Just a note here—I am not sure e.g. 5-log reduction would be much less expensive. The counterintuitive design with serial filtration fed into a positively pressurized bubble is already cheap even at the >10 log level. The reductions in cost by removing logs would stem from:
-Lower power demands, meaning one might get away with a somewhat smaller power system, and/or smaller dimension air supply. However, nothing like a 50% cost reduction, more like 5%-10%
-One would need to buy less filters. But these are not extremely expensive, I would guess removing one filter would decrease overall cost by <5%
Said differently, the “performance-cost curve” is kind of jumpy: Below 3-5 log it is very cheap, like just a regular HEPA air cleaner in your room and some sealant at windows and doors. Then the next step is this bubble with relatively flat costs from 3-5 logs up to 13-16 log. After that I think one is looking at something markedly different and much more expensive, if such logs even make physical sense.
Just a note here—I am not sure e.g. 5-log reduction would be much less expensive. The counterintuitive design with serial filtration fed into a positively pressurized bubble is already cheap even at the >10 log level. The reductions in cost by removing logs would stem from:
-Lower power demands, meaning one might get away with a somewhat smaller power system, and/or smaller dimension air supply. However, nothing like a 50% cost reduction, more like 5%-10%
-One would need to buy less filters. But these are not extremely expensive, I would guess removing one filter would decrease overall cost by <5%
Said differently, the “performance-cost curve” is kind of jumpy: Below 3-5 log it is very cheap, like just a regular HEPA air cleaner in your room and some sealant at windows and doors. Then the next step is this bubble with relatively flat costs from 3-5 logs up to 13-16 log. After that I think one is looking at something markedly different and much more expensive, if such logs even make physical sense.