Building and method for producing a clean area
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing clean room configurations face challenges in simplifying the fabrication process while maintaining positive pressure to prevent contamination, as they often impose additional surface loads on walls and ceilings, and require complex ventilation systems.
Innovation Solution
A building design featuring a flexible shell that is pressurized to maintain its shape, with a ventilation arrangement feeding supply air from the top and an extraction arrangement removing exhaust air from the bottom, creating a positive pressure environment within the clean area, which is protected from external weather conditions and allows for easy assembly and disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a rigid shell structure is used to enclose the clean area, then structural strength and stability are improved, but fabrication complexity and additional surface loads on the building increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible shell made of textile material that can be inflated to form the clean area enclosure. This flexible shell replaces traditional rigid structural walls and ceilings, eliminating the need for complex fabrication while providing sufficient structural strength when pressurized. The shell is anchored at its lower edge to the building floor and receives air supply at its upper edge, creating a self-supporting structure that adapts to the clean area requirements without imposing additional surface loads on the building.
2Ease of manufacture
If a flexible shell is used to enclose the clean area, then fabrication is simplified and assembly is easier, but structural strength and stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes pneumatic pressure by continuously supplying air to the upper edge of the flexible shell through a ventilation arrangement. This positive pressure inflates the shell and maintains it in its pressurized state, providing the necessary structural strength and stability. The pneumatic support compensates for the inherent flexibility of the textile material, allowing the shell to resist external pressures and maintain the clean area's integrity without requiring complex rigid framing.
3Reliability
If positive pressure is maintained in the clean area to prevent contamination, then contamination prevention is improved, but additional surface loads are imposed on walls and ceilings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the load-bearing function from the building's permanent walls and ceiling by introducing a separate, self-supporting flexible shell structure. The shell is anchored only at its lower edge to the building floor and is pressurized independently, thereby containing the positive pressure within the shell itself. This prevents the transmission of pressure loads to the building's permanent structure, while still maintaining the positive pressure environment necessary for contamination prevention within the clean area.
4Reliability
If traditional rigid ventilation systems are used, then air management is effective, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ventilation arrangement serves multiple functions simultaneously: it supplies pressurized air to the upper edge of the flexible shell to maintain positive pressure, provides clean air to the clean area, and can be integrated with the shell structure itself. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate complex ventilation ducts and systems, reducing device complexity while maintaining effective air management and contamination prevention.
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
This design simplifies the fabrication of clean areas by reducing additional surface loads on buildings and enabling self-supporting structures with flexible shells, while maintaining a clean environment through efficient air management and flexible anchoring options.
Implementation Method 1
the positive pressure moves the shell into a shape of the clean area, and wherein the positive pressure supports the shell in the shape of the clean area
Implementation Method 2
a ventilation arrangement configured to feed supply air from the building into a top of the clean area
Implementation Method 3
an extraction arrangement configured to extract exhaust air from a bottom of the clean area into the building
Data Source
AI summary
A building including at least one pressure lock configured to facilitate an exchange of materials and persons between the building and a clean area in the building; a ventilation arrangement configured to feed supply air from the building into a top of the clean area; and an extraction arrangement configured to extract exhaust air from a bottom of the clean area into the building so that the clean area has a positive pressure relative to the building, wherein the clean area includes a floor and a shell that encloses the clean area above the floor pressure tight, wherein the building includes an outer enclosure that protects the clean area against weather conditions outside the building, wherein the shell is flexible at least in a major portion of a surface area of the shell and the positive pressure moves the shell into a shape of the clean area.