FR3062574A1 - PROTECTIVE COMBINATION PART COMPRISING A FILTRATION UNIT - Google Patents

Abstract

Part (100) of a protective suit comprising: a wall portion (300) having an inner side (3a) and an outer side (3b) opposite to the inner side (3a), a filter unit (7) provided in said wall portion (300), said filter unit (7) being provided with a filter element (25) arranged for a fluid to flow therethrough from the outer side (3b) to the inner side (3a), the filtration unit (7) further comprising a housing (19) having a receiving location (27) of the filter element (25), said housing (19) being joined to the wall portion (300).

Description

® FRENCH REPUBLIC

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY © Publication number:

(to be used only for reproduction orders) (© National registration number

062 574

51032

COURBEVOIE © Int Cl ⁸ : A 62 B 17/00 (2017.01)

PATENT INVENTION APPLICATION

A1

®) Date of filing: 08.02.17. © Applicant (s): INDUSTRIAL MATERIALS FROM (30) Priority: SECURITY Public limited company - FR. @ Inventor (s): CARRON GERARD, MARIZY DIDIER and FANGEAT ROLAND. (43) Date of public availability of the request: 10.08.18 Bulletin 18/32. ©) List of documents cited in the report preliminary research: Refer to end of present booklet (© References to other national documents ® Holder (s): SECURITY INDUSTRIAL MATERIALS related: RITE Public limited company. ©) Extension request (s): © Agent (s): CABINET GERMAIN & MAUREAU.

PROTECTIVE COMBINATION PART COMPRISING A FILTER UNIT.

FR 3,062,574 - A1 (3 /) Part (100) of a protective suit comprising: a wall portion (300) having an internal side (3a) and an external side (3b) opposite the internal side (3a) , a filtration unit (7) formed in said wall portion (300), said filtration unit (7) being provided with a filtration element (25) arranged so that a fluid circulates through from the external side ( 3b) towards the internal side (3a), the filtration unit (7) further comprising a housing (19) having a location (27) for receiving the filtration element (25), said housing (19) being attached to the wall portion (300).

The present invention relates to a protective suit part comprising a filtration unit.

It is known to use a protective suit for a person working in a contaminated environment. This intervention can take place in an environment where the air contains toxic contaminants. These contaminants can be gases included in the ambient air and / or solid or liquid particles and aerosols. A contaminant is therefore a product toxic to humans in the form of a gaseous, solid and / or liquid.

In this context, it is necessary to have a suit preventing any contaminant from entering the inside of the suit.

It is known to use a combination comprising an airtight and contaminant-tight wall. This type of protective suit also requires additional equipment to protect the respiratory tract such as a gas mask or self-contained breathing apparatus.

This type of bulky additional equipment can prove difficult to transport in certain zones, for example confined places in which it is necessary to intervene to carry out work.

In addition, following an intervention, this type of additional equipment must be removed carefully to avoid contamination of the user.

The present invention aims to solve all or part of the drawbacks mentioned above.

To this end, the present invention relates to part of a protective suit comprising:

a wall portion having an internal side and an external side opposite the internal side, a filtration unit formed in said wall portion, said filtration unit being provided with a filtration element arranged so that a fluid circulates through from the external side towards the internal side, the filtration unit further comprising a housing having a location for receiving the filtration element, said housing being joined to the wall portion.

In other words, the housing of the filtration unit is integrated into the wall portion of the protective suit. This arrangement prevents the fluid from flowing on either side of the wall portion between the wall portion and the housing. Indeed, there is no gap between the wall portion and the housing, the connection between the housing and the combination is sealed.

Thus, the fluid is only allowed to circulate between the internal side and the external side by passing through the filter element in the direction going from the external side to the internal side.

The filtration element therefore avoids any contamination on the internal side by possible contaminants transported by the fluid. Indeed, these contaminated elements are retained by the filtration element.

This provision is advantageous during undressing: there is no risk of contamination of the user of the protective suit. Indeed, the housing being joined to the wall portion, the user does not have to handle the contaminated filter element.

Also this part of the protective suit is suitable for an autonomous suit, that is to say a suit which does not require an external supply of breathing air.

According to one aspect of the invention, the filtration element complies with standards EN143 / A1 and / or EN 14387 + A1.

According to one aspect of the invention, the fluid comprises ambient air. The protective suit comprises a filtration unit adapted so that a contaminated fluid, for example air comprising radioactive contaminants, is filtered so that no contaminant enters the suit or passing through the unit filtration or passing through the joint between the housing and the wall portion.

According to one aspect of the invention, the housing is joined to the wall portion by a weld or by a mechanical connection.

This arrangement ensures that the housing and the wall portion are well fixed together and that no circulation of fluid between the internal side and the external side is possible at the interface between the housing the portion of wall.

According to one aspect of the invention, the housing comprises a peripheral border extending along an extension plane, said peripheral border being joined to the wall portion.

Preferably, the wall portion being in the same plane as the peripheral border. This arrangement allows easy manufacture since the peripheral border and the wall portion constitute an assembly extending in the same plane.

This arrangement therefore facilitates the operation of joining the wall portion to the peripheral edge during the manufacture of the protective suit part.

According to one aspect of the invention, the wall portion has a through opening between the internal side and the external side defined according to a closed contour, the housing being joined to the wall portion over the entire closed contour.

The fact that the wall portion and the housing are joined over the entire closed contour prevents any circulation of fluid between the external side and the internal side at the interface or junction between the housing and the wall portion.

According to one aspect of the invention, the filtration element has an inlet section, said inlet section extending in a plane substantially parallel to a plane of extension of the closed contour.

In other words, the inlet section is an area extending substantially parallel to the wall portion adjoining the filtration unit. This arrangement makes it possible to size the entry section so that its area approaches the area generated by the closed contour.

Thus the area of the inlet section can be maximized in order to reduce the pressure losses of the fluid entering the filtration element.

According to one aspect of the invention, the extension plane of the inlet section is parallel to the extension plane of the closed contour.

The fact that the inlet section is flat makes it easy to integrate the filtration unit into the wall portion, that is to say into the protective suit. The filtration unit therefore does not include a part extending on the external side and / or on the internal side which could hinder a user of the protective suit.

According to one aspect of the invention, the inlet section has a circular shape. This arrangement allows the installation of a radial filter.

According to another aspect of the invention, the inlet section has a rectangular shape. This arrangement allows easy manufacture of the filter element and easy insertion of the filter element into the receiving location during the manufacture of the filter unit.

In particular, the closed contour is rectangular. This arrangement makes it easy to join the filtration unit to the wall portion because the interface between the housing and the wall portion consists of straight lines.

According to one aspect of the invention, the filter element has a dimension transverse to the inlet section.

This arrangement allows easy sizing of the filter element because it is possible to determine the pressure drop of the fluid in the filter element and / or the filtration efficiency by modifying the ratio between the area of the section input and the transverse dimension.

According to one aspect of the invention, the inlet section has a longitudinal dimension, the longitudinal dimension being longer than the transverse dimension.

This arrangement has the effect of limiting the speed of the fluid in the filter element relative to the desired suction rate.

For a given filtration efficiency, the life of the filter element is increased, the latter clogging slower than a filter having a reduced longitudinal dimension.

According to one aspect of the invention, the filter element comprises a film provided with a plurality of portions extending substantially in a direction of circulation of the fluid in the filter element.

This arrangement ensures efficient filtration. Preferably, the film comprises accordion folds defining the orientation of the portions of the film. The production of the film is also facilitated because it suffices to fold the film in accordion.

The film surface is also maximized with respect to the volume of the filter element, which improves the efficiency of filtration.

According to one aspect of the invention, the filtration element is fixed to the location for receiving the housing by a coating.

This arrangement forces the fluid to pass through the filter element: the fluid cannot pass between the filter element and the receiving location.

This arrangement therefore makes it possible to ensure that the fluid passing from the external side to the internal side through the filtration unit is well filtered.

According to one aspect of the invention, the coating is arranged by luting so as to secure the filtration element to the housing.

The protective suit part therefore does not include a removable element: this arrangement prevents the user from carrying out manipulations which may cause contamination on the internal side, for example by a false manipulation breaking an element of the filtration unit.

According to one aspect of the invention, the protective suit part further comprises a fluid suction pump arranged on the internal side and arranged to suck the fluid from the external side to the internal side through the filter element.

The protective suit obtained is therefore autonomous since the suction pump is located on the internal side of the protective suit. The suction pump can therefore be integrated into the suit and transported by the user. The power of the suction pump defines the flow rate of aspirated fluid as well as the pressure drops in the filter element.

The present invention also relates to a protective suit comprising a protective suit part as described above, the combination comprising a wall having an internal side and an external side, said part being formed in the wall of the protective suit.

According to one aspect of the invention, the protective suit comprises at least one valve for extracting fluid from the suit from the internal side to the external side. Preferably, the extraction valve is arranged to allow the circulation of fluid from a pressure difference value determined between the pressure on the internal side and the pressure on the external side.

According to one aspect of the invention, the protection suit is further provided with a diffusion circuit comprising:

a collection chamber provided with a fluid inlet arranged to be connected to the discharge of the suction pump, a diffusion device connected to the collection chamber and arranged to deliver a first flow of fluid coming from the collection chamber in a first internal zone of the protective suit, a filtration branch connected to the collection chamber and arranged to deliver a second flow of fluid coming from the collection chamber into a second internal zone of the protective suit, the filtration branch comprising a filter arranged to filter the second flow delivered in the second internal zone.

The diffusion circuit thus makes it possible to separate the fluid sucked into the protective suit into a first untreated flow and into a second filtered flow.

This arrangement is advantageous since the second filtered flow can correspond to breathable air diffused near the face of a user.

In fact, only the air near the user's face must be finely filtered so that their breathing is improved. As long as the first stream does not contain any element toxic to the skin, there is no need to filter it further.

According to one aspect of the invention, the filtration branch comprises a diffuser capable of being connected to a helmet of the protective suit, the second internal zone corresponding to the interior of the helmet.

This arrangement ensures good diffusion of breathable air near the face of the user.

According to one aspect of the invention, the diffusion device comprises at least two branches.

This arrangement makes it possible to distribute the first flow evenly throughout the first zone.

According to one aspect of the invention, each branch of the diffusion device is connected to the diffusion chamber. This arrangement makes it possible to easily dimension the diffusion device and the filtration branch by determining the corresponding flow rates and the corresponding pressure losses.

In any case, the invention will be better understood with the aid of the description which follows with reference to the appended schematic drawings showing, by way of nonlimiting example, an embodiment of this protective combination.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a protective suit.

Figure 2 is a schematic sectional view of a part of protective suit.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of an internal side of a filtration unit.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of an external side of a filtration unit.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a protective suit comprising a filter.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a protective suit 1 comprises a wall 3 having an internal side 3a and an external side 3b. The wall 3 thus defines an internal volume intended to receive a user 5.

This type of protective suit 1 is intended to protect a user5 in a contaminated environment according to a defined level of protection. In particular, this type of protective suit 1 is used to isolate the user 5 from the ambient air and to filter the ambient air to rid it of gaseous contaminants and / or volatile particles during its penetration into the protective suit 1.

The protective suit 1 comprises a filtration unit 7 arranged to filter a fluid passing through it from the external side 3b to the internal side 3a.

In the embodiment described, the fluid comprises ambient air and contaminants. Filtration consists in letting the air penetrate inside the protective suit 1 while stopping the contaminants at the level of the filtration unit 7.

The protective suit 1 further comprises a suction pump 9 arranged to suck the ambient fluid inside the protective suit 1 via the filtration unit 7. The suction pump 9 comprises a suction 9a and a repression 9b.

The protective suit 1 comprises a circuit 11 for diffusing the sucked air to distribute the air sucked inside the protective suit 1.

The protective suit 1 also comprises a valve 13 arranged to release outside the air included inside the protective suit 1 when the pressure difference between the internal side and the external side exceeds a limit value.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 4, a part 100 of the protective suit 1 comprises a portion 300 of the wall 3 of the protective suit 1 and the filtration unit 7.

The wall portion 300 has a through opening 15 defined by a closed contour 17 of rectangular shape. The filtration unit 7 is formed in this through opening 15.

The filtration unit 7 comprises a housing 19 provided with a peripheral edge 21 extending in the plane of extension of the wall portion 300. The peripheral edge 21 is joined to the wall portion 300 by a weld 23 s extending along the closed contour 17.

The filtration unit 7 further comprises a filtration element 25 formed in a receiving location Y1 of the housing 19. The filtration unit 7 is arranged so that the air entering the protective suit 1 passes through the element 25.

To do this, the filter element 25 is fixed to the receiving location 27 by a silicone coating 29 disposed by stripping on the periphery of the fixing element 25. Thus there is no gap between the housing 19 and the filter element 25.

Also, the coating 29 can be arranged in the form of lines in the filtration element 25 to stiffen it as illustrated in FIG. 4.

The filter element 25 has a fluid inlet section 31 of rectangular shape. The inlet section 31 is planar and extends in a plane parallel to the extension plane of the wall portion 300.

The area of the inlet section 31 is slightly reduced compared to the area of the closed contour 17. The filter element 25 has a longitudinal dimension 25a a transverse dimension 25b.

The transverse dimension 25b is reduced relative to the longitudinal dimension 25a in order to limit the pressure drops in the filter element 25.

The filtration unit 7 also has an outlet 33 connected to the suction pump 9. The filtration unit 7, the suction pump 9 and the diffusion circuit 11 are dimensioned to generate a determined suction air flow allowing the user to breathe properly.

As illustrated in Figure 2 schematically, the filter element 25 comprises a film 35 folded in an accordion manner so as to generate a plurality of portions 35a, 35b. In reality, the folding is compacted so that two consecutive portions 35a, 35b are in contact and oriented substantially along the direction of circulation of the fluid 37 in the filter element 25.

The surface of the film 35 is high relative to the volume of the filter element 25, which improves the quality of the filtration. Such a filtration unit 7 makes it possible to achieve a flow rate of 500 to 700 l / min and a high protection factor corresponding to contaminated environments such as nuclear zones.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the diffusion circuit 11 comprises a collection chamber 39 provided with a fluid inlet 41 coming from the suction pump 9.

The diffusion circuit 11 comprises a diffusion device 43 connected to the collection chamber 39 and arranged to deliver a first flow 45 of fluid in a first internal zone 47 of the protective suit 1.

In the present example detailed in FIG. 1, the first internal zone 47 corresponds to the interior of the suit with the exception of a helmet 49.

To deliver the first flow 45 in a homogeneous manner, the diffusion device 43 comprises a branch 43a for a first leg, a branch 43b for a second leg, a branch 43c for a first arm and a branch 43d for a second arm, each branch 43a to c being connected to the collection chamber 39.

It appears that each branch 43a to c corresponds to an extension of the internal volume of the protective suit for a member of the user, which allows good internal distribution of fluid.

The diffusion circuit 11 further comprises a filtration branch 51 arranged to deliver a second flow 53 of fluid in a second internal zone 55 of the protective suit 1. The second internal zone 55 corresponds to the helmet 49.

Optionally as shown in FIG. 5, the filtration branch 51 comprises a filter 57 arranged to filter the fluid diffused in the second internal zone 55 and a diffuser 59 connected to the helmet 49.

The filtration element 25 then constitutes a first filtration level which makes it possible to eliminate all the elements of the fluid which should not be in contact with the skin of the user 5.

The filter 57 constitutes a second level of filtration making it possible to obtain in the helm 49 an air capable of being breathed by the user 5. The second level therefore refines the filtration carried out at the first level with the aim of obtaining quality air corresponding to demanding levels of regulation.

The protective suit 1 obtained is therefore autonomous and allows easy movement of the user 5 since the quality of filtration obtained with the two filtration levels makes it possible to dispense with additional breathing apparatus such as a gas mask or a bottle of air supply.

This protective combination 1 therefore makes it possible to carry out interventions in confined contaminated places. Depending on the uses of the protective suit 1, a filter 57 may or may not be added. For example in the nuclear field, the filter 57 is not necessary.

It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the sole embodiment of this protective combination, described above by way of example, on the contrary it embraces all of the variant embodiments thereof.

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Claims (14)

1. Part (100) of a protective suit (1) comprising: a wall portion (300) having an internal side (3a) and an external side (3b) opposite the internal side (3a), a filtration unit (7) formed in said wall portion (300), said filtration unit (7) being provided with a filtration element (25) arranged for a fluid to flow through from the external side (3b) to the internal side (3a), the filtration unit (7) further comprising a housing (19) having a location (27) for receiving the filter element (25), said housing (19) being joined to the wall portion (300). 2. Part (100) of protective suit (1) according to claim 1, wherein the housing (19) is joined to the wall portion (300) by welding or by a mechanical connection. 3. part (100) of protective suit (1) according to one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the housing (19) comprises a peripheral edge (21) extending along an extension plane, said peripheral edge (21) being joined to the wall portion (300). 4. part (100) of protective suit (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the wall portion (300) has a through opening (15) between the inner side (3a) and the outer side (3b) defined along a closed contour (17), the housing (19) being joined to the wall portion (300) over the entire closed contour (17). 5. Part (100) of protective suit (1) according to claim 4, wherein the filter element (25) has an inlet section (31), said inlet section (31) extending along a plane substantially parallel to an extension plane of the closed contour (15). 6. Part (100) of protective suit (1) according to claim 5, wherein the filter element (25) has a transverse dimension (25b) to the inlet section (31). 7. Part (100) of protective suit (1) according to claim 6, wherein the inlet section (31) has a longitudinal dimension (25a), the longitudinal dimension (25a) being longer than the transverse dimension ( 25b). 8. Part (100) of protective suit (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the filter element (25) comprises a film (35) provided with a plurality of portions (25a, 25b ) extending substantially in a direction of circulation of the fluid (37) in the filter element (25). 9. Part (100) of protective suit (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the filter element (25) is fixed to the receiving location (27) of the housing (19) by a coating (29). 10. Part (100) of protective suit (100) according to one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a fluid suction pump (9) disposed on the internal side (3a) and arranged to suck the fluid from the outer side (3b) to the inner side (3a) through the filter element (25). 11. Protective suit (1) comprising a part (100) of protective suit (1) according to one of claims 1 to 10, the combination comprising a wall (3) having an internal side (3a) and an external side (3b), said part (100) being formed in the wall (3) of the protective suit (1). 12. Protective suit (1) according to claim 11 depending on the 10, further provided with a diffusion circuit (11) comprising: a collection chamber (39) provided with a fluid inlet (41) arranged to be connected to the discharge (9b) of the suction pump (9), a diffusion device (43) connected to the collection chamber ( 39) and arranged to deliver a first flow (45) of fluid coming from the collection chamber (39) in a first internal zone (47) of the protective suit (1), a filtration branch (51) connected to the collection chamber (39) and arranged to deliver a second flow (53) of fluid coming from the collection chamber (39) in a second internal zone (55) of the protective suit (1), the filtration branch (51 ) comprising a filter (57) arranged to filter the second flow (53) delivered in the second internal zone (55). 13. Protective suit (1) according to claim 12, in which the filtration branch (51) comprises a diffuser (59) able to be connected to a helmet (49) of the protective suit (1), the second internal zone (55) corresponding to the interior of the helm (49). 14. Protective suit (1) according to one of claims 12 or 10 13, wherein the diffusion device (43) comprises at least two branches (43a, 43b). 1/3 25b ^2/3 f ^ OQ 3/3