Turbulence-free laboratory safety enclosure
AssigneeFlow Sciences, Inc.
InventorsRaymond F. Ryan, Alexy Y. Kolesnikov
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to controlled airflow and air distribution within a laboratory safety enclosure and in particular, to turbulence-free airflow within a laboratory fume hood. The fume hood of the present invention has a work chamber and an access opening having an upper edge. A horizontal air deflector structure is positioned adjacent to the upper edge of the access opening to divert a portion of air entering the access opening upwardly within the chamber, whereby the diverted air eliminates an airflow eddy current.
Claims20
A turbulence-free ventilated workstation comprising:
- a) a work chamber having an access opening into the work chamber, the access opening having an upper edge;
- b) a horizontal air deflector plate adjacent the upper edge of the access opening to divert a portion of air entering the access opening upwardly within the chamber, whereby said diverted air eliminates an airflow eddy current.
A turbulence-free ventilated workstation comprising:
- a) a work chamber having an access opening into the work chamber, the access opening having an upper edge;
- b) a plurality of vertically spaced airfoils including an upper airfoil and a lower airfoil, said airfoils being positioned along and spaced below the upper edge of the access opening to divert a portion of the air entering the access opening upwardly within the chamber, whereby said diverted air eliminates an airflow eddy current.
A method of designing a turbulence-free laboratory safety enclosure comprising the steps of:
- a) defining a computational model that numerically represents the structure of a laboratory safety enclosure including a computational model that numerically represents the structure of an air deflector used to reduce turbulent air flow within the laboratory safety enclosure, said computational models being inputs into computational resources usable to solve a set of computational fluid dynamics equations;
- b) solving said set of computational fluid dynamics equations to determine an approximation of fluid dynamics within the laboratory safety enclosure;
- c) displaying a representation of said approximation of fluid dynamics within the laboratory safety enclosure;
- and
- d) adjusting said computational model that numerically represents the structure of the air deflector to further reduce turbulence represented by the display of said fluid dynamics approximation.
A method of designing a turbulence-free laboratory safety enclosure comprising the steps of:
- a) defining a computational model that numerically represents the structure of a laboratory safety enclosure including a computational model that numerically represents the structure of an air deflector used to reduce turbulent air flow within the laboratory safety enclosure, said computational models being inputs into computational resources usable to solve a set of computational fluid dynamics equations;
- b) solving said set of computational fluid dynamics equations to determine an approximation of fluid dynamics within the laboratory safety enclosure;
- c) displaying a representation of said approximation of fluid dynamics within the laboratory safety enclosure;
- d) adjusting said computational model that numerically represents the structure of the air deflector to further reduce turbulence represented by the display of said fluid dynamics approximation;
- and
- e) repeating steps b) through d) until a desired reduction in turbulence is displayed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.