes the performance of four CR boxes before and after several months of use. We characterize performance by measuring the decay rates of aerosolized particles during air cleaning and calculate the clean air delivery rate (CADR), or the volume of clean air delivered per unit time, for each CR box. Our methodology measures the decay rates of particles ranging from 0.3-3 microns in diameter, so we determine each box’s CADR as a function of particle size. Similarly, we report each box’s single-pass efficiency, or the percentage of particles removed by the CR box in one pass through the filters. Finally, we take noise, power, and pressure drop measurements for each box to further illustrate their performance. We find that CADR increases with particle size across all fan speeds (low, medium, and high), from about 150 ft3/min for low speed/smaller particles to 650 ft3/min for high speed/larger particles. While the CR boxes’ performance after several months of use will be measured prior to the conference, our initial results suggest that CR boxes are effective and affordable air cleaners.
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