FILTER

FILTER

This invention relates to a filter for use in an airflow passageway.

A difficulty arises where air for human or animal inhalation or for any other purpose is contaminated with toxic or harmful chemicals, and an area in which a human or animal is to breathe is to be kept free of such toxic or harmful chemicals. The area in which a human is to breathe may be a cabin of a tractor or other vehicle or it may be the space inside a gas mask. Alternatively a situation might exist where air in a chamber in which an animal is kept or a machine is operated might gradually become polluted so that air may need to be recirculated through a filter to keep it suitable for its intended purpose.

Adsorptive bed based filters have been used to deal with such pollutants and toxic materials with a base such as a chemisorptive agent reactive with a broad range of pollutants or a narrow range of pollutants. A difficulty with such an adsorptive bed is that toxic materials or other pollutants carried on particulate materials are not effectively adsorbed, and thus can pass through such filters and through to the inside of a protected space such as a cabin. Furthermore, particles of larger size have a tendency to clog up the adsorptive bed.

It has been found that the provision of a prefilter based on mechanical filtration is not adequate to overcome the above problem with absorptive beds. A difficulty found in providing a filter medium with a pore size that is fine enough to filter out a majority of particulate matter, is that the flow rate of air through the system is considerably reduced. Some other form of filtration is also necessary.

A further difficulty with the use of filters relying on exhaustable media such as chemisorptive media is that such filters become ineffective after an amount of use. Firstly the rate of absorption decreases, and eventually some exchange occurs between the absorbed material and the surrounding milieu so that the chemisoφtive medium itself becomes a source of the undesirable and/or toxic material being transfered back into the air.

Consideration of the time at which filters should be disposed becomes especially critical where the filter is designed for personal use, for example in respiratory masks as are used by workers when working with toxic chemicals. Such masks have a filter based on a chemisoφtive layer, however, at present commercially available masks have no means of indicating whether the chemisorptive layer has become ineffective other than by the sensory perception of the wearer. Thus if the wearer tastes the toxic chemical or feels dizzy then the filter should be replaced. Under many circumstances such a practice is quite unsafe, or alternatively filters are disposed of at an inappropriately early stage to be safe.

It is an object of this invention to provide a filter that is effective in filtering a range of toxic materials so that it alleviates or minimises one or more problems associated with existing filters or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.

It is a further object of this invention to provide for a means to determine the extent to which an exhaustable medium in a bed a filter arrangement has been depleted so that it obviates or minimizes any one of the foregoing disadvantages in a simple yet effective manner or at least provide the public with a useful choice.

The invention could thus be said to reside in an air filter for filtering air passing through a flow path, including the following sequential filtering layers in the flow path, a mechanical filter, a combined electrostatic and an electret medium and a chemisorptive medium, the layers being so arranged that air passing through the air filter passes through each of the filtering layers.

The combined electrostatic and electret medium provides effective filtering of particulate material both charged and uncharged, so that the actual physical pore size can be quite large compared with the effective pore size. An electrostatic layer by itself is found unsatisfactory for use in many applications because uncharged particles can pass through the layer. Such a combined electrostatic and electret medium is, however, not found to be effective unless some mechanical prefiltering is also effected as is discussed above with the mechanical prefilter.

In a preferred form of the invention the chemisoφtive medium is contained within a chemisorptive chamber between two opposing walls being lateral to the flow path and being perforated to allow for through-flow of air whilst retaining the chemisorptive material within the chamber. It is found preferable to have perforations in the two opposing wall set at an angle to the throughflow of air. Such an arrangement provides for a more effective means of mixing the air with the chemisorptive material so as to enhance the effectiveness of the chemisorptive process.

In one form the perforations in the opposing walls are provided by a web of expanded metal, as a convenient means of effectively providing such perforations.

A further problem with such an arrangement is that such expanded metal walls are not rigid in a direction lateral to the plane of the walls, and thus such walls flex. This flexing causes the chemisorption chamber to increase in size. Thus the chemisorptive medium may not fully fill the chamber, leaving a space that allows for through flow of air without contacting the chemisorptive medium. In a preferable form then the chemisorption chamber includes means to inhibit movement of the two opposing walls in the direction of airflow.

In a preferable form this means to inhibit movement can be provided by a post extending between the two opposing walls and having a flange fixed to the post and bracing against both faces of each surface of the two opposing walls so as to maintain a fixed distance between the two walls.

Chemisoφtive media diminishes in effectiveness with use and time and eventually becomes exhausted requiring replacement or reactivation. Many chemisoφtive media have an indicator which allows a quick determination of whether the medium is no longer active. Frequently a colour change of the medium is used as such an indicator. A difficulty where such chemisoφtive material is held within a chamber is that it is difficult to determine whether such chemisorptive material is exhausted or not.

In a preferred form the chemisorptive medium includes an indicator of its activation state, and said chemisorptive chamber includes a window, for visual inspection of the colour change of the chemisoφtive medium. The provision of this window provides for a very quick means of determining the usefulness of the chemisoφtive medium and hence the filter.

The chemisoφtive medium might be an activated alumina which is impregnated with potassium permanganate as an indicator. The colour of the indicator in the activated alumina granules can be compared against a colour chart to determine the extent of depletion of capacity of the chemisorptive bed. The colour chart may be fixed on the outside of a casing enclosing the filter to enable easy checking of the state of the indicator in the chemisoφtive medium.

In a preferred form the visual display may be provided by a material that undergoes a colour change which colour change is detectable at least at a predetermined level of remaining capacity of the exhaustable medium.

In a preferred form the chemisorptive chamber may include an indicator region, which indicator region includes an indicator exhaustable medium and an indicator indicative of the capacity of the indicator exhaustible medium, and an active region which active region includes an active exhaustible medium, a window being provided for visual inspection of the indicator exhaustible medium, the indicator being provided to show the absorptive capacity of the indicator exhaustable medium, and the absoφtive capacity of the active exhaustible medium being greater than that of the indicator exhaustible medium. In a preferred form the indicator exhaustable medium is separate from the active region and exposed to the airflow through the filter, and adjacent to the filter casing, with a window provided through the casing to the indicator chamber.

In a preferred form the indicator region comprises a layer extending across a flowpath and being positioned upstream of the active region.

In an alternative form the invention may be said to reside in a respiratory mask, comprising a filter including a bed of exhaustible medium for neutralizing or reacting with a filterable element and a visually detectable indicator to indicate the level of remaining capacity of the exhaustible medium, at least at one predetermined level and a window to allow for inspection of the indicator for the exhaustible medium.

In a further form the invention may be said to reside in a replaceable filter for a respiratory mask, comprising a filter including a bed of a chemisorptive medium for neutralizing or reacting with a filterable element and a visually detectable indicator to indicate the level of remaining capacity of the exhaustible medium, at least at one predetermined level and a window to allow for inspection of the indicator for the exhaustible medium.

For a better understanding the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of a filter unit housing of a first embodiment of the invention showing the size of the chemisorptive bed relative to the size of the housing holding the mechanical, electret and electrostatic media,

FIG.2 is a cut-away view of the housing for the first embodiment, showing in particular the chemisorption chamber and flanged post to support the opposed perforated walls in fixed relative position, FIG.3 is a cross sectional part schematic view of the first embodiment of the invention showing the filter layers,

FIG.4 is a cross-sectional view through lines IV-IV of FIG. 3 showing the location of an indicator chamber within the chemisoφtive chamber together with an inspection window,

FIG.5 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the invention wherein the filter is generally cylindrical in shape,

FIG.6 is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the invention,

FIG.7 is a part schematic view of the position of the first embodiment of the invention in a tractor cabin,

FIG.8 is a cross sectional part schematic view of a filter unit housing according to another embodiment of the invention,

FIG.9 is a cross sectional part schematic view of an alternative filter unit of the invention,

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional part schematic view of an alternative filter unit of the invention, and

FIG. 11 is a cross sectional part schematic view of an alternative filter unit of the invention.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Dimensions of certain of the parts as shown in the drawings may have been modified and/or exaggerated for the purposes of clarity of illustration. The filter shown in FIGS. 1 , 2, 3, 4, and 7 includes a generally rectangular filter housing 1 including two side walls 2 and 3 extending along the length of filter. At either ends are end walls, one of which is seen best in FIG. 2. The end walls and side walls provide an elongate sealed passageway of rectangular cross section for air flow in the direction shown by arrows 4. Supported within the air passageway are two webs of expanded metal 5 and 6; perforations 7 within such expanded webs permit air to flow therethrough. The housing in this embodiment is made of aluminium.

Flanges such as indicated at 8, 9 and 1 are supported by side walls 2 and 3 and the end walls and are adapted for bearing against a deformable seal positioned in a suitable holder on the air intake or the outlet of the air conditioning arrangement in the cabin. It is to be understood that other appropriate means of fastening the filter to an air-conditioning outlet can also be provided.

The webs 5 and 6 of expanded metal are supported at their edges by webs of aluminium C sections which extend along the side walls and end walls and as shown at 11 and 12. The webs of expanded metal and are made rigid in the direction of air flow relative one to the other by a post 13. The post has at either end two flanges, as indicated by 14 and 15, each fitting tightly to opposite faces of one of the expanded metal webs.

A chemisorptive chamber 16 is defined between the two opposing expanded metal webs 5 and 6, side walls 2 and 3 and end walls. A means for recharging the chemisorptive chamber with a suitable chemisorptive medium may be provided and thus an aperture through either one of the end walls or through a side wall of the chemisorptive chamber with a closure can be provided.

Flanges 8, 9 and 10 fit tightly against the outlet of an air- conditioning unit so as to provide a sealing against said unit. This sealing could be enhanced by the use of a gasket of a suitably deformable material. In some circumstances it may be desirable to partition the chemisoφtion chamber at one end as illustrated in FIG. 4 to form an indicator chamber 23. The end wall defining the indicator chamber includes a window 24, for viewing the contents of the indicator chamber. Thus for example an indicator can be housed in the indicator chamber that changes colour when the chemisorptive material is exhausted or is best replaced. One such indicator could be an activated aluminium impregnated with potassium permanganate. The indicator chamber is situated between the two expanded metal webs and is positioned so that air that passes through the airconditioning unit also passes through the indicator chamber. The indicator thus has the same exposure to air flow as does the remainder of the chemisoφtive bed.

When fully assembled as shown in FIG. 3 the unit comprises a mechanical filter layer 19. Such a layer could be a fully reticulated flexible polyester polyurethane foam, such as sold under the trade name Meracell, and the grade sold as Me 080 (having a density of 28 Kg/m³ and 80 cells per 25 mm) is found to give an excellent result. The open pore structure allows for good flow-through of air without leading to too great a pressure drop.

Alternatively the mechanical layer could comprise of two layers. A first coarse layer may comprise a filter pad manufactured from gradual synthetic fibres made up in graduated layers, bonded and subsequently baked. A second mechanical filter layer is downstream of the said coarse filter layer and can be made of a similar material with a finer pore size.

Downstream of the mechanical filter is a layer with electret-and electrostatic activity 21. The electrets act to convert uncharged particles into dipoles and the layer acts to filter out such eϋpoles. The electrostatic component of such a layer acts to filter out charged particles. A suitable medium for this layer is sold under the name of FILTRETE G (Trade Mark) by the 3M Company. The advantage of such a layer is its compactness and airflow properties to draw out electrically particles of small size without the need to have bulky charge inducing means, and then means to attract such charged particles.

Whilst a layer having both activities is shown, it may be desired to have the two activities separated, this later alternative however has the disadvantage of extra thickness.

A chemisoφtive medium layer 22 is provided within the chemisorptive chamber 16. In one embodiment such chemisoφtive material is provided by an activated alumina impregnated with potassium permanganate. The potassium permanganate content is 5% by volume and contains no more than 5 mg per cubic metre respirable dust.

Other absorptive media may also be used, and thus activated carbon can be used as an absorptive media. The chemisorptive chamber with non-granulated activated caΦon does require a lining with a smaller pore size so that the activated carbon is not lost through the expanded metal webs.

In one form the activated carbon could be a granulated coconut shell based steam activated carbon impregnated with 7.5% potassium bromide. This activated carbon is granulated to a size with 90% of granules being between 4.76 to 2.38 mm, with an apparent density of 580 kg/m³.

Alternatively it may be desired to use other chemisorptive media, especially where a specific adsorptive requirement exists. The choice of chemisoφtive medium is however, limited to some extent by the requirement to keep the reduction in airflow to a minimum.

In use then heavy dust and large particles are removed by coarse filter layer, finer dust is trapped by the fine filter layer. Particles down to 0.3 microns are trapped by the electret and electrostatic layer. These layers effectively remove particles of size unable to absorb to the absorptive medium and such particles as are likely to clog up the absorptive medium. The absorptive medium in this embodiment is able to absorb a large range of chemicals. The expanded metal webs are made of aluminium panels and angle the air flow so as to maximise contact with the chemisorptive medium, to thereby increase the effective length of the flow path through the chemisorptive chamber and so that the residency time of air passing through the chamber is increased. The illustrations show expanded metal webs having the openings angled in the same direction, it may be desired to have the openings opened in opposite directions to further increase the residency time of air within the chemisoφtive chamber.

Expanded metal webs are described as the means by which perforations are made in the two opposing walls within the flow passageway however angled perforations can be achieved in other ways, and other means may be provided as a means of increasing the residency time. Thus vane may be used to direct air into the chemisorptive chamber at angle to the overall airflow.

The second embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 comprises a generally cylindrical housing, in place of the rectangular housing of the first embodiment. The arrangement of the filter layers is generally the same as for the first embodiment except that each layer is arranged in the form of a cylinder instead of a flat layer. The air flow of the illustrated embodiment is from the outside of the cylinder inwards.

The housing of this filter includes two end caps shown at 25 and 26, flanges of each of the end caps fit over the cylindrical shaped mechanical filter to keep it in place. It is to be understood that the mechanical rigidity of the cylindrical expanded mesh layers is much greater that of a planar expanded metal mesh, and thus it is not necessary in the cylindrical form to provide a support post between the two mesh layer defining the chemisoφtive chamber.

The position and placement of the replacement filters varies greatly, and thus whilst a specific filter shape is dictated by each type of fitting, one form of air-conditioning arrangement is illustrated for a better understanding of the invention. In the illustrated arrangement, the existing filter which usually is a paper filter fitting within a filter holder 27 located beneath the roof of a cabin. The filter holder is elongate and generally rectangular, and includes a cover that can be pivoted open, to allow for removal of the filter. Seals are provided between the cover and the remainder of the filter holder, so that on closure and air tight seal is effected, furthermore a seal is provided between the holder and the filter housing, so that any air flowing through the filter holder passes though the filter. In this embodiment air is pulled through the filter through a space 29 in the cabin roof, by fan 30, and into the cabin through vents 31.

It is desirable to have a filter to replace existing paper or other filters with filters that will absorb the large range of toxic or harmful substances that are sprayed, especially for agricultural purposes and it is found that according to this invention a sufficiently compact filter can be provided that suffices to do so, at least with selected compounds.

Now looking at the enbodiment shown in FIG. 8 the filter unit is particularly adapted as a replacement unit for a respirator mask. This embodiment includes a generally circular filter housing 50 including a cylindrical side wall 51 extending along the length of filter. The side walls providing an elongate sealed passageway of circular cross section for air flow in the direction shown by arrows 52. Supported within the air passageway are two webs of expanded metal 53 and 54 which have perforations 55 within such expanded webs permitting air flow therethrough. The housing in this embodiment is made of aluminium or plastics material.

Flanges 8 on side wall 51 is adapted for sealing the filter into an respirator mask. It is to be understood then other appropriate means of fastening the filter to respirator mask can also be provided.

The webs of expanded metal 53 and 54 are supported by the periphery on C section pieces shown at 57 and are made rigid in the direction of air flow relative one to the other by a post 58. The post has at either end two flanges and at one end of the post indicated by 59 and 60 each fitting tightly to opposite faces of an expanded metal web.

A chemisoφtive chamber 61 is defined between the two opposing expanded metal webs 53 and 54 and the side walls 51.

Annular flanges 65 is adapted to fit tightly into a respirator mask so as to provide a sealing against the mask. This sealing could be enhanced by the use of a gasket of a suitably deformable material.

When fully assembled as shown in FIG. 8 the unit comprises a coarse mechanical filter layer 70. Such coarse layer may comprise a filter pad manufactured from graded synthetic fibres made up in graduated layers, bonded and subsequently baked. A second mechanical filter layer 71 is downstream of the said coarse filter layer and can be made of a similar material with a finer pore size.

Downstream of these two layers is a layer of electret and electrostatic activity 72. The electrets act to convert uncharged particles into dipoles and act filter out such dipoles. The electrostatic component of such a layer acts to filter out charged particles. A suitable medium for this layer is sold under the name of FILTRETE G (Trade Mark) by the 3M Company.

A chemisoφtive medium layer 73 is provided within the chemisorptive chamber 61. In the embodiment shown such chemisorptive material is provided by an activated alumina impregnated with potassium permanganate. The potassium permanganate content is 5% by volume and contains no more than 5 mg per cubic metre respirable dust.

In use then heavy dust and large particles are removed by coarse filter layer 70, finer dust is trapped by the fine filter layer. Particles down to 0.3 microns are trapped by the electret and electrostatic layer. These layers effectively remove particles of size unable to absoφ to the absoφtive medium and such particles as are likely to clog up the absoφtive medium. The absoφtive medium in this embodiment is able to absorp a large range of chemicals and the following are examples.

The expanded metal webs are made of aluminium panels and are adapted to angle the air flow so as to maximise contact with the chemisoφtive medium, and to increase length of the flow path through the chemisoφtive chamber so that the residency time of air passing through the chamber is increased.

Whilst the absorption medium used in this embodiment includes an activated aluminium impregnated with potassium permanganate, other absorptive media can be used for specialised puφoses. Thus activated carbon can be used as an absorptive media. The chemisoφtive chamber however with activated carbon does require a lining with a smaller pore size so that the activated carbon is not lost through the expanded metal webs.

Expanded metal webs are described the means by which perforations are made in the two opposing walls within the flow passageway however perforations can be achieved in other ways.

The filter unit may alternatively be used in an air conditioning system for a motor vehicle such as an agricultural tractor or a mining vehicle or as discussed above may be used in a respiratory mask for personal use or a replaceable filter element for such a respiratory mask.

FIGURE 9 shows an alternative embodiment of filter unit housing according to this invention. In this embodiment the chemisorptive material chamber 61 includes an aperture 75 in the wall 2 into which is installed a window 76. This enables the contents of the chemϊsoφtive chamber to be inspected easily. Also the filling of the chemisorptive chamber can be achieved by removal of the window 76 and filling the chemisorptive medium into the chemisoφtive chamber through the aperture 75.

It will be realised that by means of the window 76 it will be possible to view any changes in colour in the chemisorptive medium which may indicate the medium should be replaced.

In FIG. 10 an alternative embodiment is shown. In this embodiment the chemisoφtive medium chamber is divided into a primary chamber 80 and a secondary chamber 81 by means of a divider 82 extending between the two webs of expanded metal 53 and 54. The secondary chamber 81 provides an indicator region into which an alternative chemisorptive material can be placed. This can be chemisorptive material in the indicator chamber 81 can be adapted to show a colour change before the chemisorptive medium in the main chamber 80 is exhausted and hence provide an early indication of the necessity to change the filter.

A still further embodiment as shown in FIG. 11 in which the chemisorptive chamber is divided into two chambers by means of a further perforated wed 92 so that an indicator chamber 90 is upstream of a main chemisoφtive chamber 91. The window 93 opens into the indicator chamber 90 thereby enabling early viewing of any change in colour indicating an expiry of the chemisorptive medium.

Various features of the invention have been particularly shown and described in connection with the illustrated embodiments of the invention, however, it must be understood that these particular arrangements merely illustrate and it is to be realised that the invention is not to be limited thereto but can include various modifications falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.