Portable Kitchen Hood Filter Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial kitchen hood cleaning processes release significant amounts of fats, oils, and greases into the municipal sewer system, leading to increased costs and environmental concerns, as existing systems are not equipped to effectively filter these contaminants during the cleaning process.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight, portable filter apparatus with a container and filter system that captures effluent from kitchen hood cleaning, using a filter material like Adsorb-It® to remove contaminants before they enter the sewer system, allowing for easy filter insertion and removal, and featuring a design that facilitates quick and efficient cleaning operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a portable filter apparatus is used to capture effluent during kitchen hood cleaning, then the release of contaminants into the sewer system is minimized, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The filter apparatus is divided into separate functional components: a container for collecting effluent, a filter element for removing contaminants, and a skimmer for removing floating fats and oils. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, making the overall system more manageable and easier to maintain while effectively addressing contaminant removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter element acts as an intermediary between the effluent stream and the sewer system. It intercepts and removes contaminants, fats, oils, and greases from the water stream before the cleaned water is discharged into the sewer system, thereby mediating the harmful effect of contaminant release.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a filter system is implemented to remove fats, oils, and greases during cleaning, then environmental impact is reduced, but the ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The skimmer is designed to automatically remove floating fats, oils, and greases from the effluent stream as they rise to the surface. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for manual intervention to remove these contaminants, maintaining ease of operation while effectively reducing environmental impact.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter element utilizes porous materials that allow water to pass through while trapping contaminants, fats, oils, and greases. This passive filtration process operates automatically as effluent flows through the filter, maintaining operational simplicity while achieving effective contaminant removal and reducing environmental impact.
3Ease of operation
If a tarp is used to funnel effluent during cleaning, then the cleaning process is simplified, but the loss of substance increases due to unfiltered discharge
Solution Approach 1:
The filter apparatus merges the functions of the tarp (effluent funneling) with additional filtration capabilities. The container receives effluent funneled by the tarp, and the integrated filter element and skimmer then remove contaminants, combining the simplicity of the tarp system with the necessity of filtration to prevent contaminant discharge.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter element serves as an intermediary between the effluent stream collected by the tarp and the discharge point. It intercepts and removes contaminants, fats, oils, and greases before the water is discharged, mediating the loss of substance while maintaining the operational simplicity of the tarp-based effluent collection system.
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 minimizes the release of contaminants into the sewer system by capturing and filtering fats, oils, and greases during kitchen hood cleaning, reducing environmental impact and operational costs, and can be adapted for use in various cleaning settings.
Implementation Method 1
using a filter material like Adsorb-It® to remove contaminants
Data Source
AI summary
A lightweight, portable filter system that is especially adapted for use in commercial kitchen cleaning services such as hoods used in commercial kitchens is described. The invention is defined by a container adapted for holding a filter and which has a drain opening that may be connected to the usual drain. A filter is suspended in the interior of the container with a special structure that allows for quick and easy insertion of the filter and removal of the filter when it is spent and the top of the filter is open to define a relatively large opening. In use, the tarp that is used to isolate a hood during cleaning is tucked into the opening into the filter so that effluent that flows from the hood during cleaning, and the cleaning fluids (water, degreasers, etc.) are channeled into the filter. The material used for the filter is selected for the particular type of cleaning that is being done, and in any event removes the desired compounds from the effluent stream. The liquids flowing through the filter flow into the container, out the drain opening and into a drain or where ever the effluent properly is intended to flow.