Advanced Data Center Filtration
October 13, 2026, Tuesday
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM ET, USA
$USD 350
$USD 175 (Member Only )
Course Objective
This course explores how rapid data center growth—driven by AI, cloud computing, and high-density workloads—is shaping emerging filtration requirements across modern digital infrastructure. Participants will gain insight into key cooling architectures, including air, hybrid, and liquid cooling systems, along with their unique filtration challenges and performance demands.
The course examines particulate, gas-phase, and liquid filtration technologies used to protect critical equipment, maintain uptime, and support operational reliability. Additional topics include fluid cleanliness targets, filtration system design, efficiency and pressure drop considerations, lifecycle cost analysis, condition monitoring, and proactive maintenance strategies.
Participants will also review relevant industry standards and guidelines from ASHRAE, ISO, and ISA. The session concludes with a live panel discussion covering filtration innovations, market trends, sustainability initiatives, operational challenges, and future opportunities within the rapidly evolving data center industry.
Course Outline
1. Data Center Growth, Cooling Methods & Filtration Systems
Data center growth and emerging filtration requirements
Air, hybrid, and liquid cooling methods
Filtration requirements for different cooling approaches
2. Data Center Air Filtration: Infrastructure, Reliability & Sustainability
Data center infrastructure and air-cooling applications
Free cooling and filtration considerations
Reliability, corrosion control, and monitoring
Filter optimization, energy efficiency, and sustainability
Filtration for critical power-generation equipment
3. Advanced Air Filtration & Contamination Control for Data Centers
Data center layouts and airflow management
Particulate filtration technologies and filter selection
Airborne contamination and corrosion control
Gas-phase filtration media, filters, and systems
4. Standards, Guidelines, Cleanliness, Requirements & Best Practices
ASHRAE TC 9.9 recommendations for data center environments
ASHRAE 52.2 / ISO 16890 for particulate air filtration classification
ISO 10121 / ASHRAE 145.2 for gas-phase filtration performance
ISA-71.04 for environmental severity and corrosion classification
ISO 4406 for liquid cleanliness classification
5. Data Center Air Filtration: Practical Examples & Considerations
Industry trends and challenges
Filter design, selection, and practical considerations
6. Core Filter Media Innovations for Data Centers
Filter media technologies and performance requirements
Emerging media innovations for data center applications
7. Data Centers: Water Usage & Emerging Filtration Opportunities
Water usage in data center cooling
Water quality and filtration considerations
Emerging filtration needs and opportunities
8. New Developments, Challenges, Trends & Opportunities
New filtration and cooling technologies
Reliability, sustainability, and operational challenges
Emerging industry trends and opportunities
Panel Discussion & Live Q&A
Instructor Biography
Mr. Mike Clark
President, Filtration Solutions, H&V, USA
Mr. Mike Clark is President of the Filtration Solutions and Energy Solutions divisions at Hollingsworth & Vose (H&V). He joined H&V in 2003 and has held a range of leadership roles while based in the U.S. and Germany. With more than two decades of filtration experience spanning air, liquid, transportation, and power generation, Mike has helped steer H&V’s filtration businesses and strengthen its position in the global filtration market—recognized for high-performance, high-quality filter media and deep applications expertise. He is passionate about innovation and believes the global mega-trends supporting health, safety, productivity, and CO₂ reduction will continue to drive growth and opportunity across energy storage and filtration. He serves on the INDA Board of Directors and WFI Advisory Board. Mike holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Mr. Paul Flanagan
Director, EMEA West, Camfil AB , Sweden
Mr. Paul Flanagan is Regional Director for EMEA West for Camfil, with over 30 years’ experience in the air filtration and clean air solutions industry. He has led organisations across Ireland, Belgium, Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands, combining deep technical knowledge with strong commercial and operational leadership. Paul is particularly recognised for his leadership in the data centre segment, where he has played a key role in enabling the growth of hyperscale infrastructure across Ireland and EMEA. He has built long‑standing partnerships with all four major hyper scalers, as well as leading colocation providers, acting not only as a strategic supplier of filtration products and solutions, but as a trusted advisor on filtration performance, resilience, and sustainability in mission‑critical environments. This expertise led to his appointment as Global Data Centre Segment Specialist, advising Camfil teams worldwide. Beyond industry, Paul lectures regularly at Technological University Dublin and sits on multiple advisory councils within the data centre sector, contributing to standards development, skills growth, and best practice across the industry.
Mr. Matt Koukl
Principal, Affiliated Engineers, Inc., USA
Mr. Matt Koukl, Past Chair, ASHRAE TC 9.9, Principal at Affiliated Engineers, Inc. (AEI), leads and manages teams on a wide range of projects supporting the data center market. Matt brings over a decade of experience providing planning and design leadership for various types of data center facilities, including modular, high-performance computing with cabinet power densities greater than 1MW, and over a million square feet of enterprise and colocation facilities. These facilities total over 3GW of power, and several have concurrently maintainable power and cooling infrastructure. In addition to his project leadership experience, Matt is an active contributor to ASHRAE Technical Committee 9.9, which defines standards for data centers, technology spaces, and electronic equipment. Matt is also contributing to the Open Compute Project on their work on Advanced Cooling Solutions for liquid cooled data centers.
Panelists
Dr. Marc Schmidt is Vice President of Technologies Europe at AAF International and a well-recognized expert in air filtration. He holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany. With a strong international background, Dr. Schmidt has a proven track record in product and process development, sales, technical marketing, business development, and operations management across the filter and nonwovens industries in both Europe and China. In addition to his corporate role, he serves as Chairman of the Eurovent Product Group Filters (PG-FIL), where he contributes to shaping standards and advancing best practices in the field. Dr. Schmidt also engages in international consulting and technical training related to air filtration on behalf of AAF International and is a frequent speaker at international conferences and symposia, sharing his expertise on filtration technologies and market trends.
Dr. Lu Liu is a Principal Engineer in Parker Hannifin’s HVAC Filtration Division and a 2026 Parker Engineering Fellow—one of the company’s highest technical honors, recognizing exceptional leadership, innovation, and impact in critical applications. Representing Parker’s Filtration Group, Dr. Liu is widely recognized for advancing next-generation filtration materials, product design, and manufacturing methods. Since joining Parker in 2014, she has played a pivotal role in improving both filtration performance and manufacturability, including significant advancements in the LPD filter construction method that support scalable, high-quality production. Her expertise in fiber and polymer science has helped strengthen Parker’s HVAC filtration solutions for demanding environments such as healthcare, agriculture, and data centers. As one of only two engineers in Parker’s Filtration Group to receive this distinction, Dr. Liu also holds four patents, has published five journal articles, and maintains active leadership and engagement with ASHRAE, NAFA, AFS, and WFI.
Dr. Christine Sun, President of the World Filtration Institute (WFI), is a globally recognized technical and market expert in filtration and nonwovens. With 30+ years of experience across academia and industry, she has 100+ publications and patents and extensive expertise in technology and business technology development. Dr. Sun chaired the American Filtration and Separation Society (AFS) (2016–2017) and received the AFS Fellow Award (2019). She previously served as Technology Director at Donaldson (2011–2013), R&D Manager at Freudenberg Filtration Technologies (2004–2011), and Research Professor at the University of Tennessee (USA) (1995–2024). She holds B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, and an Executive Certificate from Kellogg, Northwestern University (USA). She serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Industrial Textiles and the Textile Science & Research Journal.
Mr. Scott Yaeger, President/CEO of FAST, USA
Mr. Yaeger has over 40 years of experience in Membrane Filtration with leading companies such as Sartorius, Cuno/3M, Gelman/Pall, and PTI Advanced Filtration/Parker Hannifin. He has held senior roles in Sales, Marketing, Engineering, R&D, Manufacturing, and General Management. Since 2004, as President of FAST Consulting, LLC, he has developed new membranes, technologies, and applications for leading filtration companies.
Scott was the Founding Chairman and a past Board Member and Program Chair of the American Filtration and Separation Society (AFS). He is currently on the Board of Directors of the Electrocoat Association (EA). He has received the Wells Shoemaker Award from AFS and the Brewer Award from EA. Scott holds 4 US patents, has presented over 400 technical papers to more than 10 technical societies, and serves on the Editorial Board for Filtration News.
Dr. Wu Chen, R&D Fellow at Dow (retired), USA
Dr. Wu Chen is a recently retired R&D Fellow at Dow. He has 35 years of industrial experience in all areas of solid/liquid separation and air/gas filtration. His experiences include laboratory filtration evaluation, pilot study, full scale installation, startup, production scale operation and trouble shooting. He also has expertise in carbon capture, water management, project management, process design, and plant startup. He has been teaching this course in numerous organizations and countries for 30 years. He is very active in the filtration industry and has been the plenary and keynote speakers in major conferences, served as the chair of the American Filtration and Separation Society (AFS), AFS board of directors, conference chairs, and various committee members. His was awarded AFS Frank Tiller Award for outstanding technical achievements, AFS Well Shoemaker Award for leadership and service to the filtration industry and Fellow Member Award for sustained significant contributions to filtration technologies and filtration industry. In 2024, he received the AFS Lifetime Achievement award which recognized his significant lifetime contribution to the filtration industry.