WO2022153132A1

WO2022153132A1 - Air filtering system for filtering pathogenic agents and dust

Info

Publication number: WO2022153132A1
Application number: PCT/IB2022/050014
Authority: WO
Inventors: Massimiliano DE SANTIS; Massimo De Santis
Original assignee: Cm Crimax Srl
Current assignee: Cm Crimax Srl
Priority date: 2021-01-12
Filing date: 2022-01-03
Publication date: 2022-07-21
Anticipated expiration: 2023-07-12
Also published as: IT202100000425A1

Abstract

Air filtering system for filtering pathogenic agents and dust, exploiting a plurality of systems such as: infrasound generator system (25), UV lamps (20), infrared radiators (19), finned heater (21), air filtration system (17) comprised within a cabin (10) covered with aluminum panels, adapted to channel the air contained within the room into a suitable duct, so as to execute a filtering treatment of 99.995%; said system comprising: - a plurality of panels of sheet metal, preferably of aluminum; - a plurality of wheels; - a plurality of handles; - at least a device capable of resonating the air molecules over a frequency range comprised between 5 and 30 Hz; - at least an infrared radiator; - at least a UV lamp; - at least a finned heater; - at least a filter; - at least a centrifugal fan; - a plurality of particulate sensors; - a plurality of thermocouples; - at least a differential pressure gauge; - at least two electronic boards.

Description

“Air filtering system for filtering pathogenic agents and dust”

Description Field of the art

The invention refers to an innovative system for filtering air, by exploiting specific frequencies and temperatures capable of eliminating most of the pathogenic agents and dust that can be dangerous in sterile environments such as in hospitals. Prior art

The sanitization of public rooms is in recent years becoming an essential aspect for the community. Due to the great influx of people in public places, due to tourism or health emergencies, it is necessary to constantly use procedures for disinfecting objects and rooms where multiple contacts between people take place. One of the most used techniques for such disinfection process is the use of chemical agents, which cause a continuous waste of resources and materials, including plastic.

In recent years, it is has been increasingly common to use ultraviolet rays of C type for eliminating the bacteria and all the micro-organisms presents, as in the case of the UV germ lamp recorded in the relative patent AU2020102582. The germicidal UV is provided by a lamp with mercury vapor that emits UV at the germicidal wavelength. Many germicidal UV lamps use special transformers in order to ensure a constant flow of electricity and to maintain the wavelength constant. But since the germicidal UV has a narrow wave bandwidth, the power fluctuations could render the disinfection ineffective. UV rays are extremely dangerous for the operator who carries out the disinfection of the sanitary rooms.

Aeration ducts have been developed which are capable of sanitizing the air contained within the rooms.

The aeration ducts developed, in addition to requiring a network of ducts branched through the entire building, usually comprise a fan, in order to facilitate the air circulation, and a filter. Said filter is commonly used for trapping the dust and the mites contained in the filtered air flow, without at all succeeding in eliminating the bacteria.

The object of the patent is therefore that of resolving the problem of air disinfection by means of the use of different technologies such as ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, infrasounds (5- 30Hz), heating (250°C) and mechanical filtration adapted to eliminate more than 99% of the pathogenic agents present in the room, object of disinfection, by placing the bacteria at specific frequencies and temperatures that cause the destruction thereof.

Said system can also be modulated and installed on any pre-existing ventilation plant, without requiring a network of ducts branched throughout the building.

Description of the invention

According to the present invention, an air filtering system for filtering pathogenic agents and dust is attained that effectively resolves the abovementioned problems. The present system comprises a movable cabin, provided with wheels, adapted to be moved in the rooms where it is necessary to execute an air filtering. On each cabin, a plurality of handles are situated along the edges, adapted to facilitate the movement of the cabin by the operators.

Said cabin is covered with a plurality of panels of sheet metal that is press-folded and bolted. The panels, preferably made of aluminum, ensure that the cabin has a rigidity and strength suitable for resisting all the stresses of the internal filtering devices, without compromising the mobility thereof. The final weight of the cabin is in fact around 150 kg.

The innovative air filtering system for filtering pathogenic agents and dust has been designed and made in order to be inserted both in a pre-existing aeration plant, and separately installed in the environment; the coupling between the machine and the existing systems occurs by means of suitable adapters which connect the air ducts of the aeration system to the ducts of the cabin.

Said system can be modulated, it is in fact provided to couple a plurality of cabins so as to increase the air flow rate and the filtering capacity of the entire system.

Within the cabin, after the inlet air duct, there is a device capable of resonating the air molecules and hence the pathogenic molecules, calibrated over a frequency range that preferably extends from 5 to 30 Hz, and hence imparting to the resonating molecules a signal power such that that which resonates is broken up.

Once subjected to the resonance, the air encounters an ultraviolet ray lamp which emanates a frequency band with a wavelength of 254 nm, and hence an infrared radiator.

Subsequently, within the cabin, a finned heater is installed which generates a heat barrier that reaches 250°C for the purpose of eliminating the bacteria that remained in circulation. Downstream of the finned heater, there is a filter, preferably H14, with an efficiency not lower than 99.995%.

Said filter is adapted to trap the dust mites and the particulate present in the air. Given the quantity of harmful slag present within said filter, replacement would be a dangerous step for the assigned operator. In order to overcome this problem, a hatch is provided on the external surface of the cabin in order to carry out the replacement of said filter by means of a process termed, in jargon, “bag-in bag-out”, such that the operator never has to come into direct contact with the dirty filter.

A differential pressure gauge is installed in proximity to said filter and is suitable for detecting the necessary pressure to impart to the air such that it can traverse said filter; said differential pressure gauge has the obj ect of monitoring the state of deterioration of the filter and to provide for the replacement thereof when the necessary pressure to impart to the air is excessive.

The final component present within the cabin before the air exits is the centrifugal fan. Said fan, preferably with polyethylene screw conveyor such as MAC B 225, is sound-proofed with sound level of 60dB, and is adapted to facilitate the air circulation during the filtering steps. The air flow rate can vary depending on the type of fan applied or on the rotation speed of said centrifugal fan.

The air filtering system comprises, within said cabin, a plurality of sensors including the particulate sensors and the thermocouples, adapted to detect the temperature and to monitor the heat exchanges.

All the information collected by the particulate sensors, by the thermocouples and by the differential pressure gauge are recorded by at least two electronic boards which, in one embodiment thereof, are suitable for sending the recorded data to a central center, by means of wireless connection, which operates remotely so as to monitor the operating state of the entire machine.

A USB port is also present which, in one embodiment thereof, can be used for reading the information obtained from the sensors by means of cable connection.

It is important to underline that the use of the air filtering system for filtering pathogenic agents and dust i s adapted to be used in any one room that requires a sanitization process compri sing, by way of a non-limiting example, hospitals, offices, schools, airports, stores and stations. The advantages offered by the present invention are evident in light of the description set forth up to now and will be even clearer due to the enclosed figure and to the detailed description. Description of the figures

The invention will be described hereinbelow in a preferred embodiment as a non-limiting example with the aid of the enclosed figure, in which:

- FIGURE 1 shows the section of a cabin 10 composed of aluminum panels, suitable for comprising at its interior all the components necessary for filtering and monitoring the suctioned air, ensuring a filtering of higher than 99%.

Detailed description of the invention

The present invention will now be illustrated as a merely non-limiting or non-binding example, with reference to the figure which illustrates an embodiment relative to the present inventive concept.

With reference to FIG. 1, a section is illustrated of the cabin 10 adapted to filter the air present within the room where cabin 10 is positioned.

Said cabin 10 can be easily moved from one room to another by means of the use of suitable installed wheels 18, and due to the use of suitable handles 12.

Through the use of suitable adapters, this innovative air filtering system can be modulated and allows connecting multiple cabins 10 in series.

A plurality of aluminum panels cover the external surface of the cabin 10, providing them with the necessary strength for tolerating the vibrations and radiations emitted during filtering.

The air, once channeled into the inlet duct, is subjected to an infrasound system 25 adapted to make it resonate, after which it is conveyed into a frequency beam with a wavelength of 254 nm emanated by the UV lamp 20 before passing through a barrier with infrared rays 19. Subsequently, a finned heater 21 generates a transverse heat barrier that can reach 250°C, which eliminates most of the bacteria and pathogenic agents still present after the preceding filtering passages.

Once the pathogenic agents have been eliminated, the air is thrust through a filter 17 which, in one embodiment thereof, is of H14 type and has a filtering capacity of at least 99.995%.

At the filter 17, a hatch 24 is situated that is adapted to facilitate the replacement of the filter 17 by means of a technique termed “bag-in bag-out”.

A differential pressure gauge 15 is adapted to measure the pressure before and after the filter 17 for the purpose of determining the wear state of the filter 17; when the pressure at the two ends will have very different values, it will be necessary to replace the filter 17, since the filtered agents obstruct it. Finally, the air is moved by a centrifugal fan 16 which varies its air flow rate based on the shape of the fans and on the rotation speed.

A plurality of sensors are installed within the cabin 10 so as to monitor the air conditions. Thermocouples 22 are installed before the infrared radiator 19 and after the finned heater 21 in order to measure the fluid temperature. A plurality of particulate sensors 23 are installed before and after the filter 17.

The results obtained from said sensors are managed and stored by two electronic boards 11 which, in one embodiment thereof, are adapted to send the data to a central center or to a web portal by means of wireless connection. Alternatively, said electronic boards 11 are adapted to share their data by means of USB connection by using a USB port 14.

Finally, it is clear that modifications, additions or variations that are obvious for a man skilled in the art can be made to the invention described up to now, without departing from the protective scope that is provided by the enclosed claims.

Claims

1. Air filtering system for filtering pathogenic agents and dust, exploiting a plurality of systems such as: infrasound generator system (25), UV lamps (20), infrared radiators (19), finned heater (21), air filtration system (17) included inside a cabin (10) covered with aluminum panels, characterized in that it is suitable for channeling the air contained inside the room into a special duct, in order to perform a filtering treatment of 99.995%; said system comprising:

- at least an inlet duct for the air to be filtered, positioned below said cabin (10);

- at least an outlet duct for the filtered air, positioned on the upper side of said cabin

(10); a plurality of panels of sheet metal, preferably aluminum, press-folded and bolted, suitable for covering the cabin (10) with a structure suitable for the stresses received during the filtering process; a plurality of wheels (18) located below said cabin (10), suitable to facilitate the movement of said cabin (10) between the various rooms where it is necessary to filter the air; a plurality of handles (12), placed on the edges of said cabin (10), suitable to provide a safe grip with which to move said cabin (10); at least a device suitable for causing air molecules to resonate and thus break up pathogenic molecules, calibrated over a frequency range of 5 to 30 Hz; at least an infrared heater (19) and an UV lamp (20) with a wavelength of 254 nm, jointly suitable to emit a frequency beam in order to break down the bacterial load in the air; at least a winged heater (21) placed transversally to the air passage, suitable to generate a temperature between 200°C and 250°C; at least a filter (17), placed downstream of the winged heater (21), preferably of the H14 type, with an efficiency of 99.995%; at least a centrifugal fan (16) preferably with a soundproofed polyethylene scroll type MAC B 225 with a sound level of 60dB, suitable to facilitate the air circulation during the filtering steps; a plurality of particulate sensors (23), suitable for measuring the quantity of particulate present in the air before and after passing within said filter (17); a plurality of thermocouples (22), suitable for measuring the air temperature during the filtering steps; at least a differential pressure gauge (15), suitable for detecting the pressure necessary for the air to pass through said filter (17); said differential pressure gauge (15) being installed for the purpose of monitoring the state of deterioration of said filter (17); at least two electronic boards (11) suitable for recording the information obtained from the particulate sensors (23), from the thermocouples (22) and from said differential pressure gauge (15); said electronic boards (11) being suitable for activating alarm signals in case of malfunctioning of the components and for recommending the replacement of said filter (17) in case said differential pressure gauge (15) detects a pressure variation upstream and downstream of said filter (17) exceeding the preset parameters.

2. Air filtering system from pathogenic agents and dust, according to the preceding claim 1 , characterized in that said system can be modulated thanks to the air inlet and outlet ducts compatible with those of other cabins (10) belonging to the same air filtering system.

3. Air filtering system from pathogenic agents and dust, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is suitable to be integrated into an already existing aeration system by means of special adapters of the ducts.

4. Air filtering system from pathogenic agents and dusts, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises an hatch (24) on the external surface of the cabin (10), at the filter (17), suitable for allowing the replacement of said filter (17) by means of a procedure called “bag-in bag-out” for the purpose of protecting the operator in terms of health, given the nature of the substances captured by said filter (17), avoiding contact between the dirty filter (17) and the operator carrying out the replacement.

5. Air filtering system from pathogens and dust, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said electronic boards (11) are suitable for sending the recorded data to a control center by means of a wireless connection, in order to constantly monitor, remotely, the effectiveness of the filtering.

6. Air filtering system from pathogens and dust according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said control boards (11) are suitable for sending the recorded data by means of a USB cable connection via a dedicated USB port (14). 7. Air filtering system from pathogens and dusts, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said centrifugal fan (16) comprises a polyethylene screw conveyor such as MAC B 225.