WO1994014013A1

WO1994014013A1 - Filter system to purify air of smoking rooms

Info

Publication number: WO1994014013A1
Application number: PCT/FI1993/000530
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jaakko Raippalinna
Original assignee: Jaakko Raippalinna
Priority date: 1992-12-11
Filing date: 1993-12-09
Publication date: 1994-06-23
Also published as: ZA939241B; FI92290C; JPH08507850A; NO952296L; EP0672232A1; NO952296D0; AU5651594A; FI92290B; FI925653A0; CA2151497A1

Abstract

A smoking room (1) in which the room air can be maintained clean by means of a purification system in such a way that the particles present in the air and tobacco smoke discharging from the smoking room will adhere to a filter unit (4) belonging to the purification system, the unit having a eurovent-classified filter EU4-EU5 (5), followed by an activated-carbon filter (7) and, for example, aluminum oxide saturated with potassium permanganate, i.e. PURAFILR filter material (8), which is a broadaction oxidizing agent and removes impurities from the air by adsorption, absorption, and chemical oxidation. Between the EU4-EU5 filter (5) and the activated-carbon filter (7) there is a second eurovent-classified filter EU9-EU10 (6), and the purification system includes an odor filter (10), which is, for example, a chemically modified copolymer of polypropylene and styrene.

Description

FILTER SYSTEM TO PURIFY AIR OF SMOKING ROOMS

The present invention relates to a smoking room the air of which can be maintained clean by means of a purification system in such a way that the particles present in the air and tobacco smoke discharging from the room will adhere to a filter unit which belongs to the purification system and has a eurovent- classified filter EU4-EU5, followed by an activated-carbon filter and, for example, aluminum oxide saturated with potas¬ sium permanganate, i.e. PURAFIL^R filter material, which is a broad-action oxidizing agent and removes impurities from air by adsorption, absorption, and chemical oxidation.

Dust floating in the air, allergenic fungi, low humidity, and bacteria are significant factors which lower the quality of room air, but the only visible pollutant of indoor air is to¬ bacco smoke: nicotine, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH com¬ pounds), and particles present in smoke.

By assigning smoking to a specially air-conditioned space, other room spaces and air-conditioning equipment can be pro¬ tected from premature soiling, and above all, persons who suf¬ fer from smoke can be protected.

The simplest method of air-conditioning smoking rooms is to produce negative pressure in the room space by means of a blow¬ er and to direct the air from the room into the open air out¬ side building. In winter this is uneconomical, since thereby expensive thermal energy is simultaneously directed outside. Therefore, the smoking-room air has been filtered and recycled on the smoking room or in the same building.

The object of the invention is to provide a smoking room in which aid replacement is so good that the degree of purity of air inside the room is sufficient for those in the room, and the exhaust air of the smoking room is purified so effectively that it can be led directly to the surrounding room space with¬ out excessive loading of the surrounding room spaces. The light-structured smoking room according to the invention dif¬ fers from the smoking rooms on the market in that its exhaust air is purified also chemically. It differs substantially from the systems already on the market in that, in these, particles are removed from the exhaust air only physically by means of conventional electro-filters. The electro-filtering method has the disadvantage that the chemical compounds present in tobacco smoke concentrate in the exhaust pipes and the filters, causing in the surrounding room spaces, even after only a short period of use, chemical emissions which are observable in the form of odor problems. According to the invention, odor problems are eliminated by means of physical and chemical filtering systems fitted together. Furthermore, a comprehensive servicing program is drawn up for the smoking room, ensuring the maintenance of quality of the exhaust air while minimizing the servicing costs.

The smoking room according to the invention is characterized in that, between the EU4-EU5 filter and the activated-carbon fil¬ ter, there is another eurovent-classified filter EU9-EU10, and that the purification system includes an odor filter, consist¬ ing of, for example, a chemically modified copolymer of poly¬ propylene and styrene.

The odor filter, which is known under the trademark FIBAN", is based on a copolymer of polypropylene and styrene, having the chemical formula

PPST

The FIBAN" filter composition has, for example, the following chemical variants:

PPST > PPST-SO₃H FI3AN KI > PPST- CH₂N (CH₃ ) ⁺ ₃C1 - FI3AΝ Al > PPST-NK₂ FIBAN AK22

- ΝH a Ν

- COOH

By the system according to the invention, in which the filter unit is made up of the combination described above, all the detrimental and toxic particles present in tobacco smoke can be removed. A FIBAΝ^R filter will remove even carbon monoxide CO and carbon dioxide CO...

The tobacco room filters must be replaced at predetermined time intervals in order that the operation of the smoking room cor¬ respond to the objectives. A smoking room with a volume of 8- 24 ³ requires an air flow rate of 400-1000 π /h.

One embodiment of the invention is characterized in that in the filter unit there is, between the PURAFIL" filter and the odor filter, a third eurovent-classified filter EU9.

Another embodiment of the invention is characterized that, at a point after the odor filter or in connection with it, there is an activated-carbon fabric.

By means of the invention and the combination specified above, air which has been polluted by smoking can be purified of particles and toxic gas compounds present in the tobacco smoke. Eurovent-classified filters EU1-EU4 are so-called rough fil¬ ters, which separate textile fibers, larger pollen particles, smoke, and tarnishing particles. EU5-EU9 filters remove from air fine dust and pollen, carbon smoke and oil smoke, and bac¬ teria.

The invention is described below with the help of an example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, which depicts sche¬ matically a smoking room and its purification system.

Negative pressure is created in the smoking room 1 by means of a blower 2, whereupon replacement air flows in through the door in the manner indicated by the arrow 3. The smoking room thus also serves as an air purifier for the entire space into which the smoking room has been inserted. The filter unit 4 includes a rough filter 5, eurovent-classified into category EU5, which separates dust particles from the air. This so-called rough filter 5 is followed by a fine filter 6, eurovent-classified into category EU9. Filter 6 is followed by an activated-carbon filter 7. The next filter is a so-called PURAFIL^* filter 8, which is a broad-action oxidizing agent and removes impurities from air by adsorption, absorption, and chemical oxidation. The PURAFIL" filter 8 is followed by a third eurovent-classified filter 9, EU9. The purification system 4 further includes an odor filter 10, which consists of a chemically modified copoly¬ mer of polypropylene and styrene. This odor filter removes from the mixture of tobacco smoke and air the carbon monoxide CO, which has been impossible to remove by all prior-art smoking- room filter devices.

The capacity of the blower 2 is controlled by a transformer regulator 11 in order to adjust the air flow to the load.

The odor filter may some other filter of a type similar to those mentioned above, or it may be some catalytic noble metal which serves as a catalyst.

Claims

1. A smoking room (1) in which the room air can be main¬ tained clean by means of a purification system in such a way that the particles present in the air and tobacco smoke dis¬ charging from the room will adhere to a filter unit (4) of the purification system, the filter unit comprising a eurovent- classified filter EU4-EU5 (5), followed by an activated-carbon filter (7) and, for example, aluminum oxide saturated with potassium permanganate, i.e. PURAFIL" filter material (8), which is a broad-action oxidizing agent and removes impurities from air by adsorption, absorption and chemical oxidation, characterized in that, between the EU4-EU5 filter (5) and the activated-carbon filter (7), there is another eurovent- classified filter EU9-EU10 (6), and that the purification sys¬ tem includes an odor filter (10), which is, for example, a chemically modified copolymer of polypropylene and styrene.

2. A smoking room according to Claim 1, characterized in that between the PURAFIL^* filter (8) and the odor filter (10) in the filter unit (4) there is a third eurovent-classified filter EU9 (9) .

3. A smoking room according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that after the odor filter (10), or in connection with it, there is an activated-carbon fabric.