Gas separation – Plural serial basically diverse separating media – Plural stages in unitary casing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-08
2002-11-26
Hopkins, Robert A. (Department: 1724)
Gas separation
Plural serial basically diverse separating media
Plural stages in unitary casing
C055S426000, C055S429000, C055S452000, C055S457000, C055S467000, C055SDIG003
Reexamination Certificate
active
06485536
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to devices which separate particulates from flowing fluids, and more specifically to vacuum cleaners which use centrifugal force for particle separation, such as cyclonic or vortex vacuum cleaners.
2. Background Information
There are a large number of designs of vacuum cleaners, but two basic styles are prominent. One of these styles is a vacuum which utilizes a bag to collect filtered dirt. The bag serves as the filter and accumulates dust until full, at which time it is emptied. A stream of air is drawn into the bag, and pores in the bag wall stop particles which are in the air, but allow air to exit the bag. A problem with vacuums which utilize bags, is that the bag must be somewhat porous in order to allow the passage of a large flow of air. Bags which are fairly porous can also allow the passage of a large volume of particulates. As much as 40% of the dust can pass through such a bag and reenter the house, suspended in air currents, until it settles out.
As soon as the vacuum cleaner begins to accumulate dust, the pores of the bag begin to be blocked, and the air flow decreases. As the air flow decreases, the vacuum cleaner floor tool can pass over particles, and the air flow may not be enough to lift them off the surface and into the vacuum cleaner. As the bag fills with particles, the volume of air flow becomes less and less, and the filtration power of the vacuum bag becomes more and more, until the filtration efficiency is so high that not even air can exit the bag. Another disadvantage of bag systems is the expense and messiness of a bag. When a bag is full of dirt, the vacuum cleaner must be opened and the bag removed and replaced with a new one. If large numbers of bags are used, the expense of new bags is undesirable.
Still another problem with vacuums which use a bag is that users will try to continue using the vacuum as long as there is space in the bag to hold more dirt. However, a bag may be totally used up by filtering a small amount fine dust particles. These fine powders can completely block every pore in the filter bag, and reduce the air flow through the filter bag to zero. A user may be dissatisfied with the vacuum when he opens the filter and finds that it is not full of dirt, but merely has a small amount of dirt on the inside of the bag. Some users may continue trying to use a vacuum in such a state, either not understanding that the usefulness of the bag has ended, or trying to conserve money by getting the most life out of every bag.
A second type of vacuum cleaner uses cyclonic separation of particulates from the air. The typical cyclonic vacuum cleaner is configured so that a stream of air enters a vacuum chamber at a tangent to the cylindrical wall of the vacuum chamber. The air circulates around the wall of the container, with the heavier particles moving adjacent to the wall or bouncing against the wall, and the swirling air in the center of the chamber being more free of particulate matter. An air intake tube to the motor and fan is typically located at the bottom of the canister and runs vertically through the center of the canister, so that the cleaner central air is drawn into the central intake tube, and is drawn back towards the top of the container, where it may exit the vacuum cleaner. In many cyclonic designs, a supplemental filter is also placed so that air is filtered through a particulate filter before exiting the vacuum cleaner.
Examples of cyclonic vacuum cleaners include that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,697, to Fink.
Another type of cyclonic vacuum cleaner is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,540 to Wright et al. In Wright, as shown in
FIG. 4
, air enters the vacuum chamber at J and circulates spirally around the dirt cup
52
. Dirt accumulates in the bottom of the dirt cup as the heavier particulates fall out of the air stream. A main filter element K is situated in the center of the cyclonic air flow chamber
54
, and the cleaner air from the center of the spiraling air stream enters the main filter element K, and is drawn by a vacuum motor into an exhaust channel
60
. As can be seen, the cyclonic effect serves to keep heavier particles out of the filter element K. However, it is the fine particles which will occlude the filter and stop air flow, and the filter can be clogged and ineffective long before the dust cup
52
is full.
One type of cyclonic vacuum cleaner is that sold by Hoover as the Vortex model. In the Hoover vacuum cleaner, air enters a cyclonic chamber tangentially, and spins around the side of the cylindrical chamber. Heavier particles fall to the bottom of this chamber and out of the main air flow. Air is drawn from the center of this cylindrical chamber and passes to a second stage centrifugal separating chamber which is stacked on top of the first stage. Particles which travel around the outside circumference of the second cylindrical chamber are again separated from the main air stream, and air from the center of the chamber goes into a third centrifugal or cyclonic separation chamber. This chamber is also stacked on top of the previous chamber, and further separates particles from air in the center of the chamber.
Another example of prior art cyclonic vacuums is a vacuum made by Eureka, and sold as the True HEPA Model. This vacuum cleaner is an upright, with a clear chamber in the center of the upright portion of the vacuum. Visible inside the clear chamber is what appears to be a funnel on the right, and a collection chamber in the left side. The funnel is actually a cyclonic chamber, in which air enters at a tangent and spins around the funnel, finally exiting at the bottom of the funnel. As the air enters the funnel, it is spinning, and large particles that are suspended in the air are expelled from the air stream before they enter the funnel. The large particles enter a chamber off to one side of the funnel which collects these large particles. The particles which are not separated in this initial separation chamber continue on through the funnel, and eventually encounter a filter which filters particulates before the air stream enters the fan. The Eureka vacuum is typical of a large number of cyclonic vacuums, in which a centrifugal or cyclonic chamber is used as a prefilter, to separate larger particles from the air stream, and a pleated paper or fibrous filter is utilized to filter the fine particles out of the air stream. The Phantom is another example of this type of filtration.
It is an object of the invention to provide a bagless particle separator based on cyclonic separation of particles. It is a further object to provide a high efficiency separation device which separates particles from moving fluid, and sorts the particles according to size. It is a further object to provide a vacuum cleaner which operates without bags, and which efficiently separates particles from air.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects are achieved by a vortex particle separator. The vortex particle separator is a highly effective particle separator for use in a vacuum cleaner. It is also useful in any situation in which particles need to be removed from a fluid flow. This can include use as a room air purifier, to remove smoke particles, pollen and dust from the room air. It is also effective at separating particles from air in industrial situations, such as in a smoke stack, either as a prefilter for a bag house, or as a replacement for bag filters. This vortex separator can also be used to sort materials by size.
The vortex particle separator utilizes a cyclonic chamber which is an auger or spiral ramp, confined within a cylindrical tube. Air is drawn through this cyclonic chamber, and particles which move to the periphery of the cyclonic chamber exit the cyclonic chamber by centrifugal force, and are captured in a collection chamber.
In its simplest format, the vortex particle separator utilizes a single stage for separation of particles. In this version of the vortex particle separator, a housing encloses the
Dykas Frank J.
Hopkins Robert A.
Nipper Stephen M.
Proteam, Inc.
Shaver Robert L.
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