Cleanroom Airlock Performance and Beyond

An airlock is a transitional space that typically has two doors in series to separate a controlled environment (such as cleanroom, lab, operating room, or isolation room) from a corridor, or vice versa. The two doors should be interlocked to avoid being opened at the same time. An airlock area is often ventilated with filtered supply air, with return or exhaust air to exit. However, the relative air volume for supply, return or exhaust could vary based on the type of airlock. Poor airlock design concepts may cause undesired migration of chemical fumes, particles, or microbiological agents, which can be toxic, harmful, or infectious, into protective areas, or cause contaminated products or processes from excessive airborne contaminants inside the controlled environments.