SIST EN ISO 10121-2:2013

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-september-2013
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Test methods for assessing the performance of gas-phase air cleaning media and
devices for general ventilation - Part 2: Gas phase air cleaning devices (GPACD) (ISO
10121-2:2013)
Methode zur Leistungsermittlung von Medien und Vorrichtungen zur Reinigung der
Gasphase für die allgemeine Lüftung - Teil 2: Einrichtungen zur Reinigung der Gasphase
(ISO 10121-2:2013)
Méthodes d'essai pour l'évaluation de la performance des médias et des dispositifs de
filtration moléculaire pour la ventilation générale - Partie 2: Dispositifs de filtration
moléculaire (GPACD) (ISO 10121-2:2013)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN ISO 10121-2:2013
ICS:
91.140.30 3UH]UDþHYDOQLLQNOLPDWVNL Ventilation and air-
VLVWHPL conditioning
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EUROPEAN STANDARD
EN ISO 10121-2
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
April 2013
ICS 91.140.30
English Version
Test methods for assessing the performance of gas-phase air
cleaning media and devices for general ventilation - Part 2: Gas-
phase air cleaning devices (GPACD) (ISO 10121-2:2013)
Méthodes d'essai pour l'évaluation de la performance des Methode zur Leistungsermittlung von Medien und
médias et des dispositifs de filtration moléculaire pour la Vorrichtungen zur Reinigung der Gasphase für die
ventilation générale - Partie 2: Dispositifs de filtration allgemeine Lüftung - Teil 2: Einrichtungen zur Reinigung
moléculaire (GPACD) (ISO 10121-2:2013) der Gasphase (ISO 10121-2:2013)
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 1 March 2013.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European
Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national
standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN member.

This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation
under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre has the same
status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and United
Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

Management Centre: Avenue Marnix 17, B-1000 Brussels
© 2013 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN ISO 10121-2:2013: E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
Foreword .3
Foreword
This document (EN ISO 10121-2:2013) has been prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 142 “Cleaning
equipment for air and other gases” in collaboration with Technical Committee CEN/TC 195 “Air filters for
general air cleaning” the secretariat of which is held by UNI.
This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an identical
text or by endorsement, at the latest by October 2013, and conflicting national standards shall be withdrawn at
the latest by October 2013.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. CEN [and/or CENELEC] shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations of the following
countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece,
Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal,
Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
Endorsement notice
The text of ISO 10121-2:2013 has been approved by CEN as EN ISO 10121-2:2013 without any modification.

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 10121-2
First edition
2013-04-01
Test methods for assessing the
performance of gas-phase air cleaning
media and devices for general
ventilation —
Part 2:
Gas-phase air cleaning devices (GPACD)
Méthodes d’essai pour l’évaluation de la performance des médias et
des dispositifs de filtration moléculaire pour la ventilation générale —
Partie 2: Dispositifs de filtration moléculaire (GPACD)
Reference number
ISO 10121-2:2013(E)
©
ISO 2013
ISO 10121-2:2013(E)
© ISO 2013
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior
written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of
the requester.
ISO copyright office
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Tel. + 41 22 749 01 11
Fax + 41 22 749 09 47
E-mail copyright@iso.org
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Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO 2013 – All rights reserved

ISO 10121-2:2013(E)
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Symbols and abbreviated terms . 6
4.1 Symbols . 6
4.2 Abbreviated terms . 7
5 Testing of GPACDs . 8
5.1 General . 8
5.2 Test setup and normative section of test stand . 8
5.3 Raw data, sampling accuracy and normative generation parameters . 9
5.4 Test parameters selected between user and supplier .10
5.5 Simplified benchmark setup .11
6 Test sequence .13
6.1 General .13
6.2 Conditioning and pressure drop determination .13
6.3 Initial removal efficiency .14
6.4 Capacity determination .16
6.5 Retentivity determination .19
7 Validation of test setup .20
7.1 General .20
7.2 Determination of rise time and decay time .20
8 Evaluation and report .22
8.1 Test report introduction .22
8.2 Test report example .23
9 Safety features .27
Annex A (normative) Test equipment requirements, equipment validation and
routine operation .28
Annex B (informative) Challenge gases, generation sources and analysis techniques .31
Annex C (informative) Test equipment designs .36
Bibliography .39
ISO 10121-2:2013(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International
Standards adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting.
Publication as an International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies
casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO 10121-2 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 142, Cleaning equipment for air and other gases.
ISO 10121 consists of the following parts, under the general title Test methods for assessing the
performance of gas-phase air cleaning media and devices for general ventilation:
— Part 1: Gas-phase air cleaning media (GPACM)
— Part 2: Gas-phase air cleaning devices (GPACD)
iv © ISO 2013 – All rights reserved

ISO 10121-2:2013(E)
Introduction
There is an increasing use and need for gas-phase filtration in general filtration applications. This demand
can be expected to increase rapidly due to the increasing pollution problems in the world together with
an increasing awareness that solutions to the problems are available in the form of filtration devices or,
phrased more technically, gas-phase air cleaning devices (GPACD). The performance of devices relies
to a large extent on the performance of a gas-phase air cleaning media (GPACM) incorporated in the
device. Still applications and device performance are often poorly understood by the users and suppliers
of such media and devices. Media tests may also be adequate to offer data for real applications if actual
low concentrations (< 100 ppb) and longer exposure times (>weeks) can be used in the test, provided
that the geometrical configuration, packing density and flow conditions of the small-scale test specimen
are equal to those used in the real applications. Such tests are however not included in the scope of
ISO 10121. ISO 10121 attempts to increase understanding and communication by supplying a more
standardized interface between media suppliers, device suppliers and end users. At present, standards
[1] [4]
exist for general ventilation in Japan by JIS, automotive filters by ISO , in-duct sorptive media gas-
[7] [8] [9]
phase air-cleaning devices by ASHRAE and for adsorptive media by ASHRAE and ASTM . No
international standard for general filtration exists today.
This part of ISO 10121 prescribes methods, test equipment, data interpretation and reporting for gas-
phase air cleaning devices intended for the removal of gas-phase contamination from air in general
ventilation applications.
In addition, information is given in a number of annexes:
— Annex A describes the normative validation procedure in detail in a tabulated form.
— Annex B gives a list of possible test gases, generation sources and suggests suitable analysis
equipment for common test gases in addition to reference techniques given for the simplified
benchmark setup in Clause 5.5.
— Annex C discusses different test stand designs.
A general introduction to molecular filtration and molecular filtration testing can be found in the
scientific literature.
ISO 10121 aims to provide laboratory test methods for media and devices which are used for removal of
gas-phase contaminants from air in general ventilation. It consists of two parts:
— ISO 10121-1 covers three different media configurations and is targeted towards giving a
standardized interface between media suppliers and producers of air cleaning devices. It may also
be used between media suppliers and end customers with regards to loose fill media properties.
— This part of ISO 10121 aims to give a standardized interface between suppliers of air cleaning
devices and end customers seeking the most cost efficient way to employ gas-phase filtration.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 10121-2:2013(E)
Test methods for assessing the performance of gas-phase
air cleaning media and devices for general ventilation —
Part 2:
Gas-phase air cleaning devices (GPACD)
1 Scope
This part of ISO 10121 aims to provide an objective test method to estimate the performance of any
full size gas filtration device (GPACD) for general filtration regardless of media or technique used in the
device. In fact, the goal of this part of ISO 10121 is to avoid relating the test data to internal parameters
altogether. The benefit with this approach is that customers of GPACDs will be able to concentrate on
price/performance and suppliers will have access to a normative and objective test standard that will
not require the release of proprietary information or reverse engineering of the product.
To ensure objectivity for test equipment suppliers, no specific design of the test apparatus is specified.
Instead requirements of apparatus properties and validation tests are specified. However, different design
examples in present use are outlined. This part of ISO 10121 can also be used with technologies such as
scrubbers, absorbers, non-sorptive devices or packed columns as long as they fit into the test apparatus,
can be meaningfully judged by the test method and are intended for general ventilation applications, both
residential and non residential. Nuclear and military applications are specifically excluded.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 29464:2011, Cleaning equipment for air and other gases — Terminology
EN 15805:2009, Particulate air filters for general ventilation — Standardised dimensions
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 29464 and the followings apply.
3.1
absorption
transport and dissolution of a sorbate into an absorbent
3.2
adsorbate
molecular compound in gaseous or vapour phase that will be retained by the adsorbent material of the media
3.3
adsorbent
material that collects adsorbates on its surface through physical or chemical processes
3.4
adsorption
process in which the molecules of a gas adhere by physical or chemical processes to the exposed surfaces
of solid substances, both the outer surface and inner pore surface, with which they come into contact
ISO 10121-2:2013(E)
3.5
breakthrough
amount of gaseous contaminant in the effluent of a GPACD
Note 1 to entry: See “penetration”.
3.6
breakthrough vs. time curve
plot of contaminant penetration versus time for a particular challenge concentration and airflow
[Source: ISO 29464:2011; 3.2.67]
3.7
bypass
proportion of the challenge air stream that passes around the GPACD without contacting the media
[Source: ISO 29464:2011; 3.2.64]
3.8
capacity
m
s
amount (mass or moles) of a selected sorbate that can be contained in the filter media of a GPACD at
given test conditions, and a specific end point
Note 1 to entry: Capacity can also be negative during desorption.
3.9
challenge concentration
concentration of the test contaminant(s) of interest in the air stream prior to filtration
cf. challenge air stream
3.10
challenge compound
chemical compound that is being used as the contaminant of interest for any given test
3.11
challenge air stream
test contaminant(s) of interest diluted to the specified concentration(s) of the test prior to filtration
[Source: ISO 29464:2011; 3.2.16]
3.12
channeling
disproportionate or uneven flow of gas through passages of lower resistance due to inconsistencies in
the design or production of a GPACD, particularly in packed granular beds
[Source: ISO 29464:2011; 3.2.17]
3.13
chemisorption
chemical adsorption
trapping of gaseous or vapour contaminants on an adsorbent involving chemical reaction on the
adsorbent surface
[Source: ISO 29464:2011; 3.2.19]
3.14
concentration
C
n
quantity of one substance dispersed in a defined amount of another
Note 1 to entry: Indices “n” denote location.
2 © ISO 2013 – All rights reserved

ISO 10121-2:2013(E)
[Source: ISO 29464:2011; 3.2.21]
3.15
contaminant
substance (solid, liquid, or gas) that negatively affects the intended use of a fluid
[Source: ISO 29464:2011; 3.2.23]
3.16
decay time
t
Dn
time required for the gas contaminant monitoring instrument to record a reduction from greater than
95 % of the challenge concentration to less than 5 % of the challenge concentration (t – t ) at the
END VC
downstream sampling point for a specific test (n), challenge gas and gas flow after stopping the injection
of the contaminant with no GPACD present
3.17
desorption
process in which adsorbate molecules leave the surface of the adsorbent and re-enter the air stream
Note 1 to entry: Desorption is the oppsite of adsorption.
3.18
downstream
area following the filter in the direction of fluid flow
3.19
efficiency vs. time curve
plot of the GPACD removal efficiency against time over the duration of a challenge test for a particular
challenge concentration and airflow
[Source: ISO 29464:2011; 3.2.31]
3.20
efficiency vs. capacity curve
plot of the GPACD removal efficiency against the integrated capacity over the duration of a challenge test
for a particular challenge concentration and airflow
[Source: ISO 29464:2011; 3.2.28]
3.21
face velocity
air flow rate divided by the cross sectional area of the GPACD
3.22
gas
substance whose vapour pressure is greater than the ambient pressure at ambient temperature
[Source: ISO 29464:2011; 3.2.44]
3.23
gas-phase air cleaning device
GPACD
assembly of a fixed size enabling the removal of specific gas- or vapour-phase contaminants
Note 1 to entry: It is normally box shaped or fits into a box of dimensions between 300 × 300 × 300 mm up to
approximately 610 × 610 × 610 mm or 2 × 2 × 2 feet.
[Source: ISO 29464:2011; 3.2.45, modified – NOTE has been modified.]
ISO 10121-2:2013(E)
3.24
GPACD face area
cross-sectional area of the GPACD also including a header frame if so equipped when viewed from the
direction of air flow using exact dimensions
3.25
gas-phase air cleaning media
GPACM
media or media configuration used for filtering a contaminant
EXAMPLE a porous film or fibrous layer; a bead shaped, granular or pelletized adsorbent (or chemisorbent); a
support structure of fabric, foam or monoliths containing adsorbent in the form of small sized particles, granules,
spheres or powder; a woven or nonwoven fabric completely made from an adsorbent material
3.26
initial efficiency
efficiency of an unexposed filter or GPACD calculated as soon after the start of a test as is possible
Note 1 to entry: For gas-phase, this should be calculated as soon as a steady reading can be obtained.
3.27
molecular contamination
contamination present in gas or vapour phase in an air stream and excluding compounds in particulate
(solid) phase regardless of their chemical nature
3.28
ppb(v)
parts per billion by volume
concentration measure normally used to record ambient levels of outdoor pollution
3 3
Note 1 to entry: Units are mm /m .
3.29
ppm(v)
parts per million by volume
concentration measure normally used to record pollution levels in, for example, work place safety
3 3 3
Note 1 to entry: Units are cm /m and ml/m .
3.30
penetration
P
ratio of contaminant concentration downstream of the filter to the upstream (challenge) concentration,
sometimes expressed as a percentage
Note 1 to entry: Related to efficiency (E) by the expression: E = (1 – P) × 100 %.
[Source: ISO 29464:2011; 3.2.51]
3.31
physisorption
physical adsorption
attraction of an adsorbate to the surface, both outer surface and inner pore surface, of an adsorbent by
physical forces (Van der Waals forces)
[Source: ISO 29464:2011; 3.2.52]
4 © ISO 2013 – All rights reserved

ISO 10121-2:2013(E)
3.32
pore
minute passageways through which fluid may pass or that expose to the fluid stream the internal
surfaces of an adsorbent media
[Source: ISO 29464:2011; 3.2.55]
3.33
pressure drop
Δp
difference in pressure between two points in an airflow system at specified conditions, especially when
measured across a GPACD
3.34
removal efficiency
E
fraction or percentage of a challenge contaminant that is removed by a GPACD at a given time
3.35
retentivity
m
r
measure of the ability of an adsorbent or GPACD to resist desorption of an adsorbate
Note 1 to entry: Computed as the residual capacity (fraction remaining) after purging the adsorbent with clean,
conditioned air only, following challenge breakthrough.
[Source: ISO 29464:2011; 3.2.61, modified – NOTE has been added]
3.36
residence time
t
r
relative time that an increment of fluid (or contaminant) is within the boundaries of the media volume
(e.g. a bed of granules or a non-woven sheet)
Note 1 to entry: In typical use and in this part of ISO 10121, this value neglects the fact that the media and possible
support structures occupy a significant portion of the volume of the bed [t = V (total bed volume) /Q (air flow rate)].
R
[Source: ISO 29464:2011; 3.2.71]
3.37
rise time
t
Rn
time between initial injection of contaminant and reaching 95 % of the challenge concentration for an
empty duct (t – t ) measured at the downstream sampling location for a specific test (n), challenge
0 VO
gas and gas flow
3.38
sorbate
molecular compounds that are retained in the adsorbent of the device
Note 1 to entry: The sorbate will refer to both intended compounds like the selected challenge gas in a test or
pollution in real service but also any other compound present in the air stream e.g. gases and vapours.
3.39
sorption
process in which fluid molecules (gas or liquid) are removed by a GPACD media by absorption or adsorption
ISO 10121-2:2013(E)
3.40
vapour
substance whose vapour pressure is less than the ambient pressure at ambient temperature, but is
present in the gas phase through evaporation or sublimation
[Source: ISO 29464:2011; 3.2.74]
4 Symbols and abbreviated terms
4.1 Symbols
C upstream concentration [ppb, ppm] measured at a position X mm before the device
U
C downstream concentration [ppb, ppm] measured at a position Y mm after the device
D
Δp pressure drop measured over the tested device [Pa]
E initial removal efficiency [%] for the device measured at a low (< 1 ppm) challenge concen-
I
tration during the initial efficiency test in 6.3
E removal efficiency [%] for the device measured at the challenge concentration selected
C
during the capacity test in 6.4
E efficiency recorded at stop test time or value agreed between user and supplier [%]
END
m retentivity [g],[mol]; the amount withheld by the device after ventilating with clean air at
r
the same flow selected during the capacity test until C reaches a specified value close to
D
zero.
m the integrated amount in moles or grams of challenge compound accumulated during the
sEI
initial efficiency test in Formula (2)
m the integrated amount in moles or gram of challenge compound accumulated during meas-
sU
urement at the upstream position in Formula (3)
m the integrated amount in moles or grams of challenge compound accumulated during
sD
measurement at the downstream position in Formula (3)
m the total integrated amount [g], [mol] of challenge compound accumulated during the
s
whole challenge test
p upstream pressure [Pa] measured at a position X mm before the device
U
p downstream pressure [Pa] measured at a position Y mm after the device
D
Q flow used in test (normally the rated flow for the tested device) [m /h] measured at a posi-
tion Z mm after the device
RH upstream relative humidity [%] measured at a position X mm before the device
U
RH downstream relative humidity [%] measured at a position Y mm after the device
D
t start time. The time when C (contamination concentration upstream) equals the selected
0 U
challenge concentration for an empty duct
t time when a test is stopped. The time when a desired concentration or other termination
END
criteria have been met in any of the prescribed test procedures (agreed between user and
supplier)
6 © ISO 2013 – All rights reserved

ISO 10121-2:2013(E)
t decay time for challenge concentration
DC
t decay time for initial efficiency concentration
DE
t rise time for challenge concentration
RC
t rise time for initial efficiency concentration
RE
t time noted at challenge gas valve closure
VC
t time noted at challenge gas valve opening
VO
T upstream temperature [°C] measured at a position X mm before the device
U
T downstream temperature [°C] measured at a position Y mm after the device
D
v face velocity [m/s] calculated from flow and cross sectional area of device
f
X a position X positioned sufficiently far ahead of the device to allow undisturbed meas-
urements, determined in the validation, Annex A. At the distance X, the concentration of
challenge compound is sufficiently mixed and uniform over the cross sectional area of the
duct while not being so close to the device that the device itself obscures the flow, pressure
drop or concentration.
Y a position Y positioned sufficiently far after the device to allow undisturbed measure-
ments, determined in the validation section, Annex A. At the distance Y the concentration
of penetrating challenge compound is sufficiently mixed and uniform to represent the
average of the device and not being so close to the device that the device itself obscures the
flow, pressure drop or concentration.
Z a position Z positioned sufficiently far after the device to permit a reliable flow measure-
ment using an orifice device, determined in the validation, Annex A
4.2 Abbreviated terms
ASHRAE American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers
ASTM ASTM International, formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Mate-
rials (ASTM)
HEPA High Efficiency Particulate Air (filter)
JIS Japanese Industrial Standards
JSA Japanese Standards Association
MSDS Material Safety Data Sheet
NMP n-Methyl −2-pyrrolidone
TLV threshold limit value. Amount of a chemical substance is a level to which it is
believed a worker can be exposed day after day for a working lifetime without
adverse health effects.
VOC Volatile Organic Compound
ISO 10121-2:2013(E)
5 Testing of GPACDs
5.1 General
This part of ISO 10121 shows how to measure four key parameters that reflect the performance of a
GPACD. The four parameters are:
— pressure drop, Δp
— capacity, m
s
— removal efficiency, E
— retentivity, m
r
These parameters are:
— linked to each other;
— different for different gases (exception: Δp is not affected);
— different for different concentrations of the same gas (exception: Δp is not affected);
— affected by other gases present, by temperature, by humidity and by the air flow.
The ideal case would be to test at the exact parameter values and concentration present in the intended
application, but then the test time would be as long as the real service life, e.g. years. One way to accelerate
the test is to increase the concentration. In this part of ISO 10121 an increased concentration should be
agreed between user and supplier. Alternatively, for general benchmark purposes three concentrations
are used, one mildly increased for determination of the removal efficiency and two strongly increased
for determination of capacity. Besides the key performance parameters other important factors must
also be considered. Particles may be emitted downstream, at least during initial start-up, for GPACDs
employing loose fill granular and pelletized adsorbents or adsorbent fibres and possibly for other media
types as well. This may pose a problem depending on the sensitivity of the specific application and
on available particle filtration after the GPACD. Others factors that may be considered are gaseous
emissions, corrosion resistance, weight and depth requirements.
This clause will describe the normative part of the test stand, normative parameters for generation
of the challenge air stream and suggest test gases for benchmark purposes and for the case when the
pollution in the real application is not yet defined. Clause 6 describes in detail the test sequence for
conditioning and for determination of pressure drop, initial removal efficiency, capacity and retentivity
in this order.
5.2 Test setup and normative section of test stand
The test equipment can be designed in various ways and it is not the purpose of this part of ISO 10121 to
enforce a particular engineering solution or analysis technique. Several designs and analysis techniques
are described in the informative annexes. It is the user of this part of ISO 10121 that should select the
solution best fitted with regard to equipment availability and other concerns. There are some key
parameters that WILL SEVERELY SKEW THE DATA or make benchmark testing impossible unless they
are controlled within specified limits. These parameters are displayed in the normative test section in
Figure 1 and Table 1. The adherence to these levels must be demonstrated by the tests provided in the
validation section.
The GPACD must be installed without leakages or bypass. The air stream should be uniformly mixed
and with equal velocity and upstream concentration over the cross section. Recorded parameters are
concentration C, pressure p, temperature T and relative humidity RH in two positions. The air flow is
recorded at a third position.
The inner dimension (ID) of the duct, width and height as indicated in Figure 1, should be 610 × 610 mm
along the whole GPACD section. Devices in actual (full) size must always be tested. Flat adaptor plates
8 © ISO 2013 – All rights reserved

ISO 10121-2:2013(E)
are used for GPACD < 610 × 610 mm. In addition, a duct with internal dimension (ID) 300 × 300 mm
is permitted for testing of a full size 300 × 300 mm GPACD. Acceptable sizes of GPACD for testing are
300 × 300 mm to 610 × 610 mm. The length of the GPACD section shall be greater that the inner dimension
(ID) of the duct, ideally 1–3 × ID. Any changes in duct diameter before and after the GPACD section should
be designed so that the flow is uniform over the entire GPACD cross section.
Key
1 diffusor and Δp device
2 sampling points – should be of “fork” type or similar with multiple inlet points to make a compounded sample
over the whole cross section
3 GPACD under test
4 GPACD section of test duct
5 upstream sampling point for T , RH , p and C at X mm before the GPACD
U U U U
6 Downstream sampling point for T , RH , p and C at Y mm after the GPACD
D D D D
7 Q, air flow rate sampling point at Z mm after the GPACD
W internal width of the test duct along the GPACD section, 3+4
h internal height of the test duct along the GPACD section, 3+4
Figure 1 — Normative section of test stand showing ducting, measurement parameters and
sampling points
5.3 Raw data, sampling accuracy and normative generation parameters
Ideally all measurement parameters in Figure 1 should be measured continuously with a computerized
logging system. The sampling frequency should be fast enough to produce smoothly changing data and
not overlook any events. In Table 1 below normative generation parameters in addition to prescribed
accuracy are given.
ISO 10121-2:2013(E)
Table 1 — Normative generation parameters, measurement frequency and demands on
accuracy during test
Normative Permissible
Absolute Measurement
Parameter generation Unit Range oscillation
accuracy frequency
parameters during test
C selected in 5.4 or 5min, 1 h, 4 h,
U
ppb(v) 100 – 100000 ± 1,5 % ± 3 %
a
5.5 12 h
b
C 1 min (or longer
D
if at least 100 pts
1–2 % of C –
U
n.a. ppb(v) ± 1,5 % ± 3 % can be generated
100 000
down to 50 %
efficiency)
T selected in 5.4 or
U
± 0,5°C
5.5
°C n.a. ± 0,5°C same as C
D
T n.a. n.a.
D
RH selected in 5.4 or
U
± 3 % RH
5.5
% n.a. ± 1 % RH same as C
D
RH n.a. n.a.
D
p , p – Pa – ± 5 ± 5 same as C
U D D
Δp (p – p ) device specific Pa – ± 2 ± 2 same as C
U D D
Q, air flow rate rated air flow m /h n.a. ± 5 %
(5.4) or face
v , face velocity m/s n.a. ± 3 % same as C
f D
velocity 2,5 m/s
(5.5)
a
Upstream concentration needs, at a minimum, to be measured before and after an individual test sequence.
b
Measurement duration may need to be longer for concentration to permit low level detection using ex situ equipment,
e.g. Tenax tubes, resulting in less frequent measurments than every 5 min.
Temperature and relative humidity are normatively specified for benchmark tests (see 5.5) but may also
be changed to fit a specific GPACD or application (see 5.4).
5.4 Test parameters selected between user and supplier
5.4.1 General
The normative setup specifies all variables except rated air flow, challenge gas, challenge concentration,
temperature, relative humidity and test duration. These parameters will depend on the specification
and purpose of the device under test and should be agreed upon between supplier and user.
5.4.2 Air flow rate and face velocity
The rated air flow for a GPACD is a construction parameter and the device will not perform as expected
if the air flow is different. Typically a device will exhibit improved performance at a lower than rated air
flow and reduced performance at a higher than rated air flow.
5.4.3 Challenge gas
The challenge gas selection needs to conform to the intended functionality of the GPACD, e.g. it must be
established if the device is designed to remove the selected challenge gas. If possible, the best choice is to use
the same gas as in the intended real application. Several known pollutant gases are suggested in Annex B.
10 © ISO 2013 – All rights reserved

ISO 10121-2:2013(E)
5.4.4 Challenge concentration
The challenge concentration will always be a compromise and pose a risk for under- or over-estimating the
real life performance of a GPACD. For a GPACD designed to remove organic compounds by physisorption,
the measured performance is a direct function of the selected challenge concentration as described by an
adsorption vs. concentration isotherm. In addition, a device that performs best in a high concentration
test may not be the best in the low concentrations of a real installation. Therefore the lowest practical
possible challenge concentration should be used for both the initial efficiency and capacity portions of
the test. For a GPACD designed to remove acid or alkaline compounds by chemisorption, a concentration
dependence of capacity is not normally seen for challenge concentrations in the normative range if only
a chemisorptive mechanism is available. However, organic acids and bases may also be removed by
physisorption and also catalytic reactions are known, both phenomena adding to the capacity given
by pure chemisorption. The effects of the selected challenge concentration need to be assessed in each
individual case.
5.4.5 Temperature and relative humidity
The air temperature can affect the rate of chemical reactions in chemisorption and the ease of
physisorption of VOCs. The relative humidity needs to be over a certain minimum value for chemical
reactions involving water to proceed. In the case of adsorbents for VOC removal through physisorption,
the relative humidity can have quite a strong influence due to competition for adsorption sites between
the water in the air and the contaminants. For applications where the expected temperature and/or
relative humidity is far from the normative values given in 5.5, it is recommended to use actual application
parameters for the test.
5.4.6 Test duration
This is a function of the gas, gas concentration, adsorbent and selected end point of the test. It is possible
to define tests with duration from one hour to several months.
Selection of the four parameters above must be agreed upon in each specific case. However, for a first
screening of suitable devices for general filtration a simplified benchmark setup is suggested below.
5.5 Simplified benchmark setup
5.5.1 General
For benchmark purposes, a set face velocity, temperature, and relative humidity, along with three
concentration levels and three gases are suggested as a best compromise between measurement errors,
the resolution of available measurement techniques and acceptable testing times. These are given
in Table 2 below. The intention of this setup is to aid in an initial screening of different GPACDs and
to establish a performance baseline. It must be stated that this test may not be sufficient enough to
determine the best device in a specific application.
5.5.2 Initial removal efficiency test
A low concentration must be used in the determination of the initial efficiency. Ideally one would use
the actual concentration of the application, but most likely one would need to increase the concentration
due to technical or economic limitations in low level generation and analysis. To ensure that the test
does not begin to saturate the filter, a maximum permissible efficiency decay is given. This test will take
between 1 h and 3 h.
5.5.3 Challenge test concentration
To ensure that the challenge test can be performed with a test time between 1 h and 12 h, two high
concentrations are given: 9 ppm(v) and 90 ppm(v). The higher concentration may be needed in order
to ensure that a device is challenged enough to show an efficiency decay of > 10 %. To ensure that the
test is challenging the filter enough to produce useful data, a minimum permissible efficiency decay
ISO 10121-2:2013(E)
is also given. Data obtained can be used for comparison between different GPACDs providing that the
compared data for BOTH were measured at either 9 ppm(v) or 90 ppm(v) with
...