FR2732617A1 - Filter unit for industrial, medical, and domestic purposes - Google Patents

Abstract

The system to block or reduce emissions of toxic matter or organisms, from a filter layer or material, has a unit (4) which can be altered when the filter has reached a given saturation level. When the unit (4) has been displaced or distorted by a control, emissions are blocked.

Description

PROTECTION DEVICE FOR FILTER
The subject of the present invention is a device for preventing or reducing the emission of products, toxic materials, organisms, etc., out of a filter layer or a filter material, preferably preconditioned so as to be used in a industrial, medical or household filtering installation. In fact, safety requirements prohibit the reuse or reconditioning of filters.

 Until now, no device is known to prevent or reduce the emission of products, toxic materials, organisms, etc. from a filtering layer when the latter has reached a significant degree of saturation or fouling, and this when the filter layer is always placed in the filtration installation.

 In particular, no device is known for sealing or isolating a filtering layer placed in the filtration installation, so that after sealing or isolation the filtering layer can be replaced without risk of product emission, outside the layer. replaced.

 Finally in advantageous embodiments, the filter layer once closed is incapable of being reused after a simple cleaning or after a simple reset operation.

 The device according to the invention comprises an element capable of being altered when the filtering layer has reached a determined degree of saturation and a system controlled by said element, so that when the element has undergone a determined displacement or alteration , the system is activated to prevent or reduce the emission of products, toxic organisms, etc. from the filter layer.

 The device is for example associated with an apparatus or means for measuring the degree of saturation or fouling of the filtering layer, apparatus or means intended to send a signal to the element for controlling the system.

 Preferably, the element is an element capable of being altered to avoid its re-use.

 Advantageously, the system comprises an elastic means maintained in compression by the element, so that when the element has undergone a determined alteration, the elastic means relaxes to release a means for preventing or reducing the emission of products, toxic materials. , organisms, etc. outside the filter layer.

 In one embodiment, the element is a fusible element capable of being altered, preferably to rupture, by the passage of a current.

 In another embodiment, the element is a tube intended to be connected by a channel to the filter layer to bring one or more molecules present in the filter layer in contact with the tube, said tube being made of a material capable of undergo an alteration depending on the molecules brought in by the channel.

 The element also serves in this case as a means of controlling the degree of saturation of the filter. A channel then extends between the tube and the filter layer to bring molecules from the filter medium to the element.

 According to a feature of an embodiment for a filter layer placed in an envelope having an inlet passage and an outlet passage, the system comprises, as a means for preventing or reducing the emission of products, toxic materials, organisms , etc out of a filter layer, two valves intended to close the inlet passage and the outlet passage preventing the passage of medium to and out of the filter layer.

 According to another embodiment, the system when activated releases a liquid substance to clog the filtering layer and / or to destroy microorganisms and / or microbes.

 According to a particular embodiment, the device comprises an envelope having an opening, a plug intended to close said opening, an elastic means intended to exert a force on the plug when the latter closes the opening, and an alterable element opposing under the force of the elastic means, said element when it has undergone a determined alteration releases the elastic means so that the latter acts on the plug to bring it into a position which does not close the opening.

 Preferably, the envelope is a sleeve, the ends of which have openings capable of being closed by cups, these cups being connected together by the element, while the elastic means extend between the cups so that, when the element is altered until it breaks the elastic means acts on the cups to separate them from one another and to bring them into a position which does not block the openings.

 Other features and details of the invention will emerge from the following detailed description in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings which represent an advantageous embodiment.

In these drawings, - Figure 1 is a perspective view of a
device - Figure 2 is a sectional view of the device
shown in Figure 1, and - Figure 3 is a view showing the operation
of the device.

 The device shown for destruction of filtering materials is composed of a hollow body A preferably cylindrical (This body may have other shapes of sections for the needs of applications).

Generally, this body is made of plastic or glass inside which is introduced a hollow elastic deformable body B in the form of a diabolo and the central part 7 of which is in the form of an accordion allowing longitudinal deformation of the central part 7 .

One of the ends of the body B carries a retaining cup 2 with a diameter slightly greater than the inside diameter of the body A. This cup 2 has a ring or counter-shape 9 with a diameter identical to the inside diameter of the body A so as to be able guarantee a perfect seal between the body A and the cup 2. The other end of the body B also carries a cup 3 with a diameter slightly larger than the inside diameter of the body A. This cup has a ring 10 of substantially equal diameter to the inside diameter of the body A. This ring 10 is pushed into the body A to ensure a perfect seal (fig 1). The fusible element 4 is provided at its two ends with two protrusions 5, 50 receiving locking nuts 6.60. These nuts 6.60 make it possible to keep the central accordion part 7 of body B in compression since the distance between the protrusions 5 and 50 corresponds to the length of the hollow body A.

When the assembly is carried out, the body B is kept under physical tension inside the body A by the fusible element 4 of its nuts 6 and 60 retained by protuberances 5 and 50. The result of such assembly is a space hermetic interior 8 making it possible to receive a substance, a liquid, or even a gas intended to be released, when the fusible element has been destroyed.

 The device is inserted in a filtration bed, for example connected to a source of electricity of an apparatus for controlling the saturation of the filtration bed.

 This device is a control and alert device for clogging or loss of efficiency. When this device effectively detects the deterioration (clogging) of the filter bed, it therefore releases a current of an appropriate intensity on the cable network connecting said control device to the device of the invention.

When the saturation phenomenon is detected by the control device, a brief electrical overvoltage passes through the fuse element 4 contained in the accordion body B inserted inside the cylindrical body A (whose volume 8 is filled with 'a substance intended, by being released, to come by chemical effect and by capillarity, effectively destroying or clogging the filter element and making it unfit for any attempt at reconditioning). The fuse element 4 subjected to a current overload eventually breaks by fusion. Said fusible element 4 destroyed, the accordion body B relaxes under the action of its bellows (elastic means) 7 made of plastic. The two cups 2 and 3 then leave the cylindrical body A (FIG. 3), and the product contained in the cavity 8 can escape and diffuse inside the filter bed. The cylindrical shape of the body of the device according to the invention is particularly suitable for reducing manufacturing costs and ease of adaptation and integration into existing filter elements.

 A device according to the invention offers the possibility of effectively blocking any filtration machine or installation or using one or more filtration devices, and of preventing their operation or resumption of activity as long as the filtration device destroyed or clogged. is not replaced by another new device. The filtration device is for example irretrievably destroyed to prohibit its reuse, even after attempting to clean or recondition. Such an advantage is interesting for applications such as medical or chemical filters implying a concept of absolute security.

Claims (8)

RgVQ5DICATIO # S  1. Device for preventing or reducing the emission of products, toxic materials, organisms, etc. from a filtering layer when the latter has reached a determined degree of saturation or fouling, said device comprising an element (4) capable of '' be altered when the filter layer has reached the determined degree of saturation and a system controlled by said element, so that when the element (4) has undergone a determined displacement or alteration, the system is activated to prevent or reduce the emission of products, toxic materials, organisms, etc. out of the filter layer.  2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the system comprises an elastic means (7) maintained in compression by the element (4), so that when the element (4) has undergone a determined alteration, the means elastic (7) relaxes to release a means for preventing or reducing the emission of products, toxic materials, organisms, etc. from the filter layer.  3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the element (4) is a fusible element capable of being altered, preferably to break, by the passage of a current.  4. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the element is a tube intended to be connected by a channel to the filter layer to bring one or more molecules present in the filter layer in contact with the tube, said tube being made of a material capable of undergoing alteration as a function of the molecules brought in by the channel.  5. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, for a filtering layer placed in an envelope having an inlet passage and an outlet passage, characterized in that the system comprises as a means for preventing or reducing the 'emission of products, toxic organisms, etc out of the filter layer, two valves intended to close the inlet passage and the outlet passage to prevent the passage of medium to and from the filter layer.  6. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the system when activated releases a liquid substance to clog the filtering layer and / or to destroy microorganisms and / or microbes.  7. Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it comprises an envelope (A) having an opening, a plug (2) intended to close said opening, an elastic means (7) intended to exert a force on the plug when the latter closes the opening, and an alterable element (4) opposing the force of the elastic means (7), said element (4) when it has undergone a determined alteration releases the elastic means (7) so that the latter acts on the plug (2) to bring it into a position which does not close the opening.  8. Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the envelope (A) is a sleeve whose ends have openings capable of being closed by cups (2,3), these cups being interconnected by the element (4), and in that the elastic means (7) extends between the cups (2,3) so that, when the element (4) is altered to rupture, the elastic means (7 ) acts on the cups to separate them from one another and to bring them into a position which does not block the openings.