Ventilation System Bypass Cleaning to Prevent Dust Contamination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for cleaning ventilation and air conditioning systems, particularly those with pulsed air flows, face challenges in preventing dust from being released into the building during cleaning, as overpressure systems reject dust back into the premises, and shutting down the system to clean is not feasible due to contamination risks.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilize a bypass mechanism to connect the suction and supply installations, allowing the depression from the return monobloc to create a vacuum in the supply ducts, using fire and air flow adjustment dampers to direct and concentrate the vacuum, and incorporating a centrifugal fan to manage air flow, ensuring dust is contained and evacuated without contaminating the building.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If dry cleaning is performed using rotating brushes in overpressure ventilation ducts, then dust can be mechanically removed from surfaces, but the overpressure rejects the raised dust back into the premises served by the building
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the pressure condition in the duct being cleaned by creating a localized vacuum zone using a vacuum generator connected through a branching conduit. This reverses the normal overpressure condition, allowing dust to be drawn into the vacuum zone and evacuated through the return duct instead of being rejected into the premises.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a vacuum generator and branching conduit system as an intermediary mechanism between the supply duct and the return duct. This intermediary creates a controlled vacuum environment that captures dust particles before they can be rejected into the building, mediating between the cleaning action and the dust evacuation pathway.
2Ease of manufacture
If ventilation installation is stopped for cleaning, then dust can be brushed without overpressure rejection, but raised dust remains in suspension in ducts and contaminates rooms when ventilation restarts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables continuous operation of the ventilation system during cleaning by maintaining the vacuum condition throughout the cleaning process. The vacuum generator operates continuously to capture dust as it is raised by brushes, ensuring that dust does not accumulate in suspension in the ducts and is continuously evacuated rather than released when the system restarts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the dust evacuation function from the normal ventilation airflow by creating a separate vacuum-driven evacuation pathway through the return duct. This extracted dust removal mechanism operates independently of the supply airflow, allowing dust to be continuously removed during cleaning without relying on system shutdown or restart conditions.
3Ease of manufacture
If cleaning is performed in extraction installations using suction, then dust can be evacuated through return monoblock filters, but this technique cannot be applied to supply installations due to overpressure rejecting dust into premises
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal cleaning mechanism that can be applied to both supply and return ducts by introducing a vacuum generator system that overrides the normal pressure conditions. The branching conduit system with valves can be configured to create vacuum conditions in any duct section, making the dust evacuation capability universal across different installation types rather than limited to extraction installations only.
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
Enables effective cleaning of pulsed air flow ducts by placing the entire ventilation system under vacuum, effectively containing and removing dust without risking contamination of the building, suitable for large installations like factories and hospitals.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum generator (5) which creates a vacuum in the duct system in order to evacuate the dust particles raised by the brushing
Implementation Method 2
an overpressure generator (6) which generates an overpressure in the duct system
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
The invention relates to a ventilation system for a building comprising a return air system including a duct and damper system and a negative pressure generator for drawing air from inside the building and expelling it from the building, and a supply air system including a duct and damper system and a positive pressure generator for sending outside air into the building in which, during a cleaning of the supply air system of the ventilation system, the supply and return air systems are arranged to be connected by a bypass system, so that the negative pressure generator of the return air system can generate a negative pressure in the duct system of the supply air system.