Cleanroom structure

A portable, industrial, cleanroom having side walls, a floor and a ceiling defining a room enclosure and further including a closed, superior plenum for delivering air flow through the ceiling into the enclosure and being useful as a clean room wherein dust content and other foreign matter greater than 0.5 micrometer in size may be maintained at or below a concentration level of approximately 100 particles per one cubic foot, said room enclosure comprising:

• a plurality of elongated support members joined together to form an overhead support grid for attachment of enclosing structure for the cleanroom therebelow, said support grid including at least one span cord rigidly joined to all other support members to distribute load throughout the support grid;
• means for supporting the support grid in horizontal, fixed position at a desired location above floor level;
• a plurality of panel support studs coupled to the support grid to form a top cover and side wall plenum attachment matrix wherein panel support studs are positioned at equidistant locations along common lateral directions for receiving removable panels which enclose a plenum volume which extends substantially across the ceiling and below the support grid;
• said support grid being further adapted with means for attachment of an air circulating fan, said plenum attachment matrix including an air intake opening communicating into the plenum volume to permit air to be directed from the fan into the plenum;
• a plurality of plenum cover panels of generally equivalent dimensions removably attached to the matrix to fully enclose the top and sides of the plenum volume, except for the air intake;
• a plurality of ceiling support members cross attached and configured to support a HEPA filter suspended ceiling and being coupled to the support grid or plenum matrix to position the suspended ceiling at a desired ceiling height;
• ceiling filter insert members attached to the ceiling support members and including means for sealing the perifery of each insert member to prevent air passage from the plenum into the room enclosure except by way of the HEPA filter system, the ceiling perimeter and plenum matrix with attached panels collectively defining the plenum volume and being respectively sealed to prevent entry of contaminated air;
• a plurality of fabricated wall studs, each stud including a panel attachment face having a column of equally spaced, slotted openings in exact alignment for defining a vertical alignment reference;
• each stud being attached at a top end to the ceiling support members or directly to the support grid and having its vertical alignment reference positioned at an equal separation distance with respect to adjacent studs, with the exception of corner junctions and window/door inserts, and in parallel vertical orientation with vertical alignment references of all other wall studs;
• a plurality of panel clips inserted into a plurality of the slotted openings of each wall stud, each clip having means for retaining the inserted position and further including a vertical insert channel formed between opposing clip walls which are biased by spring tension into opposing contact or near contact, said channels being aligned with the alignment reference for the attached stud and projecting outward perpendicular to the face to which the clip is mounted to provide a clip attachment location for flanged portions of wall panels;
• a plurality of wall panels having width dimensions except for panels used at corner junctions and window, door and equipment openings, equal to the separation distance between adjacent alignment references of support studs, said panels comprising a panel face with a periferal lip formed around the perifery of the panel and at approximately ninety degrees with respect to the face;
• said panel lip being inserted into clip channels having common alignment with panel lip structure for removable attachment as part of the wall structure;
• means for sealing the perifery of each of the wall panels against air flow to thereby prevent access for foreign matter through wall structure;
• a floor surface associated with the cleanroom structure;
• and
• means for entering and leaving the room enclosure without compromising the cleanroom condition.