MIE.20 – Assisting ACCO Brands with Exceeding Energy Star Requirements for an Air Purifier Line

• Chintan Dave
• Ty Grant
• Josh Greenberg
• Brian Martin

Air purification devices are readily available for the consumer audience which now presents many different standards and certifications for manufacturers to abide by. Currently these standards include the Energy Star program by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. The Energy Star certification is given to products that meet specific energy efficiency criteria, which is valuable for marketing. The following research contains the methods, processes, and results used to assist TruSens, a division of ACCO Brands, with meeting or exceeding the Energy Star certification requirements for their consumer air purification product line. The Energy Star requirements that ACCO Brands wishes to improve upon is the flow rate of clean air provided by the air purifiers and reducing the power consumption that is required to produce it. The main objectives given by ACCO Brands for this research is to develop a function prototype that improves upon Energy Star certification requirements, and document the process and results used to quantify the performance improvement. It is in the best interest of ACCO Brands to not alter any of the electronic components within the purifiers due to extensive certification requirements necessary to alter the electrical equipment; in consequence, the research conducted focused on improving the flow rate of the air purifiers by optimizing the flow characteristics inside the unit by changing the geometry of the components used to direct airflow outside the unit. The first objective in the research was to acquire baseline performance metrics of the three purifiers in the product line. These metrics include outlet flow velocity measured using an anemometer, power consumption using an electricity usage monitor, and noise level using a decibel meter. Once baseline performance is known, then any redesigned components placed in the purifiers can be compared to the stock unit to determine if there are any notable changes. The component geometry was redesigned using SolidWorks, a computer-aided design program, with the necessary files provided by ACCO Brands. Computational fluid dynamic simulations were conducted using Ansys Workbench simulation software to assist in verifying how well a redesigned component could perform based on the proposed designs. The most optimal design solution determined was to minimize the airflow obstruction. To do this, fins that were meant to direct flow were redesigned to promote kinetic energy and a laminar flow path. Fins that were originally vertical were given a curve to scoop the air in a less restrictive manner. This design was experimented upon and compared to data measurements from the stock unit. The redesign showed promising results by increasing average airflow. Currently, this design is still being processed and optimized by changing the wall heights and scoop angles of the fins.