WO2008049152A1

WO2008049152A1 - A system, method and apparati for managing air pollution and effects of global warming on a large scale

Info

Publication number: WO2008049152A1
Application number: PCT/AU2007/001591
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alan Woodley
Original assignee: Alan Woodley
Priority date: 2006-10-24
Filing date: 2007-10-24
Publication date: 2008-05-02
Also published as: AU2007308737A1

Abstract

A system, method and apparatus for managing air pollution, air temperatures and air flows on a large city scale by way of air cleaning apparatus, air cooling apparatus and air flow apparatus, for in-taking air, air suction, filtration, propulsion, distribution and temperature alteration, placed on, within and around buildings and in a multiplicity of locations, which apparatus can be coordinated by computers and sensors which measure air flow, pollution levels, particle content, gas content, temperature, humidity and other conditions in order to manage operation according to prevailing pollution and weather conditions, to draw in polluted air and clean it by way of passing the air through one or more filters to remove fine particulate pollution and removing polluting gases by chemical and organic means, and emitting cleaner air into the environment. Also disclosed are high street barriers of transparent material, applied to city streets so as to provide a buffer between traffic and pedestrians and street front premises in cityscapes, arranged as appropriate to the particular location with gaps to allow access to the street, and integrated with the streetscape air cleaning and cooling and apparatus for air cooling and propulsion attached to movable floating marine installations which also combine with apparatus for cooling sea water which can be located in proximity to natural sites, to provide direct action in slowing the melting of ice caps or the warming of coral reefs, and for other such purposes by generating cold air flows and cold water currents between such installations.

Description

A System, Method and Apparati for Managing Air Pollution and Effects of Global Warming on a Large Scale

TECHNICAL FIELD

In general the present invention relates to large scale external air cleaning and, optionally, air cooling apparatus, and air flow apparatus an, within and around buildings and other structures, including dry buildings, bridges, roadside and footpath structures, as well as structures located on hills and other locations in the natural environment, which operate to clean pollution from the air, to cool air, to create and manage airflows, around and between city buildings, streetscapes, on a large scale, over city blocks, cities and environs, taking in polluted air and emitting cleaned and, optionally, cooled air, managing flows of polluted air and cleaned air over dries and environs, so as to effect an improvement In the quality and temperature of air and a lessening of air pollution and associated higher air temperatures.

The invention also includes a further application of the principle of large scale mechanical intervention in the environment to address effects of global warming by way of the application of air and sea water temperature control apparatus in contexts of natural sites such as polar ice and coral reefs that are endangered by global warming.

BACKGROUND ART

Apparatus, either electrical, mechanical or electro-mechanical, exist for cleaning and cooling air for use inside buildings, vehicles and other internal spaces, but the object if this invention is rather for a large scale application of electrical, mechanical or electro- mechanical apparatus for air cleaning, air codling and air flow management of external or environmental air around buildings, streetscapes, cityscapes and environments in order to ameliorate the problems of air pollution and global warming.

In addition to air cleaning, air cooling and air propulsion apparatus on within or around buildings the application of the invention at street level includes the utilization of street barriers of transparent or translucent material, of the kind known and vised on freeways and expressways to dampen noise, arranged on city streets and in busy suburban main streets to provide a barrier between the traffic and its pollution and heat on the one hand and the people on the footpath and in adjacent premises, such barriers being arranged in conjunction with air cleaning, cooling and propulsion apparati, which should be designed aesthetically so as to be an attractive visual feature of the streetscape, as well as trees and other urban structures, arranged with suitable gaps between the barrier panels as required to allow people to access the roadway conveniently whilst still being able to shield from the blast of heat and pollution emitted by vehicles on the road.

A further object of the invention is the application of large scale mechanical and structural intervention in air and sea temperatures at natural sites currently being destroyed by global warming, such as polar ice caps and coral reefs. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The problem of air pollution continues to accelerate, causing damage to the health of many millions of people around the world, damaging the earth's atmosphere and contributing to global warming, melting polar icecaps, destroying coral reefs and fundamentally threatening. This patent expresses an invention of a system, method and multiplicity of apparati for large scale mechanical intervention in air, sea and land, buildings, cityscapes, streetscapes to ameliorate the effects of air pollution and global warmicg by providing for a multiplicity of mechanical apparati and means of capturing tbe emissions of pollution at or near the point of emission and of controlling or impacting the temperature of air, sea and earth on local, regional, state, national, international and global levels with cumulative effects on global scale, utilising where possible solar, wind and other clean energy sources, and combinations thereof, and where appropriate recycling products that would otherwise be waste products. Such installations would be, for example, located beside or built into stacks emitting the byproducts of industry and power generation to capture them, filter them, cool the air, treat the chemical byproducts, condense to solids, treat and compact and recycle where appropriate; installing systems of sir extraction, suction, filtration, propulsion and temperature alteration on buildings and motor vehicles and by roadsides in cities and main roads, to make them instruments of air cleaning and temperature control and where appropriate recycling; installing roadside barriers such as those used on expressways to dampen sound and air pollution from traffic but adapt them to main streets and mainroads other than highways or tollways; installing largo scale systems of wind generation across cities, landscapes, waterscapes and regions to control air flows in conjunction with natural patterns and optimize the ability to filter air and control its temperature; constructing large scale marine installations of varying size, whether the size of oil rig platforms or whether submerged units of lesser size, for use in seas and other waters to control temperature, for example beside polar ice caps to freeze them, beside coral reefs to cool them, in ocean streams to cool them. Thereby intervening positively to manage climatic conditions on a local, regional, state, national, international and global basis and actively ameliorate tbe negative effects of pollution on climate change.

In one embodiment of the alr-cleaning and temperature controlling building, air filtration units are placed on the tops of city buildings to filter and cool external air. In one embodiment such air cleaning and cooling units are built into the building at one or more levels. In one embodiment such air cleaning apparati are located at every floor or level of the building running around the whole building at each floor level so as to draw up polluted air to each successive level and remove pollution from the air and optionally cool the air. In one embodiment tubes linked to street level suck up pollution from varying heights and clean and cool that air. In one embodiment tubes expel cooled and cleaned air at street level and other levels. In one embodiment the said rooftop aircleaning and cooling systems arc coordinated between two or more buildings, including a multiplicity of buildings, to generate air flows over distances. In one embodiment beat from the building is captured by a building skin and recycled in usable energy forms.

One object of the invention is for every building to be an active air cleaning agent. In the case of new buildings yet to be constructed the design and construction of the building would incorporate these air cleaning air cooling and air propulsion and distribution apparati and systems. In the case of existing buildings the apparati would be attached to or incorporated into to the existing building. One object is to have the buildings functioning organically as air cleaning agents, including technologies that mimic those of nature, such as by use of chlorophyll and sunlight to convert carbon dioxide to oxygen.

In one embodiment ionization technology is utilised in the air cleaning apparati to remove particulate pollution from the air.

In one embodiment the apparati and installations will include natural or chemical agents, like chlorophyll, that react with light and air to produce oxygen from carbon dioxide, like artificial trees, In one embodiment they include chemical compounds and solutions and chemically impregnated materials such as solvents that will trap and dissolve polluting gases and particles.

In all embodiments the energy is provided by a combination of solar, wind and electric power in varying proportions so that the net environmental impact is positive.

In one embodiment air cleaning and cooling apparatus that utilize one or more fans to extract air from the environment to be capable of generating electricity from wind power when not being used to- clean and cool air, by way of the wind power causing rotation of the fan or fans which are connected to one or more generators.

In one embodiment air cleaning and air cooling apparatus that are used for internal air cooling provide at least as much cooled air into the externa! atmosphere as the heat they generate.

In one embodiment a combination of apparati at street level clean air by way of filtration units located in roadside installations, which may be at road and gutter level or installed in sculptured forms haying aesthetic qualities as cityscape. In one embodiment these installations also cool the air as well as clean it In cold climates or winter, such installations can warm air if required

In one embodiment high street barriers such as those presently used along toilways and freeways to dampen noise and the effects of air and noise pollution, more recently being made of clear material, are adapted for use along main city and suburban streets, for example, with gaps corresponding to driveways and cross streets, to reduce the effect of traffic noise, vibrations and air pollution on pedestrian and adjacent land uses, by providing a physical buffer that rebuts noise and vibrations and repels fumes from footpaths and adjacent areas, providing protection for pedestrians at street level on footpaths.

In one embodiment such sidewalk buffers are arced over with transparent or translucent roofs, periodically generously gapped to enable air to escape so everyone is not asphyxiated or otherwise physically burdened. Such roofs then being able to provide a basis for apparati such as solar panels, rain capture and recycling before it hits the road and is mixed with road grime, and as a framework for air cleaning, filtering and cooling apparati. as well as reducing the spread of airborne exhaust pollution.

One object of the invention is for large scale air cleaning and air suction and propulsion machines and installations located across a city or territory to coordinate air flows across the city of territory so as to direct air pollution away from populated areas and towards large scale air cleaning apparati, machines and installations in order to clean the air.

In one embodiment large scale air cleaning, filtering and cooling installations and airflow generation apparati arc placed on hillsides and otter geographical sites as well as on city building tops. In one embodiment such installations are coordinated over distance and time to provide airflows across cities and regions, augmenting natural sea and land breezes and coordinated with them. In one embodiment these include large scale fans and wind generation apparati.

In one embodiment such machines or installations are capable of very large or massive scale and force which may be used intermittently at certain times throughout the day and night to effect a remediation of the pollution situation.

The application of the invention to sites outside the urban area is to be done as far as possible in a way that blends with the natural contours of the landscape and does not stand out, for example where large scale air cleaning and propulsion machines and installations are located near the top of a series of hills so as to clean polluted air and to create air flows in conjunction with other such machine and installations, they should be of a low slung design and wherever possible should not interrupt the natural line or view of the hills.

The coordination of the air cleaning, cooling and propulsion apparati, machines and Installations is done by way of computer and electronic control technologies adjustable in accordance with prevailing weather and pollution conditions at any given time.

In its application to industrial environments, the air cleaning, air cooling and air propulsion apparati are located in proximity to pollution emitting sources to treat the pollution before it can dissipate and spread through the atmosphere. In one embodiment particles aaxd gases extracted from the air are recycled, as if mining the air for minerals and resources that can be recycled or at least managed physically in a way other than unencumbered release into the atmosphere.

In one embodiment in the case of cities with harbours such as Hoαg Kong, New York or Sydney, such air cleaning, filtering and cooling apparati and airflow generation apparati are mounted on floating platforms and distributed across the waterway as required and can be coordinated so as to manage air flows.

In Hong Kong one application would be for large scale air cleaning and air propulsion installations on buildings on one side of the harbour to coordinate with those on the othei side of the harbour and with prevailing breezes at different times of the day and night so as to push air from one side and draw it from the other side to optimize the air flow and consequent ability to direct the pollution therein to the air cleaning apparati. Similar applications would be made in nay city between buildings and hills, and between one or more buildings, and between series of buildings. Building design and placement will also contribute to air flow between and around the buildings.

In one embodiment air cleaning, filtering aod cooling apparati and airflow generation apparati installed on buildings, upon geographical features in the environment and upon marine platforms are coordinated to provide trans-city managed air flows and air treatment

In one embodiment motor vehicles and boats are equipped with air cleaning, filtration and cooling apparati so that they act as air cleaning agents as they move around.

In one embodiment apparati for managing water temperature are installed on marine platforms whether floating or submerged or a combination of both, and located beside polar ice caps to keep them frozen, to freeze water and restore icelands where they have melted, to locate in relation to coral reefs so as to ameliorate the effects of sea temperature rise, and to locate in as many locations as necessary across the seas to cool ocean currents and ameliorate the effects of temperature change brought about by pollution and global warming.

Claims

CLAIMS The claims defining the invention are as follows:

1. A system, method and apparati for managing air pollution, air temperatures and airflows on a large city scale by way of air cleaning apparatus , air cooling apparatus and air flow apparatus, either electrical, mechanical or electro- mechanical, for intaking air, air suction, filtration, propulsion, distribution and temperature alteration, placed on, within and around buildings and other structures, at street level, above roads, and in a multiplicity of locations, which apparati can be coordinated by computers and sensors which measure airflow, pollution levels, particle content, gas content, temperature, humidity and other conditions in order to manage operation according to prevailing pollution and weather conditions, to draw in polluted air and clean it by way of passing the air through one or more filters to remove fine particulate pollution and removing polluting gases by chemical and organic means, and emitting cleaner air into the environment, such filters being able to be cleaned and replaced when necessary, including large scale fans which can be utilised for harnessing wind energy to generate electricity by way of connection to a generator when not being used to propel and distribute air as described above, so that buildings and other structures and sites become agents for actively cleaning, cooling and managing air flows.

2. Air. cleaning and cooling apparatus as described in claim 1 placed beside or around pollution emission sources such as roads and motor vehicles or industrial stacks so as to capture the pollution and remove it from the atmosphere.

3. Apparatus claimed in claims 1 and 2 above that also treat the extracted particulate and chemical pollution to dissolve, reconstitute, compact or drain away the extracted material.

4. Apparatus for air extraction, suction, filtration, propulsion, distribution and temperature alteration as described in claims 1 , 2 or 3 above placed on top of and at different levels of city buildings and other structures to filter and cool hot polluted external air which rises either by natural force or by means of suction and able to be coordinated with other such apparatus so create air flows around and between buildings and over distances with a net cleaning and cooling effect

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 which are located at every level or floor of a building and which runs around the entire perimeter of the building at each level, and which draw in and clean air at each level and which can be coordinated so as to draw air upwards level by level even to the top of the building.

6. Apparatus for air cleaning, cooling and propulsion of external environmental located on one or more whole levels or floors of a building which are dedicated to such purpose and which can be coordinated with similar air management floors of adjacent buildings, and which are also to able utilize prevailing winds to assist in the said air management processes and to generate power from wind energy and other alternative power sources such as solar power..

7. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1-6 which draw in polluted air from street level by way of tubes or ducts opening at or near street level and connected to air cleaning and air cooling apparati located within or on a building and which effect a cleaning and cooling of the air and expel cleaned and cooler air at street level by way of tubes or ducts connected from the air cleaning and cooling apparati and opening onto the outside environment through a grate of other such suitable facade incorporated into the building.

8. Apparatus as described in any of claims 1 , 2 or 3 above which are located at street level in a series of roadside installations which intake polluted air and clean it by way of filtration or chemical or organic processes and emit cleaned air, such air cleaning and cooling apparatus being located in or on streetside structures which can be aesthetically shaped to contribute to the appearance of the streetscape and the operation of which can be coordinated by computers

9. High street barriers of transparent or translucent material, of the kind used on some freeways to dampen the effects of noise and other pollution, applied to city streets so as to provide a buffer between traffic and pedestrians and street front premises in cityscapes, arranged as appropriate to the particular location with gaps to allow access to the street, and integrated with the streetscape air cleaning and cooling and distribution installations referred to in claim 8 above, ameliorating the effects of pollution on pedestrians and street front shops.

10. Streetside barriers as claimed in claim 9 above which have a t-shaρed top that allows air cleaning apparatus to be mounted on it and to harness solar power by way of solar cells, such power to contribute to the power required to run the air cleaning and cooling system and apparatL

1 JL Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1, 2 or 3 above located on structures over roadways, such structures being at height sufficient to allow all transport to pass and having a roof of transparent or translucent materiel that may gather solar energy by means of solar cells located on the structure and which may assist powering the said air cleaning cooling and distribution apparatus, so as to intake and filter pollution and emit cleaner air, and which also reduces the amount of rain falling on the roadway, which rainwater can be collected via the said roof and distributed for other purposes, The said structure over a roadway also includes sufficient open space to ensure that safe levels of ventilation are provided at all times.

12. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1, 2 and 3 on a large scale and movable which are located on multiple sites across a city and coordinated with large scale wind generation apparati so as to produce large scale air flows across the environment which may be rotated and coordinated with prevailing breezes and other air flows so as to allow a degree of management of air flow and air pollution control.

13. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1,2 or 3 mounted on boats and other moving vehicles which apparatus thereby effect a cleaning of the air during the vehicle's journey.

14. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1-13 above which include chemical and organic means of treating polluted air to dissolve polluting gases and particles and forming byproducts having other uses and non-toxic byproducts and gases.

15. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1, 2, 3 and 9 which are mounted on floating platforms in order to clean air over bodies of water.

16. Air cleaning apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1-5 above which utilize ionization technologies to filter out particulate pollution from the air and environment

17. Apparatus for air cooling and propulsion attached to movable floating marine installations which also combine with apparatus for cooling sea water which can be located in proximity to natural sites such as polar ice caps or coral reefs, for example, to provide direct action in slowing the melting of ice caps or the warming of coral reefs, and far other such purposes by generating cold air flows and cold water currents between such installations.

18. Apparatus and structures for use in slowing the melting of ice caps by way of reflecting light and heat from ice caps, by way of reflecting material located on structures located periodically over distances, said reflecting materials also capable of generating electrical energy from solar energy by way of one or more solar cells, said power being used to power air and water cooling devices located on and in relation to the ice caps

19. Apparatus in any of claims 1-18 above where energy is provided by solar power, wind power, electrical power, or combinations of these and other available energy sources such as wave power in the case of claims 17 or 18.