Soma Medical

AIR DUCT AND HVAC CLEANING

Dust particles, contaminants, and microbes will accumulate in air conditioning ducts and on cooling coils over time, causing the growth of bio-film, mould and bacteria.
Such build-up, if not cleaned and remedied within 3 – 5 years, increases energy usage and creates ‘Sick Building Syndrome.’
We provide advanced robotic solutions for the assessment, cleaning and restoration of HVAC (heating ventilation and air conditioning) systems.

Air duct inspection utilizing robotic video imaging technology;
Agitation and duct contamination removal utilizing dirt extraction technology; and
Air duct sanitization and anti-microbial treatment.

DATA CENTRE DECONTAMINATION

Data Centre cleaning is a crucial step to protect equipment and computer systems against failure or risk of unplanned downtime caused by dust and contamination.
High levels of cleanliness are important in IT-critical environments. Clean and tidy rooms provide a safer working environment for both operators and equipment.
Measures include floor void cleaning, ceiling void cleaning, and the cleaning of floor tiles, external racks, internal racks, A/C units, PDUs, high-level cable trays, trunking, doors, and ledges

In some instances, it may be necessary to perform an initial deep clean to ensure the facility achieves an acceptable standard of cleanliness before regular service cleaning is performed.
Floor void cleaning removes the risk of dangerous traces of contamination from circulating throughout the room and equipment.
Machine-cleaned vinyl floor tiles will provide a safe, non-slip surface to walk and produce a ‘clinical clean’ appearance.
All accessible surfaces of equipment are vacuumed using triple-stage filtration equipment and wiped, where necessary, with anti-static cloths.
Clean, dust-free fans and vents help to reduce power consumption and address cooling issues.

KITCHEN EXHAUST AND DUCT CLEANING

Kitchen exhaust systems in food production outlets can accumulate grease, oil, and other deposits which pose a hazardous fire risk.
Our flexible cleaning schedule is usually arranged outside client operating hours such as after closing, early morning or weekends to avoid closing of food outlets during the cleaning process.

FOUL ODOUR REMOVAL

Proteins, bacteria and organic matter release chemicals that cause foul-smelling odour. These organisms, if left untreated in factories, houses, retail and commercial premises, and food preparation areas, will create intense malodour over time.
Offensive smells are unpleasant for employees and customers, thereby creating negative effects on productivity, profitability, and business reputation.
Our odour removal service provides a rapid, cost-effective solution through identification of the odour source and efficient neutralization and eradication, leaving clients with a fresh and clean-smelling environment.

FIRE AND FLOOD RESTORATION

FIRE

Fire damage to property can result in soot and smoke contamination, and corrosion and mould and mildew growth from the water to extinguish the flames.
We provide well-trained personnel in fire restoration with the knowledge and resources in cleaning, deodorizing, and ability to coordinate the removal of contents and damaged material.

FLOOD

The longer a building structure and its contents remain exposed to water, the greater the potential of corrosion, disintegration, and growth of mould, mildew, and bacteria that create health problems for residents and workers in the damaged building.
Buildings and their contents must be dried quickly and effectively to keep damages and flood restoration time to a minimum. We possess commercial drying equipment, generators, site supervision, and the resources necessary to reduce business interruption and expedite the claims process.

EVALUATION OF CLEANLINESS CONDITION OF HVAC SYSTEMS

HVAC systems should be cleaned at regular intervals, especially if the system conveys combustible material such as grease or organic dust. The aim of this study was to develop a system to verify the cleanliness condition of HVAC systems.

Methods to Measure Contamination

Microbe Contamination

The contact method and swab method were used to measure microbe concentration on the duct surface.
Laboratory and field studies indicated that microbial concentrations measured using the contact method were lower than those using the swab method.
The upper detection limit of the contact method was 5–10 CFU/cm2.

Mineral Fibres

Two tape sampling methods, the gelatine and the carbon tape, were used to measure mineral fibre contamination on ventilation ductwork.
Samples were analysed with an optical and a scanning electron microscope (“SEM”).
The gelatine tape method was found suitable for light microscopic analysis and allowed counting of fibres on the surface.
Mean fibre concentration of the studied HVAC system was 112 fibres/cm2 (11–1490 fibres/cm2) with the gelatine tape.
The carbon tape method, applicable to SEM analysis, allowed analysis of the chemical composition of fibres.

Visual Evaluation
This method employs a visual inspection form and visual cleanliness scale to evaluate cleanliness of the HVAC system. A robot with a video camera is used for visual inspection of the entire ductwork.

Measurement of Thickness of Dust and Grease

A simple comb method (Figure 1) was developed to evaluate the thickness of dust and debris on the duct surface. The developed comb and the deposit thickness test (“DTT”) method introduced in the British guideline (Figure 2) were tested in the laboratory and field.
The results of the deposit thickness methods were compared with the vacuum test method (Figure 3).
The laboratory tests found that dust accumulation measured with the comb method correlated with the vacuum test method (R2 = 0.5–0.9) when the dust layer was homogeneous. No correlation was found when dust accumulation was heterogeneous.
In the field test, the mean amount of the grease layer varied between 34–142 g/m2 measured with the vacuum test method and 0.1–1 mm measured with the comb method. The correlation between the comb and the vacuum test method (Figure 4) and between the DTT and the vacuum test method (Figure 5) was 0.84 and 0.9 respectively.

SUMMARY OF MEASUREMENT METHODS

Visual
A visual cleanliness scale, a visual inspection form and a simple deposit thickness comb were developed for the systematic visual evaluation of the cleanliness of air ducts. A robot video camera was used for visual inspection of the entire ductwork.

Dust and Debris
The amount of dust and debris was measured using the vacuum test method and the thickness of the grease layer with the DTT method, if the cleanliness level of the ducts is not clear enough visually.

Microbial Contamination
Microbial contamination was measured with the contact method, and fibre contamination with the tape sampling method.