GB2172026A - Inflatable enclosure - Google Patents

Abstract

A decontamination enclosure comprises an inflatable frame with fabric covering and includes a water spray A7 and a drain 16. Contaminated air and water are extracted. The base of the fabric may be weighted by a water-filled compartment. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION An enclosure for decontaminating persons contaminated with liquid or gases This invention relates to devices for decontaminating persons who have come into contact with liquids or gases of a hazardous, or potentially hazardous, nature, especially toxic materials and substances.

Accordingly, this invention provides a pneumatically'inflatable enclosure which is collapsible, the enclosure having a device for spraying water inside the enclosure, and water disposal means for removing the sprayed water from the enclosure.

The enclosure may have a pluality of inflatable ribs.

The device for spraying water may comprise a central spraying head and a plurality of spraying tubes, each spraying tube having a plurality of spraying heads.

The water disposal means may include a pump for pumping decontaminated water from the base of the enclosure to portable plastics containers provided outside the enclosure.

The enclosure may include means for sucking air from inside the enclosure to the outside of the enclosure. The means for sucking air may be a water driven pump.

The enclosure may include a disposable inner enclosure which is disposed of after every use of the pneumatically inflatable enclosure and which protects the pneumatically inflatable enclosure from the effects of contaminated chemicals.

The enclosure or pod preferably comprises a tent which may be of any convenient shape, e.g. - bell, pumpkin, square, orange or pear shaped, and which is made of any convenient water-proof, non-porous, material. Thus it may be made from a strong fabric or plastic material, or a combination of these two.

Examples of suitable materials are polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, or neoprene impregnated fabric. Preferably the material is resistant to chemicals.

Whilst the tent may be supported by poles, e.g.

.collapsible rods, it is preferably held up by the inflation of hollow tubes or pillars which may be an integral part of the structure. The inflating fluid may be gas, such as compressed air, or any other gas, or it may be a liquid such as water. Suitable sources of fluid may be a cylinder or pump.

The tent is provided with apertures preferably in the side surfaces of the enclosure walls, above ground level, through which persons can enter and leave the enciosure. The tent enclosure is preferably in one piece with an integral base so that the enclosure is initially water proof and wind proof.

Contaminated water collecting at the bottom of the tent can be removed through valves in the tent sidewalls or base, either continuously or at the end of a decontaminating operation. The liquid removed may be collected in appropriate, 'safe' containers for subsequent disposal. Alternatively, if not highly contaminated, it may be allowed to flow away or escape through appropriate outlets. Valves or aqua zips may be used as outlet devices.

In order to assist in stabilising the tent in an erected state, its base may be provided with pockets capable of disposably receiving a solid or liquid ballast material. Alternatively, or as a supplement, a separate cylinder of flexible material may be fitted with ballast and arranged interiorly around the extremities of the sidewalls at the base of the tent enclosure. Again, zips of a fluid sealing kind (aqua zips) may be used to allow filling with and emptying of ballast.

Furthermore, guide ropes can be provided exteriorly of the tent enclosure with the guy ropes being secured to appropriately disposed and arranged attachment points or devices on the tent and tethered at the other ends to pegs hammered into the earth when the tent enclosure is erected for use.

In a preferred form of construction, the tent has a plurality of spaced-apart, hollow, inflatable rods running upwardly from a circumferential tube located around the base of the tent. These can be an integral part of the structure. These tubes all meet together at the apex of the tent enclosures and are linked at this point by a common chamber or manifold. Inflation can be by means of feeding a compressed fluid, e.g. air, gas or water, into the system of tubes at any one or more conveniently located, valved, access points fitted into the system.

Drain holes or zipped apertures can be provided at convenient points around the base of the tent to release temporarily placed ballast after useage andl or contaminated fluid (e.g. water or air) accumulating in the tent enclosure during, or after, decontamination of one or more individuals or objects therein.

The water-spraying device inside the tent enclosure can be any simple arrangement or combination of jets or nozzles supplied with water under pressure from an exterior source by means of a communicating pipe, or network of pipes, suitably arranged to enter the tent by appropriately disposed orifices or apertures (e.g.sealed) in the tent material. In a preferred system, the jets or nozzles are of a type such that they create a dense fog or mist of droplets from a high pressure source of water. In a particularly convenient arrangement, an hermaphrodite coupling is disposed at the top, or apex, of the tent and is provided with an outside (i.e. exteriorly of the tent enclosure) coupling connectable in use with a water supply pipe which is preferably of the high-pressure type and supplied, in operation, with a flow of water under high pressure.

The spray device inside the tent may comprise a plurality of acurate, or otherwise shaped, pipes disposable, in operation, to be substantially equally spaced around the inner, e.g. peripheral, surface of the tent, so as to hug, or be closely aligned with, the contours thereof in operation. These pipes, which can be perforated, or carry nozzles or jets, to squirt a mist of water droplets (or a strong series of air or cleansing gas currents) can be arranged substantially vertically and may be connectable at the top, e.g.

in a stacked arrangement, to the high pressure water source by means of a swivelling and interlocking mechanism, which may be a hermaphrodite coupling and which permits them to lie alongside each other and be easily removed from the inside of the tent prior to deflation and collapse, i.e. when the tent is to be rendered inoperable, but to be placed in position and swung out therefrom and be disposed around the interior of the tent enclosure when the tent is re-erected for use. Pockets can be provided at the interior base of the tent enclosure to accomodate the free ends of the spray pipes and, in this way, the rigidity of the tent structure can be further enhanced.

Thus in a preferred form, the entire decontamina tion device is entirely collapsible and can be folded flat for convenient and easy storeage and transporta tion. It can thereafter be easily and quickly erected and speedily set in operation again.

A high pressure pump unit may be used to provide the source of fluid sprayed into the tent enclosure and this pump can further serve to drive a fluid extraction fan to remove fluid accumulations from inside the tent enclosure when decontamination is taking place, or after it has been completed. The tent enclosure may therefore be provided with an integ ral orifice or extractor head located so as to be inside the enclosure when the device is in operation and this head or orifice may be connected to a pipe or conduit, also integral if desired, leading through the side of the tent (material) to an exterior coupling device capable of being connected to the extractor fan or unit so as to remove rising gases which may be emitted by the decontamination process.

An extractor pump of the type described can also be used to remove, i.e. pump out, contaminated water from inside the tent enclosure to a waste disposal container or through a purifier and/or air filter for possible re-use as spray water for the inside of the tent enclosure.

Between the source of compressed air supply, e.g.

cylinder, and the interior inflatable tubes of the tent enclosure, there may be provided a connecting pipe or tube which may be fitted with a dual control input/output valve to regulate the flow of inflating gas, e.g. from an initiai high, inflating rate, to a slow inflation maintaining rate. Upon switching to outflow the valve can provide a slow, or rapid, collapse of the tent enclosure, as required.

Embodiments of the invention will now be de scribed with reference to the drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective side view of a decontami nation unit according to the invention; and Figure 2 is an enlarged side view of the apex of the unit shown in Figure 1.

As shown in Figure 1 a tent enclosure '1' compris es a neoprene impregnated fabric sheet '2' sup ported by an integral "frame" having upright, flexi ble, hollow, tubes '3' connected with a base ring tube 4 and interconnected also by a top plate '5'.

The plate '5' is apertured to allow a pipe '6' to be detachably seated into the aperture. The lower stem '7' of the pipe '6' which protrudes into the tent enclosure comprises an hermaphrodite coupling '8' (see Figure 2) into which curved pipes '9' can be removably coupled and sealed and then rotated so as to be disposed spatially within the tent enclosure as shown in Figure 1. The enclosure is held erect by pumping air, eg. from a compressed air cylinder '10' into which the interconnected tubes '4' and ring tube '4' through a regulating valve 11. The pressure can be held art a controlled levei by adjustment of the regulating valve '11' after initial full opening to erect the tent enclosure by inflating the tubes '3' and ring tube '4'.The bottom ends of the pipes '9' can be inserted into sealing pockets '12' on the lower inside surface of the fabric sheet 2, whereby they serve to enhance the rigidity of the tent enclosure '1'. The base of the fabric sheet, for further stability, can be "weighted" by making a fluid-tight compartment (not shown) around its base which can be filled with ballast, eg. water or sand, through a valve or flap '13'. After use this ballast can be removed through the same, or a second outlet valve or flap '14', which flap may be sealed by means of a fluid (eg.

water-proof) zip such as an aqua-zip. More than one inlet and/or outlet may be provided.

The pipes '9' are perforated or carry nozzles (not shown) so that water fed under pressure through pipe '6' can be sprayed into the interior of the tent enclosure. The pipes '9' can be drained after use by withdrawing them from their sealing pockets '12'.

By means of a pump '15' water under pressure can be fed to pipe '6'. The pump can serve also as a fan '14' for extracting contaminated fluid, eg. air or gases, from inside the tent enclosure by means of a tube '16' connected to the inside of the enclosure through a sealed opening '17' in the tent fabric '2'.

Access to the inside of the tent enclosure is provided by a large aperture '18' in the sidewall fabric '2'. This can be sealed by means of a roll-down flap '19' and roll-up flap '20'.

Figure 2 illustrates the arrangement of pipes '9', hermaphrodite valve...., inlet pipe '6' and plate '5' at the apex of the tent enclosure. The pipe '6' plugs detachably into a connector '21' secured to the plate '5' whilst the valve from which the pipes '9' detachably and pivotably connect is releasably secured by an inside connecting piece '22'.

In operation the tent enclosure '1' is unfolded, laid out upon the ground and the hose pipe '16' is coupled to the hermaphrodite valve '21'. The compressed air cylinder '10' is connected to the valve '11' and air is pumped into the tubes '3' so that the tent enclosure rises up into an erect position. The flaps '19' & '20' are rolled up and the curved spray pipes '9' are carried into the tent enclosure and attached to the hermaphrodite coupling '22'. The pipes '9' are then swung round into their spatial positions (as shown in Figure 1). The bottom ends of the pipes '9' are then siotted into the pockets '12' located at the bases of the tubes '3'. The valve '11' is then turned off. Should a pressure guage (not shown) display a fall in pressure the valve '11' is opened to top-up the pressure so as to maintain the structure firmly erect. A large hollow tube is then placed through the aperture and placed around the base of the tent enclosure, and filled with water or ballast.

A person or object requiring decontamination is then placed (or enters) inside the tent enclosure in a convenient position, the flaps '19', '20' are closed and the water is turned on to flow through pipe '6' into pipes '9' from which it is sprayed under high pressure onto the person (or object). If desired, or necessary, the air extraction or inflow pipe '16' can be sealably connected to the fan '14' and aperture '17' in the tent enclosure side wall.

It is to be appreciated that the embodiments of the invention described above have been given byway of example only and that modifications may be effected. Thus, for example, the pneumatically inflatable enclosure may include a disposable inner enclosure which is disposed of after every use of the pneumatically inflatable enclosure and which protects the pneumatically inflatable enclosure from the effects of contaminated chemicals.

Claims (8)

1. A pneumatically inflatable enclosure which is collapsible, the enclosure having a device for spraying water inside the enclosure, and water disposal means for removing the sprayed water from the enclosure.

2. A pneumatically inflatable enclosure according to claim 1 in which the enclosure has a plurality of inflatable ribs.

3. A pneumatically inflatable enclosure according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the device for spraying water comprises a central spraying head and a plurality of spraying tubes, each spraying tube having a plurality of spraying heads.

4. A pneumatically inflatable enclosure according to any one of the preceding claims in which the water disposal means includes a pump for pumping contaminated water from the base of the enclosure to portable plastics containers provided outside the enclosure.

5. A pneumatically inflatable enclosure according to any one of the preceding claims and including means for sucking airfrom inside the enclosure to the outside of the enclosure.

6. A pneumatically inflatable enclosure according to claim 5 in which the means for sucking air is a water driven pump.

7. A pneumatically inflatable enclosure according to any one of the preceding claims and including a disposable inner enclosure which is disposed of after every use of the pneumatically inflatable enclosure and which protects the pneumatically inflatable enclosure from the effects of contaminated chemicals.

8. A pneumatically inflatable enclosure substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.