METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DISINFECTING AND CLEANING ENCLOSED SPACES IN PARTICULAR, SUCH AS A PASSENGER COMPARTMENT ON A MEANS OF TRANSPORT

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for disinfecting and cleaning to prevent contamination of a passenger vehicle, characterized in that it includes the following operations: —installing at least one filter and condenser in the ventilation circuit; creating a swirling vortex of a disinfectant liquid by a gas referred to as a driving gas; spraying the swirling mixture created onto the clothing and luggage of passengers before they enter the passenger compartment; and spraying the mixture created onto the solid surfaces and/or into the air of the passenger compartment to be disinfected. Also disclosed is a device for implementing the method.

Claims

1. Method for disinfecting and purifying to prevent contamination of a transport vehicle having a passenger reception area equipped with a ventilation circuit, contamination by aerosols, microdroplets, bacteria or viruses, the method comprising: Installation in the ventilation circuit of the reception area of at least one capacitor filter with porous armatures and dielectric, impregnated or not with bactericidal or virucidal substances that cannot be released into the ventilation air circuit of the reception area, which capacitor filter is connected to the positive and negative poles of an electricity generator; Creation of a swirling vortex of aerosols and microdroplets of a disinfectant liquid or aerosols or microdroplets of a disinfectant liquid by means of a gas herein called driving gas: Bringing the aerosols or microdroplets of disinfectant liquid into contact with the aerosols and microdroplets likely to contain bacteria and viruses by spraying the swirling vortex mixture created on the clothing and luggage of the passengers before they enter the reception area, Bringing the aerosols or microdroplets of disinfectant liquid into contact with the aerosols and microdroplets likely to contain bacteria and viruses by spraying the created mixture on the solid surfaces and/or in the air of the reception area to be disinfected.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the aerosols and/or microdroplets of disinfectant liquid are created by annular suction of the disinfectant liquid by the flowing driving gas.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the driving gas is selected from the following list: pressurized air or pressurized nitrogen or pressurized oxygen or pressurized CO2, or a mixture of air and CO2 under pressure, or a mixture of oxygen and CO2 under pressure, or a mixture of nitrogen and CO2 under pressure.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pressure of the driving gas is set to be between 1 and 300 bars.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the disinfectant liquid is composed of at least one of the elements from the following list: hydrogen peroxide or peracetic acid, a chlorine dioxide-based compound, a quaternary ammoniums-based compound, an alcoholic compound, potassium monopersulfate or potassium persulfate or persulfate, a mixture of several disinfectants.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising heating the mixture to be sprayed.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the disinfectant liquid is subjected to bubbling by a part of the driving gas and the bubbled mixture is then sucked up by the annular flow of the driving gas.

8. The method according to claim 1, in which the means of transport is an aircraft comprising an engine and a compressor, of the method further comprising spraying the created mixture on the engine of the aircraft as well as on the aircraft's compressor for washing purposes.

9. A device for carrying out the method according to claim 1, wherein the capacitor filter (200) with porous armatures and dielectric is connected to the positive and negative poles of an electricity generator and comprises an inlet for the gaseous fluid (F3) to be filtered and an outlet for the filtered gaseous fluid (F4), said gaseous fluid to be filtered passing through a succession of layers of different porous materials according to the following scheme: At least one layer of non-conductive material (220) sandwiched between two layers of conductive material (210, 230) supplied with electricity.

10. The device according to claim 9, further comprising a nozzle (100) creating the swirling vortex in the nozzle's hollow core part, said nozzle comprising two ends, with at a first end, an inlet orifice for the so-called driving gas, and at the second end, the outlet in the form of a swirling vortex of the mixture, said nozzle comprising an orifice that communicates with a volume of disinfectant liquid, which orifice emerges into the hollow core part by means of a channel arranged coaxially with the axis of the flow of driving gas and at the center thereof, so that the driving gas creates an annular flow around the central flow of the disinfectant liquid so that the disinfectant liquid is sucked up by the displacement of said driving gas in the hollow core part and that the mixture is swirled and turbulent.

11. The device according to claim 9, wherein the conductive porous material layer (210, 230) comprises at least one of the materials from the following list: titanium, titanium alloy, stainless steel, nickel, nickel alloy, silver, gold, graphite, carbon, carbon fiber, hastelloy, platinum, graphene.

12. The device according to claim 9, wherein the non-conductive porous material layer (220) comprises at least one of the materials from the following list: Polyethylene, Polypropylene, PTFE, Polyamides, Polyether sulfone.

13. The device according to claim 9, wherein the capacitor filter contains activated carbon and/or a catalyst for neutralizing atmospheric ozone.

14. The device according to claim 9, wherein the capacitor filter is connected in parallel with another condenser.

15. The device according to claim 9, wherein the capacitor filter is connected in series with another condenser.

16. The method according to claim 2, wherein the driving gas is selected from the following list: pressurized air or pressurized nitrogen or pressurized oxygen or pressurized CO2, or a mixture of air and CO2 under pressure, or a mixture of oxygen and CO2 under pressure, or a mixture of nitrogen and CO2 under pressure.

17. The method according to claim 2, wherein the pressure of the driving gas is set to be between 1 and 300 bars.

18. The method according to claim 3, wherein the pressure of the driving gas is set to be between 1 and 300 bars.

19. The method according to claim 2, wherein the disinfectant liquid is composed of at least one of the elements from the following list: hydrogen peroxide or peracetic acid, a chlorine dioxide-based compound, a quaternary ammoniums-based compound, an alcoholic compound, potassium monopersulfate or potassium persulfate or persulfate, a mixture of several disinfectants.

20. The method according to claim 3, wherein the disinfectant liquid is composed of at least one of the elements from the following list: hydrogen peroxide or peracetic acid, a chlorine dioxide-based compound, a quaternary ammoniums-based compound, an alcoholic compound, potassium monopersulfate or potassium persulfate or persulfate, a mixture of several disinfectants.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0094] FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of an aircraft showing the various possibilities of contamination;

[0095] FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing of an embodiment in accordance with the invention of a device for creating a swirling vortex;

[0096] FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing of a sectional view of one embodiment of a nozzle;

[0097] FIG. 4, FIG. 5, FIG. 6, FIG. 7, FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are schematic drawings of embodiments in accordance with the invention of a capacitor filter.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0098] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the airframe of the aircraft, here an airplane denoted A as a whole, can be contaminated in different ways.

[0099] Thus, in addition to the contamination likely to originate from the passengers P, crew members or technical staff, the atmosphere in which the airplane A is operating, but also the technical sub-assemblies through which the air intended for the reception area V accommodating the passengers P it is likely to pass, can also be the source of contamination.

[0100] As explained above, [0101] the aerosols, particles and microparticles resulting from the leakage of liquid lubricants from the engines M of airplane A, [0102] aerosols, particles and microparticles containing bacteria and/or viruses (e.g. COVID 19) resulting from pollution,

[0103] cause the flow F of air circulating in the area to be susceptible to be contaminated.

[0104] To avoid this, the applicants propose a global method making it possible to filter the air before it enters the reception area by means of a capacitor filter and to disinfect the various surfaces with which the air is likely to come into contact by spraying a vortex containing particles of disinfectant.

[0105] As illustrated by FIG. 2, the functional sub-assembly 100 for creating said vortex includes a nozzle 100 and a tank 101 of liquid disinfectant disposed in a housing 102, the nozzle 100 being attached to the outer surface of the housing 102. By the action of a driving gas, the nozzle 100 creates a vortex which sucks up the disinfectant and creates a swirling and turbulent mixture containing the particles of disinfectant.

[0106] To this end, as illustrated by FIG. 3, the nozzle 100 comprises two ends, with at a first end 110, an inlet orifice for the so-called driving gas F1, and at the second end 120, an outlet orifice of a swirling vortex of a mixture combining driving gas and particles of a disinfectant.

[0107] The nozzle is preformed with a hollow core part 130 having, starting from the inlet of the driving gas F1, a succession of volumes having various functions.

[0108] Thus, the driving gas F1 emerges into a first chamber 140 with which two ducts communicate: [0109] A first transverse duct 141 communicating with an external orifice making it possible to install a pressure control monometer in the first chamber 140; [0110] A second transverse duct 142 communicating with another external orifice allowing the entry of another driving gas or the exit of a part of the driving gas F1 for the bubbling of the disinfectant liquid.

[0111] This first chamber 143 emerges into a second chamber 150 by means of longitudinal ducts 143 arranged around the axis of the nozzle 100.

[0112] The same part of the nozzle 100 accommodating the chamber 140 is preformed with a transverse duct 144 communicating with an external orifice allowing the entry of disinfectant liquid stored in the tank 101 (see FIG. 2).

[0113] The hollow core part 130 is furthermore preformed with an axial duct 145 arranged in such a way that the longitudinal ducts are arranged around it and with which said transverse duct 144 communicates. This axial duct 145 is extended by a tube 151 passing through the second chamber 150. Thus, the disinfectant liquid does not emerge into the second chamber 150.

[0114] This second chamber 150 emerges into an axial bore 152 with a diameter greater than the external diameter of the tube 151 in such a way as to create a clearance allowing an annular flow of the driving gas from the chamber 150 around the tube 151. This tube 151 emerges into said bore so that its outlet orifice is subjected to said annular flow which therefore creates a depression causing a suction to which the disinfectant liquid is subjected. The vortex thus creates mixing in the bore 152 between the driving gas and the disinfectant liquid downstream of the outlet orifice of the tube 151 and just before the outlet orifice of the second end 120. The outlet flow F2 is driven by said vortex and is therefore swirling and turbulent.

[0115] As illustrated, the tube 151 is screwed into the preformed body of the duct 145 and coaxially with the latter so that its position can be adjusted. Indeed, the outlet end 153 of said tube 151 is equipped with a peripheral flange creating a constriction for the annular flow of driving gas, the position of which constriction can be adjusted thanks to the helical connection.

[0116] According to a non-limiting embodiment, this flange is preformed with blades directing the flow of driving gas so as to create a swirl.

[0117] Several filter embodiments are possible for implementing filtration by a capacitor filter according to the invention, but they all adopt a basic configuration described below.

[0118] The filter comprises an inlet for the gaseous fluid to be filtered and an outlet for the filtered gaseous fluid,

[0119] said gaseous fluid to be filtered passing through a succession of layers of different porous materials according to the following scheme: [0120] At least one layer of non-conductive material sandwiched between two layers of conductive material.

[0121] The conductive porous material is from the following list: [0122] titanium, titanium alloy, stainless steel, nickel, nickel alloy, silver, gold, graphite, carbon, carbon fiber, hastelloy, platinum, graphene.

[0123] The non-conductive porous material is from the following list:

[0124] Polyethylene, Polypropylene, PTFE, Polyamide, Polyether sulfone, HEPA filter.

[0125] Among these, the filter 200 illustrated in FIG. 4 comprises three associated layers 210, 220, 230 and a dissociated fourth layer 240. The three associated layers are arranged to sandwich a non-conductive porous material layer 220 by the layers of conductive porous material 210 and 230. The layer 240 is a conductive porous material layer.

[0126] A DC voltage generator 250 provides power to the conductive layers. The positive pole 251 is connected to the layers 210 and 230 of the associated layers and the negative pole 252 is connected to the dissociated layer 240.

[0127] A capacitor 260 is also connected to the conductive layers, one electrode being connected to layers 210 and 230 of the associated layers and the other electrode being connected to the dissociated layer.

[0128] The potentially contaminated air flow F3 passes through these layers and a filtered air flow F4 exits therefrom.

[0129] The filter 300 illustrated in FIG. 5 comprises three associated layers 310, 320, 330 and a dissociated fourth layer 340. The three associated layers are arranged to sandwich a non-conductive porous material layer 320 by the layers of conductive porous material 310 and 330. The layer 340 is a conductive porous material layer.

[0130] A DC voltage generator 350 provides power to the conductive layers. The positive pole 351 is connected to the layers 310 and 330 of the associated layers and the negative pole 352 is connected to the dissociated layer 340.

[0131] A capacitor 360 is also connected to the conductive layers, one electrode being connected to layers 310 and 330 of the associated layers and the other electrode being connected to the dissociated layer 340.

[0132] Another capacitor 370 is interposed between the negative pole 352 and the dissociated layer 340.

[0133] The filter 400 illustrated by FIG. 6 includes four associated layers 410, 420, 430 and 440. Layers 410 and 440 are made of conductive porous material. Layer 420 is made of non-conductive porous material. Layer 430 is made of porous material and is made of at least one of the materials in the following list: [0134] activated carbon, [0135] activated carbon fiber, [0136] graphene.

[0137] The four associated layers are arranged so as to sandwich the non-conductive porous material layer 420 and the layer 430 by the layers of conductive porous material 410 and 440. The fluid to be filtered first passes through the non-conductive porous material 420 then through the layer 430.

[0138] A DC voltage generator 450 provides power to the conductive layers 410 and 440. The positive pole 451 is connected to the layer 410 and the negative pole 452 is connected to the layer 440.

[0139] A capacitor 460 is also connected to the conductive layers, one electrode being connected to layer 410 and the other electrode being connected to layer 440.

[0140] Another capacitor 470 is interposed between the negative pole 452 and the layer 440.

[0141] The filter 500 illustrated by FIG. 7 includes four associated layers 510, 520, 530 and 540. The layers 510 and 540 are made of conductive porous material. Layer 520 is made of non-conductive porous material. Layer 530 is made of porous material and is made of at least one of the materials in the following list: [0142] activated carbon, [0143] activated carbon fiber, [0144] graphene.

[0145] The four associated layers are arranged so as to sandwich the non-conductive porous material layer 520 and the layer 530 by the layers of conductive porous material 510 and 540. The fluid to be filtered first passes through the non-conductive porous material then through the layer 530.

[0146] A DC voltage generator 550 provides power to the conductive layers 510 and 540. The positive pole 551 is connected to the layer 510 and the negative pole 552 is connected to the layer 540.

[0147] A capacitor 560 is also connected to the conductive layers, one electrode being connected to the layer 510 and the other electrode being connected to the layer 540.

[0148] The filter 600 illustrated by FIG. 8 comprises three associated layers 610, 620, 630. The three associated layers are arranged so as to sandwich a non-conductive porous material layer 620 of great thickness by the layers of conductive porous material 610 and 630.

[0149] A DC voltage generator 650 provides power to the conductive layers. The positive pole 651 is connected to the layer 610 and the negative pole 652 is connected to the layer 630.

[0150] A capacitor 660 is also connected to the conductive layers, one electrode being connected to layer 610 and the other electrode being connected to dissociated layer 630.

[0151] The filter 700 illustrated by FIG. 9 comprises three associated layers 710, 720, 730. The three associated layers are arranged so as to sandwich a non-conductive porous material layer 720 of great thickness by the layers of conductive porous material 710 and 730.

[0152] A DC voltage generator 750 provides power to the conductive layers. The positive pole 751 is connected to the layer 710 and the negative pole 752 is connected to the layer 730.

[0153] A capacitor 760 is also connected to the conductive layers, one electrode being connected to the layer 710 and the other electrode being connected to the dissociated layer 730.

[0154] Another capacitor 770 is interposed between the negative pole 752 and the layer 730.

[0155] It is understood that the devices which have been described hereinabove and depicted have been described for the purpose of disclosure rather than limitation. Of course, various arrangements, modifications and improvements may be made to the above examples, without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0156] Thus, for example, it is understood that the features described above for an application to an aircraft are likely to apply to any passenger transport vehicle.