Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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AIR-CLEANING APPARATUS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to an alr-cleaning
apparatus and partlcularly, to an apparatus for
installation in an exhaust plpe so as to remove
undesired particles and gases from the exhaust
discharged from said exhaust plpe.
As people become more environment-consclous, the
elimlnation of harmful duSt and gases from the exhausts
of factories ancl machlnes becomes lncLeaslngly
important in orcler to control air pollution ln many
developecl countries. Generally, the major source of alr
pollutlon is the industrial exhaust discharged from the
chimney stacks of factories. The discharged exhaust
usually contains a large amount oE dUst and gases
capable of destroying the natural atmospheric balance
and damaging human health. In order to render such
exhaust free from any pollutants, a kind of alr-
cleaning apparatus has been developed, the constructlon
of which is shown in Flg. 1. The prior art apparatus
primarily comprises a tank 11 for removing dust and a
tank 12 for removing the harmful gases. The OperatlOn
of this apparatus is carried out as follows: the stack
exhaust enters into the tank 11 through an lnlet plpe
13 and is sprayed by a water spraylng aevice 14
installed therein whereby the duSt lS removed by the
absorption of the falling water droplets; the remalning
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exhaust then enters into the tank 12 through a channel
15 and is sprayed by a mixture spraying device 16
installed therein, the sprayed mixture being directed
to a chemical composite existing in the exhaust, e.g.,
the limewater (calcium carbonate), whlch is capable of
reactlng with and eliminating a harmful gaseous sulfide
present in the exhaust, whlle the byproduct, e.g., CaSO~
can be recovered as a raw material for use in the
production of plaster of Paris. the cleaned exhaust lS
then discharged through an outlet pipe 17 into the
atmosphere.
However, in view oE the fact that the downward
spréading droplets of water and the chemical mixture
cannot contact all of the stack exhaust, it is
difficult to entirely remove the dust and the harmful
-I- gases from said exhaust by the means of this apparatus.
Moreover, during the cleaning and/or the maintenance of
the apparatus of this invention, the operation thereof
must be interrupted.
Accordingly, it is a feature of the present
invention to provlde an air-cleaning apparatus whlch
can effectively remove all of the pollutants exlstlng
in the factory or machine exhaust.
Another feature of the present lnventlon is to
provide an air-cleaning apparatus whlch can operate
continuously whlle performlng cleaning or maintenance
procedures thereon.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accorcling to the present 1nvention, there lS
provided an air-cleaning apparatus for installation 1n
an exhaust pipe to effectively remove the dust and the
harmful gases contained in the exhaust discharged
therefrom so as to prevent air pollution.
The present apparatus substantially compr1ses a
frame support which includes a first lateral wall
having an inlet adapted for receiving the exhaust and a
l second lateral wa:Ll havlng an outlet for expe.L.Ling the
cleanea exhaust; at least one flltering member
removabLy inserted between the first and second lateral
walls, which has a plurality of suitably dimensioned
perforations formed therein, means for supplying a
selected cleaning liquid and allowing said cleanlng
fluid to flow against the filtering member and spread
over the perforations thereof, whereby a llquid film is
effectively formed thereon after the cleaninc3 liquid
flows over saicd fllterlng member; and means for
collecting said cleaning liquic3 flowlng over said
filtering member.
Preferably, the fllterlng member comprises a
hollow filter frame ancl a fllter membrane with suitably
dimensioned perforatlons formed thereln. lore
preferably, the filter membrane is composecd of a
plurality of membrane layers.
Preferably, the supplying means comprises at
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least one first supplying member for feedlny water to
the filtering member. More preferably, the supplying
means comprises at least one second supplying member
for feeding a selectee chemical solution to the
filtering member, sald chemical solution belny capable
of reacting with a harmful gas existing in the exhaust
so as to elimlnate the risk of environmental pollution
resulting therefrom.
Moreover, the exhaust pipe, according to the actual
needs thereof, can be provided with- a plurality of
apparatuses of the present lnventlon, each of which is
directed to an individual po:Llutant present in the
exhaust, so as to maximlze the cleanilly efEicacy
thereof.
].5 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Features and advantages oE the present invention
will become apparent from the following detailed
description with reference to the accompanylng
drawings, in which :
Fig.l is a schematic view illustrating the
cleaning process of a prior air-cleaning apparatus;
o Fig.2 is a schematic view showing the
construction of a preferrer embodlment in accordance
with the present inventlon;
Fig.3 is a schematic top vlew of the preferred
embodiment shown in Fig.2;
Fig.4 is a schematic vlew showlny an alr-cleaning
an
system having two unlts of the embodiments shown ln
Fig. 2 connected to an exhaust pipe;
Fig.4A shows a liquid tension fllm formed on a
portion of the perforatlons provicled in the filtering
member of the preferred embodiment shown in Fig. 2;
Flg.5 is a schematic side view showing a second
embodiment in accordance with the present lnvention;
and
Fig.6 lS a schematic front view of the second
embodiment shown in Fig. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, a preEerrecl air-
cleaning apparatus of the present invention is shown,
which substantially comprises a frame support 20, a
plurality of filtering members 30, liquld supplylng
means 40 and liquid collecting means 50.
The frame support 20 is substantially ln the form
of a rectangular hollow body, comprlsing a flrst
lateral wall having an inlet adapted for receiving the
exhaust and a second lateral wall opposite to the first
lateral wall for expelling the cleanecl exhaust. The
rectangular hollow body further comprises two opposlte
lateral walls located parallel to the direction of the
flow of the exhaust, each of whlch have a plurality of
longitudinal ribs 21 disposed in the inner surface
thereof. The filterlng member 30 is removably insertecl
between the opposite grooves 22 deflned by the
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corresponding, opposlte longltud1nal ribs 21 and
oriented in a direction transverse to the flow of the
exhaust. The frame support further comprises a
plurality of top caps 23 for cover1ng the tops of the
filtering members 30 interposed therein.
The filterlng member 30 comprises a rectangular
hollow filter frame 31 adapted to be interpose between
the opposlte grooves 22 and a filter membrane 33 with
suitably dimensioned perforations formed thereon. The
filter frame 31 is provided wlth recesses 32 and frame
rods 34 so as to secure the filter membrane 33 thereon.
Preferably, the filter membrane 33 is composea oE a
plurality of membrane layers.
The liquid supplying means 40 is dlsposed on top
of the frame support 20 and alternately arranged with
the filtering member 30, comprising a supply tube 41
having a row of spraying orifices 42 facing said
filtering member 30.
The liquid collecting means 50 is clisposed at the
bottom of the frame support 20, comprlslng a collectlng
tray 51 to collect the cleaning solution which lS
sprayed by the liquid supplying means 40 and flows over
the filter membrane 33. In addltion, the bottoms of the
frame support 20 and the filter1ng member 30 are
immersed in the liquid retained 1n the collectlng tray
51 .
In operating the embodiment of Fig. 2, the llquid
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supplylng means 40 forces a stream of a selected
cleaning solutlon through the spraying oriflces 42 and
against the filtering member 30, sald cleanlng solution
then spreading over the perforations 331 of the filter
membrane 33. A filtering liquid film 332, attr1butable
to the liquid tension, is then effectively formed on
the filter membrane 33, as shown in Fig. 4A. The fluid
film will block and absorb dust and/or the harmful
. _ _ ... .. . _ _ _ , _.. . . . , . _.., " . . .
gases existing in the exhaust passlng therethrough ancl
the falling droplets carrying the absorbed pollutants
wlll be coLlected in the colLectlng tray 51. q`h~
advance ox the exhaust flow can be efflciently enhanced
by installing an air compressor in the air-cleaning
system of this invention. Finally, the cleaned exhaust
can be discharged into the atmosphereO
The cleaning solution to be spread over the
filter membrane can merely comprise water for adsorbing
dust, or a chemical solutlon capable of reacting with a
harmful gas contained in the discharged exhaust so as
to eliminate the risk of air pollution resulting
therefrom. For example; the cleaning solutlon can be
comprised of limewater which is capable of removing a
harmful gaseous sulfide such as S02. The resultant CaS0
collected in the collecting tray 51 can be recovered as
a raw material for use in the production of plaster of
Paris.
In Fig-. 4, which shows an air cleaning system
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having two units of the preferred embodiment of F1g. 2
connected to an an exhaust pipe, it is revealed that
the first unit can be adapted for removing aust only.
In this adaptation of the invention, the cleanlng
solution to be spread over the filter membrane 33 1S
water. The second unit can be adapted for removing a
harmful gas such as S02 and the cleaning solution to be
spread can be a corresponding chemical solution such as
limewater. The system described above 1S merely a
slmple example i11ustrating that the air-cleanlng
system, according to the actual needs of the user, may
comprise at least two unlts of the embodiment of Fig.
2, each of which is directed to an lndividual pollutant
to be removed from the factory or machine exhaust.
The f1lter membrane 33 can be cleaned merely by
means of the continuous flowing of the cleaning
solution thereover. Regarding the overall cleaning of
the system of this invention, the individual filterlng
members 30 can be separately removed from the frame
support 20 for washing by opening the top cap 23 and
washed. Since each of the filtering members 30 of the
system of this invention lS independent, the normal
operation of the apparatus thereof need not be
interrupted during the cleaning, or the maintenance,
thereof. Alternatively, the present apparatus can be
coupled w1th an ag1tating device so tha. the cleaning
of the filtering member 30 may be achieved by
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agita-tion.
The number of the flltering members 30 and the
layers of the filter membLane 33 are variable,
depending upon the actual needs of the user. Moreover,
the surface area of the flltering membrane 33 is
extendable. A second embodiment of the present
invention is shown in Figs. 5 and 6, which comprises at
least one frame support 60, a plurality of filter
membranes 70 including a plurality of membrane layers
71, a l}quld supplying means 80 comprlsing a s~lpply
tube 81 having numerous spraying orifices 82 facing the
membrane layers 71, and a liquid collecting means 90.
With this invention thus explained, it is apparent
that numerous modifications and variations can be made
without departing from the scope and spirit of this
invention. I-t is therefore intended that this
invention be limited only as indlcated in the appended
claims.
