Gas separation: processes – Sound waves used
Patent
1996-07-01
1998-10-27
Chiesa, Richard L.
Gas separation: processes
Sound waves used
55277, 55337, 55DIG25, 95268, 95271, 261DIG48, B01D 5108
Patent
active
058273506
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention refers to a machine for separating aerosol particles, the machine comprising a cylindrical ultrasonic member in which the particles are agglomerated in the presence of an injected agglomeration initiator, and a filter for retaining the agglomerated particles.
This machine can be used for extracting toxic aerosols from gaseous atmospheres which can for example result from a radioactive fire accident, conventional fire accidents, a chemical fire accident or from uncontrolled chemical reactions, especially in closed rooms. Conventional high efficiency particulate air filter systems can in fact only be of limited use for separating large quantities of toxic aerosols in combination with soot or water vapour. A further field of application concerns the recovery of industrially valuable particles from gas flows.
Subsequent to an electric current breakdown, to the formation of soot and fire exhaust gases, extremely complicated conditions can exist after an accident in closed rooms for the fire brigade which require full safe overalls with integrated air condition, emergency illumination means etc. or which render the penetration of those rooms by the fire brigade completely impossible due to the noxious gases, the exhaust gases and the absolute darkness.
In closed rooms, fire goes out due to lack of oxygen. For this reason it is not possible to extract incineration particles and fire gases by providing openings for the extraction of these gases as this entails the admission of oxygen and the creation of new flames.
Thus, in such or similar cases, first of all the exhaust gases, which possibly contain toxic aerosols, must be eliminated from the affected room without allowing new oxygen to penetrate into said room.
From the patent ES-459 523 A1 a method and a device are known for purifying exhaust gases by ultrasonic means. According to this device, a stationary acoustic field is created in a cylindrical ultrasonic chamber into which exhaust gases are injected in a tangential direction. The exhaust gases move along a spiral path from one front side of the chamber to the other and are mixed with an agglomeration initiator for improving the agglomeration, this initiator being injected into the chamber at several points.
The operation of such a device is unsatisfactory primarily if the aerosol particles to be separated are very small (smaller than 0,1 .mu.m). In fact, in this case, the mass inertia of the particles is so low that they are not vibrated by the ultrasonic field to such an extent that they collide with adjacent particles. In this case, the helical path of the aerosol particles through the ultrasonic chamber is too short as to provide with high probability the collision with other particles. The agglomeration effect cannot be substantially increased by injecting water droplets and by spraying liquids into the gas charged with the aerosol to be separated. Therefore, the requirements of environment protection impose an improved cleaning process such that for example highly toxic materials such as plutonium particles or dusts from toxic industrial processes are extracted as completely as possible from the concerned gas.
The object of the invention is therefore to propose a machine allowing to securely separate toxic aerosols in order to allow rapidly an access to the polluted room for repair purposes.
This object is achieved according to the invention by the machine and method for operating the machine as defined in the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The invention will now be described in more detail by means of a preferred embodiment and the unique drawing which shows schematically the machine according to the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The machine for extracting toxic aerosols from gaseous environments comprises a radial fan 2 which aspires through an inlet grid 1 the gaseous atmosphere charged with toxic aerosols. From the outlet side of this fan 2, the gas is blown under increased pressure and at high speed into a mixer chamber 25 provided at t
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patent: 5085673 (1992-02-01), Bentley et al.
Magill Joseph
Werner Paul
Chiesa Richard L.
European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM)
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