Clean Room Chamber Benefits

The Clean Room Chamber is necessary to prevent damage to the heads and or platters of an opened hard drive.

See HDRC Clean Room Chamber Specifications

See HDRC Clean Room Chamber Images

The fact remains that for many the Clean Room Chamber is an expensive product for anyone who wishes to move on from logical recoveries into the physical data recovery field.

Many big companies will tell you that you need a clean room chamber, well actually you do not. What is required is an area where no contaminates are present which can damage the media whilst you are working. There are other options such as a laminar flow bench which is what we at HDRC use at one site.

The laminar flow bench is very useful and at a lower cost however this is still not within everyone's budget. HDRC have designed and developed a small clean room chamber which is a table top unit and works in a similar way to the laminar flow bench. The filtration system is the same for our unit as most laminar flow benches, we have developed a chamber especially for hard drives only.

Why Clean Room Chamber?

While performing data recovery, it is extremely important to prevent dust particles to come in contact with the hard drives or the media you are working with. There is a small gap in between the read write head(s) and the platter(s) in a hard drive. Dust particles or smoke may damage the data area by penetrating into the gap due to which recovery of data becomes impossible. Since the experts recommend to work in a filtered air environment while carrying out recoveries, we have designed and developed the clean room chamber to fulfil this very objective.

Structure of Clean Room Chamber

The clean room chamber provides hard drive protection by ensuring that the work in the chamber is exposed only to HEPA-filtered clean air.

1) The HEPA Filter

A common component in any clean bench is the HEPA filter. The HEPA filter (High Efficiency Particulate Air) removes particulates, generally called aerosols, such as micro-organisms, from the air. The HEPA filter does not remove vapors or gases.

a) HEPA filters are made of boron silicate micro fibre formed into a flat sheet by a process similar to making paper

b) Flat filter sheets are pleated to increase the overall surface area.

c) Pleats are separated by aluminium baffles which direct the airflow through the filter

d)HEPA filters can remove at least 99.97% of airborne particles 0.3 micrometer (m) in diameter. Particles of this size are the most difficult to filter and are thus considered the most penetrating particle size (MPPS). Particles that are larger or smaller are filtered with even higher efficiency.

e)HEPA filters are composed of a mat of randomly arranged fibers. Key metrics affecting function are fibre density and diameter, and filter thickness. The air space between HEPA filter fibers is much greater than 0.3 m. The common assumption that a HEPA filter acts like a sieve where particles smaller than the largest opening can pass through is incorrect. Just as for membrane particles so large that they are as wide as the largest opening or distance between fibers cannot pass in between them at all. But HEPA filters are designed to target much smaller pollutants and particles are mainly trapped (they stick to a fibre) by one of the following three mechanisms:

Interception, where particles following a line of flow in the air stream come within one radius of a fibre and adhere to it

Impaction, where larger particles are unable to avoid fibres by following the curving contours of the air stream and are forced to embed in one of them directly; this effect increases with diminishing fibre separation and higher air flow velocity.

Diffusion, an enhancing mechanism is a result of the collision with gas molecules by the smallest particles, especially those below 0.1 m in diameter, which are thereby impeded and delayed in their path through the filter; this behaviour is similar to Brownian Motion and raises the probability that a particle will be stopped by either of the two mechanisms above; it becomes dominant at lower air flow velocities.

Diffusion predominates below the 0.1 m diameter particle size. Impaction and interception predominate above 0.4 m. In between, near the 0.3 m MPPS, diffusion and interception predominate.

The initial filter air flow resistance and final filter air flow resistance are typically measured as pressure drop across the filters.

Protection in clean room chamber is provided by capturing room air, passing the air through a HEPA filter, and directing the filtered air horizontally across the work surface at a constant speed toward the user.

a) The room air is drawn into the base of the hood by the blower/motor, through a washable, reusable pre-filter

b )The air pushed up the rear plenum of the hood passes through the HEPA filter

c) Filtered air is directed horizontally across the work surface at a constant velocity of 100 FPM toward the user.

Particle-free air quality in clean room chamber is accomplished with precise control of airflow volumes and velocities. Any obstruction will have a significant impact on laminar flow performance. Obstructions include work in process or materials placed inside the hood or on the hood surface. or materials into the work area.

2) The PRE Filter

Clean Room Chamber comprises of three pre filters. Two fixed at the back and one inside the chamber. Specific function of Pre Filter is to prevent Hepa filter from getting destroyed in order to maximize its life.

a) Synthetic non woven media sandwiched in tough synthetic netting

b) Media Supported on metal rods for rigidity

c) Washable with water and liquid Soap

d) Micron Rating Range 5 to 35 micron

e) Standard 10 micron 90%

f) Media, Fire retardant and resistant to Moisture, Fungi. Bacteria & Frost

3) The Mono meter

This meter is used to find the damaged filters, if any, are there in the chamber. The oil in this meter is used as an indicator of protected and well functioning filters. Change in the colour of the oil shows the existence of damaged filter. The oil is poured in the empty nozzle before the usage of the chamber.

4) The Blower Fan

The fans used in the clean room chamber are large diameter, high performance units with variable speed. This ensures the chamber is quiet in operation

5) The Level Meter

This meter is needed to check the surface level where clean room chamber is expected to be placed. The knob in the middle of the meter indicates the right position

The Clean Room Chamber is manufactured to the highest technical specifications. A solid stainless steel works surface is provided as standard and the overhead lighting ensures excellent visibility in the working area.

*Clean Room Chamber Dimensions:*

*Filter Dimensions:*