US 6,632,260 B1 · Adjustable clean-air flow environment

Abstract

Enclosures having adjustable clean gas flow environments and methods of enclosed pressure differential distribution technology. Specifically, clean gas flow enclosures, which provide for the isolation of materials from airborne micro-particulate contamination. An embodiment of the invention utilizes a small footprint, modular, selectable, clean-gas flow environment for handling and isolating materials. The environment can be a clean room class environment by providing filtered gas from a gas flow generator (12) through a gas filter (13) to a filtered gas flow space (20). An embodiment of the invention provides a first plenum (23) and a second plenum (26) so that both a horizontal filtered gas flow and vertical filtered gas flow may be used separately or in combination within the same filtered gas flow space (20).

Claims51

Dependent claims

A pressure differential distribution enclosure, comprising:

a. a panel assembly of substantially polygonal geometry having at least a top panel, a front panel, a rear panel, and a pair of side panels which define an interior volume from an exterior volume;
b. a filtered -as delivery assembly comprising:
i. a gas flow generator, wherein said gas flow generator establishes a gas flow from said exterior volume to said interior volume;
ii. a gas filter responsive to said gas flow from said exterior volume to said interior volume;
c. a first plenum fluidicly coupled to said filtered gas delivery assembly, wherein said first plenum has a first perforated plenum panel adjoined to a first plenum space and a vertical flow path within said interior volume;
d. a second plenum fluidicly coupled to said first plenum, wherein said second plenum has a second perforated plenum panel adjoined to a second plenum space and a horizontal flow path within said interior volume;
e. a closure between said first plenum space and said second plenum space;
and
f. at least one access element coupled to said panel assembly.

6 more elements

A method of distributing a pressure differential within an enclosure comprising the steps of:

a. generating a gas flow from an exterior volume to an interior volume defined by a panel assembly of substantially polygonal geometry having at least a top panel, a rear panel, a front panel and a pair of side panels;
c. filtering said gas flow;
d. distributing a filtered gas flow to a first plenum having a first perforated plenum panel, wherein said first perforated plenum panel adjoins a first plenum space and a vertical flow path within said interior volume;
e. delivering said filtered gas flow from said first plenum space to said vertical flow path within said interior volume;
f. distributing said filtered gas flow to a second plenum having a second perforated plenum panel, wherein said second plenum and said first plenum are fluidicly coupled, and wherein said second perforated plenum panel adjoins a second plenum space and a horizontal flow path within said interior volume;
g. delivering said filtered gas flow from said second plenum space to a horizontal flow path within said interior volume;
and
h. establishing a filtered gas flow to at least one access element having an open area fluidicly coupled to said exterior volume.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Adjustable clean-air flow environment

Life of this patent

Adjustable clean-air flow environment

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims51