Peripheral Air Treatment Device with Coanda Recirculation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ventilation systems pose a health risk by mixing and circulating organic aerosol particles, such as viruses and bacteria, among people in enclosed spaces, potentially leading to contamination through the air circulation.
Innovation Solution
An aeraulic device that captures aerosols and droplets emitted by individuals before they can be inhaled, using a sterilization channel with an ultraviolet lamp and a specific air flow management system to maintain a sterile air circulation within a contained volume, preventing the dissemination of contaminated air.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional ventilation systems are used to circulate air in enclosed spaces, then air renewal and treatment are achieved, but air mixing occurs which exposes all people simultaneously to contamination from infected particles
Solution Approach 1:
The ventilation system is segmented into multiple independent treatment zones, each with its own air intake, sterilization channel, and discharge point. This segmentation prevents mixing of air streams from different locations, so that infected particles from one person are treated and discharged locally without being distributed to other occupants. Each zone operates independently to maintain localized air treatment.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful mixing function is extracted from the ventilation system by separating the air treatment process into individual independent channels. Instead of one centralized system that mixes all air, each air stream is extracted and treated separately through its own sterilization pathway, eliminating the contamination spread mechanism while preserving air renewal functionality.
2Reliability
If air is circulated through a centralized ventilation system, then overall air treatment is achieved, but contaminated aerosol particles are distributed throughout the space
Solution Approach 1:
The air treatment system is divided into multiple parallel independent channels, each handling a specific air stream separately. Each channel includes its own sterilization pathway with UV-C lamps and filtration systems. This segmentation ensures that treated air from one channel does not mix with air from other channels, preventing aerosol dissemination while maintaining reliable treatment effectiveness in each zone.
Solution Approach 2:
Each air treatment channel is equipped with localized sterilization components (UV-C lamps, filters) tailored to its specific air flow requirements. The treatment intensity and configuration can be optimized locally for each channel's conditions, ensuring effective contamination removal without requiring a single centralized system that would necessarily mix air streams.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a sterilization system treats air in a confined space, then contamination is reduced, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple air treatment functions (sterilization, filtration, air circulation) are merged into integrated modular units. Each module combines UV-C sterilization, HEPA filtration, and air circulation components into a single self-contained package. This merging reduces overall system complexity by eliminating the need for separate centralized systems while maintaining effective contamination reduction through coordinated operation of the integrated modules.
Solution Approach 2:
The air treatment modules are designed as universal multi-functional units that can be deployed in various configurations for different spaces. Each module performs multiple functions (intake, sterilization, filtration, discharge) within a single device, eliminating the need for separate specialized components and reducing overall system complexity while achieving effective contamination control.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Effectively limits the risk of contamination by ensuring all air is sterilized and recirculated within the device's contained volume, maintaining a sterile environment and preventing the spread of aerosols to other individuals.
Implementation Method 1
a source of ultraviolet radiation arranged in the sterilization channel capable of sterilizing the air
Implementation Method 2
the power of the radiation source is such that the virucidal dose is reached in any element of the air volume of the plenum
Implementation Method 3
The reattachment flow initiates the circulation of other flows in the space peripheral to the device
Implementation Method 4
the suction mouth is surmounted by a convex circular cup, the convexity of which is oriented towards the flat surface, to collect the re-adhesion flow and produce a Venturi effect increasing the suction capacity of the suction mouth
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to an aeraulic device (1) for treating the air contained in a peripheral space, comprising: a tubular inlet manifold (25) intended to bear against a flat surface, the manifold comprising an extractor (21) for generating closed loop circulation of an air stream in the device (1). Said device comprises a suction mouth (28) at which airflow lines of a peripheral space are designed to close. The device also comprises a plenum (36) comprising a radiation source (37) capable of sterilising the air and a diffuser (38) mounted on the plenum (36) and configured to diffuse the air stream in the peripheral space along flow lines comprising at least one reattachment flow dipping along an outer surface of the plenum (36) towards the suction mouth (28). The diffuser has a circular slot (42) configured to form, by means of the Coanda effect, the reattachment flow.