DRYER, PARTICULARLY FOR DRYING CLEAN-ROOM GARMENTS AND ACCESSORIES

Abstract

A dryer, particularly for drying clean-room garments and accessories, includes a dryer body, a drying chamber, and a system for circulating air between an air intake and the drying chamber. The system includes an air aspiration device giving a direction of air flow from the air intake towards the drying chamber, a device for heating the aspirated air placed upstream of said drying chamber, and an absolute filter provided upstream of the drying chamber. The dryer further includes, upstream of the absolute filter, a connector arranged so as to be connected to a device for supplying air charged with a predetermined quantity of droplets of an aerosol, and in that it has an access to a space located downstream of the absolute filter and upstream of the drying chamber, the access to a space being arranged so as to be able to receive a measuring device.

Claims

1. Dryer, particularly for drying clean-room garments and accessories, comprising: a dryer body; a drying chamber; a system for circulating air between an air intake and said drying chamber, said system comprising: an air aspiration device giving a direction of air flow from the air intake towards said drying chamber; a device for heating the aspirated air placed upstream of said drying chamber; and an absolute filter provided upstream of said drying chamber, said dryer being characterized in that it further comprises, upstream of said absolute filter, a connector arranged so as to be connected to a device for supplying air charged with a predetermined quantity of droplets of an aerosol, and in that it has an access to a space located downstream of said absolute filter and upstream of said drying chamber, said access to a space being arranged so as to be able to receive a measuring device.

2. Dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that said space located downstream of said absolute filter extends beneath the whole of said absolute filter.

3. Dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that said access to a space located downstream of said absolute filter is located behind a first hatch.

4. Dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that said connector upstream of said absolute filter is located behind a second hatch.

5. Dryer according to claim 3, characterized in that said first hatch comprises at least one sealing means for sealingly closing said hatch.

6. Dryer according to claim 4, characterized in that said second hatch comprises at least one sealing for sealingly closing said hatch.

7. Dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that said absolute filter is an absolute filter with high or very high integrity, for example an EPA, HEPA or ULPA filter.

8. Dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a device for supplying air charged with a predetermined quantity of droplets of an aerosol, said device being connected to said connector.

9. Use of dryer according to claim 1 to measure the integrity of said absolute filter.

Description

[0040] Other features, details and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description that follows, given by way of non-limiting example and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0041] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a dryer for laundry and/or accessories according to the invention.

[0042] FIG. 2 is a side view of a dryer for laundry and/or accessories according to the invention.

[0043] In the drawings, elements that are identical or similar have the same references.

[0044] FIG. 1 shows a dryer 1 according to the invention. This dryer 1 has a dryer body 2, a rotary drum corresponding to a drying chamber 3 and is arranged to be driven by a motor, an air circulation system 7 comprising a device 4 (not shown) for the aspiration of external air from a surrounding environment through an air intake 8, a heating device 5 (not shown) arranged to heat the aspirated external air before it reaches the drying chamber 3 and an absolute filter 6 having an upper face and a lower face. As illustrated, the drying chamber 3 is provided with air intake openings 9 so that the aspirated and heated air can reach said drying chamber 3. In addition, according to the invention, the dryer 1 comprises, on the outer wall, a first hatch 10 for access to a space 11 located beneath the lower face of the absolute filter 6 and, at the rear of the dryer 1, a second hatch 12 (not shown) for access to a connector 13 (not shown) located above the upper face of said absolute filter 6, this connector 13 being arranged to be coupled to a device 14 (not shown) for supplying air charged with a predetermined quantity of droplets 15 of an aerosol 16, for example droplets of DOP or DEHS.

[0045] FIG. 2 is a side view of a dryer 1 according to the invention. As illustrated, during the performance of a DOP-type test, the second hatch 12 (located at the rear of the dryer) for access to a connector 13 is open to allow a device 14 for supplying air charged with a predetermined quantity of droplets 15 of an aerosol 16 to be connected towards the upper face of the absolute filter 6 so that this air charged with a predetermined quantity of droplets 15 of an aerosol 16 (DOP) passes through the absolute filter 6. For example, the aerosol 16 is injected with the aid of an injection device 17 into the flow of supplied air so that the supplied air is charged with droplets 15 of the aerosol 16.

[0046] During the performance of this same DOP test, the first hatch 10 for access to a space 11 located beneath the lower face of the absolute filter 6 is also open to allow a probe 19 of a measuring device 18 (for example a photometer) to be slid into the space 11 located beneath the lower face of the absolute filter 6. In this way, by moving the probe 19 beneath the entire surface of the absolute filter 6, the quantity of droplets 15 of the aerosol 16 that has been able to pass through the absolute filter 6 can easily be measured. This allows the presence of any cracks and/or leaks in the filter to be detected, a presence which is manifested by a detection and a measurement of a quantity of droplets higher than a predetermined threshold that has reached the space 11 beneath the absolute filter 6. This also makes it possible to determine, when the probe 19 scans the edges of the absolute filter 6, whether said filter is positioned correctly in the body 2 of the dryer, i.e. whether said filter is placed in a sealed manner in order not to allow contaminant particles to pass through. A pre-filter 20 is optionally provided at the air intake 8.

[0047] Of course, the present invention is not in any way restricted to the embodiments described above and that several modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the accompanying claims.