Abstract:
A large scale vapor dispersion apparatus for dispersing a vapor of essential oil without the use of water by forcing an air stream through and/or over a volume of the essential oil, vaporizing a portion of the essential oil, controlling the vaporization rate by increasing or decreasing the amount of heated air passing through the essential oil, and distributing the air and vapor mixture over a large scale space. The apparatus also includes the capability to deodorize the air by passing the air through a scavenging fluid. The apparatus includes a blower or vacuum pump, a reservoir, piping joining the blower or vacuum pump to the reservoir, a bypass valve for directing a portion of the air above a surface of the essential oil or outside of the reservoir, and a vapor dispersing device for dispersing the air and vapor exhausted from the apparatus into a large space.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/634,990, filed Dec. 13, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to an apparatus for deodorizing a stream of gas (also interchangeably referred to herein as “air”) and for large-scale dispersion of vaporized essential oils into large open spaces or volumes without the use of water.  
         [0004]     2. Background of the Technology  
         [0005]     Dispersion of vaporized essential oils into a large space without the use of water is known in the art, for example, by U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,383 issued to Timothy W. Planker, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,423,274 also issued to Timothy W. Planker, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, relates to an apparatus for deodorizing gas by passing the gas over a surface of a deodorizing liquid.  
         [0006]     Although devices are known for dispersing essential oils, the devices vaporize oil exclusively by forcing a volume of air over a surface of the oil in order to vaporize or otherwise entrain the oil in the gas for subsequent dispersal or by atomizing the oil into a stream of air. While effective in some application, there exists a need to deodorize and/or disperse essential oils at a higher rate or in higher concentrations than the presently available devices can supply. There is also a need to deodorize an air stream by passing the air stream through a deodorizing liquid, such as an essential oil and a scavenging fluid.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The present invention solves these problems, as well as other, by forcing air through a volume of essential oil in order to vaporize or entrain a higher concentration of the essential oil in the air. Further, the present invention provides for the vaporization and widespread dispersion of essential oils without necessarily using water.  
         [0008]     According to a first aspect of the present invention, the apparatus of the present invention disperses essential oil by vaporizing a super concentrated liquid essential oil in one of two modes controlled by adjusting a bypass valve between an open and closed position.  
         [0009]     The first mode involves purely convective vaporization by forcing heated air over a surface of the liquid essential oil contained in a reservoir. The air vaporizes a portion of the liquid essential oil, wherein the resulting mixture of air and essential oil vapor is exhausted from the reservoir through an outlet and dispersed by a vapor dispersing device, such as a perforated hose or nozzle. The second mode involves both convective vaporization as well as vaporization by forcing air through the liquid essential oil. The second mode may be initiated by opening a bypass valve, for example. The resulting mixture of air and essential oil vapor is then exhausted through the outlet of the reservoir and dispersed by the vapor dispersing device. The present invention increases vaporization efficiency by directing the entire volume of air within the apparatus through the reservoir containing the essential oil regardless of the position of the bypass valve as opposed to forcing a portion of the air outside the reservoir when the bypass valve is opened.  
         [0010]     According to a second aspect of the present invention, the apparatus of the present invention deodorizes a flow of air used for dispersing the essential oils. The apparatus passes at least a portion of the airflow through a scavenging fluid, such as caustic (e.g., NaOH), bleach, trizene, or any other fluid capable of removing obnoxious gases from an airflow, such as H 2 S. The airflow then passes through an essential oil, causing a portion of the essential oil to be entrained in the air. The airflow then exits the apparatus through a vapor dispersing device, such as an exhaust pipe, one or more nozzles, or a perforated hose. A vacuum pump creates the airflow. The apparatus is useful in deodorizing air emanating, for example, from a pumping station of a wastewater treatment plant or air generated by the transport of sewage, such as when sewage is removed from a septic tank.  
         [0011]     Additional advantages of the present invention include a low capital cost, ease of maintenance, and technological simplicity so as not to require a sophisticated electronic controller. Further, because no water is used in dispersing the essential oil and the freezing point of essential oil is well below −100° F., the apparatus of the present invention allows winter operation.  
         [0012]     Additional aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will be better understood as set forth in the following description and accompanying drawings and will also become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or upon learning by practice of the invention.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES  
       [0013]     The features of the invention will be more readily understood with reference to the following description and the attached drawings, wherein:  
         [0014]     FIGS.  1 ( a ),  1 ( b ), and  1 ( c ) show a side view of an apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  shows is a perforated hose for dispersing a vapor within a large space for use with the apparatus according to the present invention;  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  shows a nozzle for dispersing a vapor within a large space for use with the apparatus according to the present invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 4  shows the apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention contained within a housing for ease of transportation;  
         [0018]      FIG. 5  shows the apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention having a plurality of nozzles for dispersing the vapor;  
         [0019]     FIGS.  6 ( a ) and  6 ( b ) show the apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention having a vertical configuration;  
         [0020]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the reservoir according to the first embodiment of the present invention containing scrubber packing;  
         [0021]      FIG. 8  is a side view of an apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0022]      FIG. 9  is a top view of a reservoir according to the second embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0023]      FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view of the reservoir according to the second embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0024]      FIG. 11  is a top view of an air sparger according to the second embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0025]      FIG. 12  is a side view of an apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0026]      FIG. 13  is a cross-sectional view of a reservoir according to the third embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0027]     Corresponding features of different embodiments described herein are identified with the same reference numbers.  
         [0028]      FIG. 1 ( a ) illustrates an improved apparatus for the vaporization and widespread dispersion of essential oils without the use of water according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 1 ( a ), the apparatus includes an air blower  10 , such as a regenerative air blower, a reservoir  20  for containing a volume of essential oil  30  (referred to hereinafter as “oil  30 ”), piping for routing air through the apparatus, an exhaust pipe  40 , and a vapor dispersing device  50 . An air inlet pipe  60  is attached at one end to an inlet of the air blower  10 , and an outlet pipe  70  is attached at one end to an outlet of the air blower  10 . An air filter  80  is affixed to a second end of the air inlet pipe  60 , opposite the air blower  10 . The air filter  80  contains, for example, a standard replaceable, pleated paper filter cartridge that is enclosed at a top of the air filter  80  by a standard air filter cover  90 . A control panel  100  controls the air blower  10 . Although  FIG. 1 ( a ) illustrates the control panel  100  as being separate from the air blower  10 , it is within the scope of the present invention that the control panel  100  could be directly attached to the air blower  10 .  
         [0029]     The reservoir  20  is an enclosure that entirely encloses a volume. The reservoir  20  may have any suitable shape, such as a box, a cylinder, a sphere, a pyramid, or any other shape. A volume of oil  30  is contained within the reservoir  20 . A fill port  110 , having a fill port cap  120  attached at one end, extends from the reservoir  20  for introducing a volume of oil  30  into the reservoir  20 . When the fill port cap  120  is removed, the interior of the reservoir  20  freely communicates with the exterior of the reservoir  20  via the fill port  110 .  
         [0030]     The reservoir  20  also includes a first opening  130  located in a lower portion of the reservoir  20 , a second opening  140  located in an upper portion of the reservoir  20 , and an outlet  150  located at an upper portion of the reservoir  20 . Both the second opening  140  and the outlet  150  are located above a surface or fill level of the oil  30 . An exhaust pipe  40  attaches at a first end to the outlet  150 . A vapor dispersing device  50  for dispersing vaporized oil  30  in a fog-like manner attaches to a second end of the exhaust pipe  40 . Alternatively, the vapor dispersing device  50  attaches directly to the outlet  150 , for example.  FIGS. 2 and 3  illustrate example embodiments of the vapor dispersing device  50 . In  FIG. 2 , the vapor dispersing device  50  is a perforated hose  170  having numerous small openings  180 , wherein each opening  180  provides communication between the interior and exterior of the perforated hose  170 . In  FIG. 3 , the vapor dispersing device  50  is a nozzle  190 , such as those manufactured by Bete Fog Nozzle Co. The nozzle  190  includes, for example, a ¼ inch nozzle orifice and is made of polypropylene, for example.  FIG. 4  illustrates an alternate embodiment of the vapor dispersing device  50  comprising multiple nozzles  190  to increase dispersion of the vaporized essential oil  30 . However, the one or more nozzles  190  and a perforated hose  170  are merely illustrative of the vapor dispersing device  50 , and it is within the scope of the present invention to include any device capable of dispersing a vaporized liquid.  
         [0031]     Referring again to  FIG. 1 ( a ), a first pipe  200  extends from the first opening  130 , and a second pipe  210  extends from the second opening  140 . The first and second pipes  200  and  210  are in communication with the outlet pipe  70  so that air flowing from the outlet of the air blower  10  may be divided into two separate airflows, wherein one airflow flows through the first pipe  200  and wherein a second airflow flows through the second pipe  210 . The outlet pipe  70  connects to the first and second pipes  200 ,  210  with a tee fitting  220 , for example. A first bypass valve  230  is also disposed between the first and second pipes  200 ,  210  at a location between the tee fitting  220  and the first pipe  200 . Additionally, a second bypass valve  235  may be disposed between the second pipe  210  and the fitting tee  220 , as shown in  FIG. 1 (b). Alternately, the apparatus may include only the second bypass valve  235 , as shown in  FIG. 1 ( c ). An air lance  240  extends into the interior of the reservoir  20  from the first opening  130  and is in communication with the first pipe  200 . The air lance  240  includes a plurality of openings  250 , providing communication between the interior of the air lance  240  and the interior of the reservoir  20 .  
         [0032]     As illustrated in FIGS.  1 ( a )-( c ),  4 ,  5  and  6 , the tee fitting  220  is located above the fill level of the oil  30  contained within the reservoir  20  to prevent the oil  30  from flowing into and damaging the air blower  10  via the air lance  240 , the first pipe  200 , the bypass valve  230 , the tee fitting  220 , and the outlet pipe  70 . Standard pipefittings and couplings may be used to construct the present invention.  
         [0033]     The air blower  10  also includes a motor (not shown), such as a TEFC (Totally Enclosed, Fan Cooled) motor, having a stock size, such as a ½ horsepower (HP), ¾ HP, 1 HP, 3 HP, or 5 HP motor, for example. The motor may include permanently sealed ball bearings, for example. An air blower  10  having a motor with a more powerful motor is capable of dispersing a greater volume of vaporized oil  30  during a given time period, whereas an air blower  10  having a motor with a less powerful motor disperses a lower volume of oil  30  during the same period of time. Additionally, the inlet and outlet of the air blower  10  is muffled so as to meet or exceed OSHA noise standards, for example.  
         [0034]     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the apparatus is configurable as a single unit within a housing  260 , so as to be easily transportable from one location to another. Further, the apparatus may be oriented horizontally, for example, as shown in FIGS.  1 ( a )-( c ),  4 , and  5 , or vertically, as shown in FIGS.  6 ( a ) and ( b ). Additionally, although the bypass valve  230  is shown in  FIGS. 4-6  as being below the tee fitting  220 , it is within the scope of the invention to include the second bypass valve  235  between the second pipe  210  and the tee fitting  220 , as shown in  FIG. 6 ( b ), or to include only the second bypass valve  235 , as illustrated in  FIG. 1 ( c ).  
         [0035]     In operation, the air blower  10  is switched on via the control panel  100  and draws outside air through the air filter  80  and air inlet pipe  60 . The outside air, heated by the ordinary action of the air blower  10 , is then forced through the outlet pipe  70  and through the tee fitting  220 . Thereafter, the air may be directed entirely through the pipe  200 . Alternatively, the air may be divided into two separate flows by adjusting the bypass valve  230  and/or the bypass valve  235 . A first flow passes through the first pipe  200 , the first opening  130 , the air lance  240 , and into the interior of the reservoir  20 . A second flow passes through the second pipe  210 , the second opening  140 , and into the interior of the reservoir  20 . The bypass valves  230  and  235  are adjustable so as to change the amount of air passing through the first and second pipes  200 ,  210 . Therefore, once the apparatus is started, adjusting the bypass valves  230  and/or  235  controls a concentration of vaporized oil  30  discharged from the apparatus. Hence, the blower  10  can be operated at a constant speed, reducing the complexity of the apparatus.  
         [0036]     Heated air entering through the second opening  140  passes into the interior of the reservoir  20  and over the surface of the oil  30 , causing a portion of the air to vaporize. Alternately, heated air passing through the first opening  130  exits through the openings  250  formed in the air lance  240 , such as in a bubbling manner, causing a portion of the oil  30  to vaporize. Consequently, the capability to redirect a portion of the heated air through the first pipe  200  by opening the bypass valve  230  causes evaporation of the oil  30  to occur at a higher rate, thereby increasing the concentration of the oil  30  exhausted from the apparatus.  
         [0037]     Thereafter, a mixture of air and oil  30  (interchangeably referred to hereinafter as “mixture”) is discharged from the interior of the reservoir  20  through the outlet  150 , where the mixture is dispersed via the vapor dispersing device  50 .  
         [0038]     Referring to  FIG. 7 , the reservoir  20  alternatively includes a charge port  260  and a plurality of pack fill spheres  270  (interchangeably referred to hereinafter as “scrubber packing  270 ”), such as, for example, a plurality of 3.5-inch diameter polypropylene spheres. The scrubber packing  270  fills a portion of the interior of the reservoir  20  and creates obstructions to the air passing through the oil  30  and, consequently, increases the amount of time the air is in contact with the oil  30 . As a result, the air evaporates a larger amount of the oil  30 .  
         [0039]     A second embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in  FIG. 8 . The apparatus includes a regenerative blower  10 , similar to the type described above. As such, the blower  10  includes an air inlet pipe  60 , an air outlet pipe  70 , and a control panel  100 . The blower  10  also includes a motor of any suitable size, such as those described above, to accommodate a desired flowrate of air, and the inlet pipe  60  includes, for example, an air filter  80 , similar to the type described above. Further, the apparatus includes a reservoir  280  having an inlet pipe  290 , an outlet pipe  300 , a charging port  310 , and a drain  320 . The air outlet pipe  70  and the inlet pipe  290  are connected via a tee fitting  295 , providing communication between the blower  10  and the interior of the reservoir  280 . A bypass pipe  330  extends between the inlet pipe  290  and the outlet pipe  300  and includes a bypass valve  340 . The bypass valve  340  directs all or only a portion of the air into the reservoir  280  through the inlet pipe  290 . Although not shown, the apparatus according to the second embodiment may also include a second bypass valve disposed between the tee fitting  295  and the inlet pipe  290 . The second bypass valve is also used to control an amount of air directed into the interior of the reservoir  280  and an amount of air directed through the bypass pipe  330 . Further, the apparatus according to the second embodiment may include only the second bypass valve. The charging port  310  includes a removable lid  350 , which permits access to the interior of the reservoir  280  for introduction of items, such as scrubber packing  270  and oil  30 , for example. The drain  320  includes a removable lid  360  that, when removed, allows any fluid within the reservoir  280  to drain.  
         [0040]     As shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the reservoir  280  is cylindrical and includes an annular flange  370  for securing the reservoir  280  to a structure. However, it is within the scope of the present invention that the reservoir  280  have any suitable shape, such as a cube, a rectangular box, sphere, pyramid, or tetrahedron.  
         [0041]     Referring to  FIGS. 10 and 11 , an air sparger  380  having a plurality of branches  390  is disposed within the interior of the reservoir  280  and is attached at one end to the inlet pipe  290 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 11 , the air sparger  380  is cross-shaped and includes four branches  390 . However, the cross-shaped air sparger  380  is shown only as an example, and it is within the scope of the present invention to include an air sparger of any shape or configuration or having any number of branches  390 . The air sparger  380  also includes a plurality of openings  400  formed along each branch  390  in a bottom surface thereof, for example. The openings  400  provide communication between the interior of the reservoir  280  and the outlet of the blower  10 . Further the blower  10  and the outlet pipe  70  are disposed above the fill level of the oil  30  so that the oil  30  does not flow into the blower  10 .  
         [0042]     During operation of the apparatus, ambient air drawn through the air filter  80  and inlet pipe  60  passes through the blower  10  and the air outlet pipe  70 . As explained above, all or a portion of the air is directed into the reservoir  20  and through the air sparger  380  by manipulation of the bypass valve  340 . The remainder of the air (i.e., bypass air) is directed through the bypass valve  340  and the bypass pipe  330 . Therefore, positioning of bypass valve  340  controls an amount of air coming into contact with the oil  30 . Consequently, the blower  10  can be operated at a constant speed, reducing the complexity of the apparatus.  
         [0043]     The portion of air directed into the reservoir  280  exits the plurality of openings  400  and bubbles through the oil  30  and around the scrubber packing  270 , if present. As explained above, the air evaporates a portion of the oil  30  forming an air/oil mixture. The mixture exits the reservoir  280  through the outlet pipe  300 , combines with the bypass air, if any, and exits the apparatus through a vapor dispersing device  50 . As explained above, the vapor dispersing device  50  can include the perforated hose  170  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) or one or more nozzles  90  (shown in  FIGS. 3 and 5 ), for example.  
         [0044]      FIGS. 12 and 13  illustrate a third embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus according to the third embodiment includes a vacuum pump  410  connected to a reservoir  280 . A vacuum pump  410  may be used as opposed to a regenerative blower, because the air need not be warmed during pumping. However, a regenerative blower may be used, and, as such, the present invention is inclusive of both a vacuum pump and regenerative blower.  
         [0045]     An inlet pipe  420  of the vacuum pump  410  attaches to a mating pipe or fitting of a source  430 , such as an outlet of a wastewater pumping station. An outlet pipe  440  of the vacuum pump  390  connects to an inlet pipe  290  of the reservoir  280 . As described above, the reservoir  280  includes an outlet pipe  300 , a charging port  310 , and a drain  320 . Although illustrated as being cylindrical in shape, the reservoir  280  can be of any suitable shape, as in the previous embodiments. An air sparger  380 , having a plurality of openings  400 , is disposed within the reservoir  280  and is in communication with the inlet pipe  290 . As also explained above, although the air sparger  380  is illustrated as being cross-shaped, the air sparger may have any suitable shape or configuration.  
         [0046]     The interior of the reservoir  280  contains a scavenger fluid  450 , an oil  30 , and scrubber packing  270 , for example. The scavenger fluid  450  includes, for example, bleach, caustic (e.g., NaOH), trizene, or any other fluid capable of removing obnoxious or undesired gases from an airflow, such as H 2 S. Further, the scavenger fluid  450  has a different density than the essential oil  30 , so that the scavenger fluid  450  and the essential oil  30  form separate layers within the reservoir  280 . The scavenger fluid  450 , the oil  30 , and the scrubber packing  270  are introduced into the reservoir via the charging port  310 .  
         [0047]     The apparatus is activated using a control panel  100 , which causes the vacuum pump  410  to draw air from the desired source  430 . The air passes from the vacuum pump  410  and into the reservoir  280  via the air outlet  440 , the air inlet  290  of the reservoir  280 , and the air sparger  380 . The air then exits the air sparger  380  and bubbles through the scavenger fluid  450  and the oil  30 . As explained above, the scrubber packing  270  creates obstructions to the flow of the air and, therefore, increases the amount of time the air is present within the scavenger fluid  450  and the oil  30 . The scavenger fluid  450  reacts with and removes H 2 S contained in the air. The air then evaporates a portion of the oil  30  before the mixture of air and oil  30  is released into the atmosphere. As a result, the air is deodorized. The mixture is dispersed into the atmosphere by a vapor dispersing device  50 , such as the perforated hose  170  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) or the one or more nozzles  90  (shown in  FIGS. 3 and 5 ).  
         [0048]     The apparatus according to the third embodiment may also include a bypass pipe connected to the air outlet  440  and one or more bypass valves, as described above, for directing a portion of the air outside of the reservoir  280 .  
         [0049]     Example uses of the present invention include deodorizing an air flow generated by pumping waste material from a septic tank or other waste facility to a tank, such as a tank mounted on a truck. Additionally, the present invention is useable to deodorize an air flow emitted from a pump house of a wastewater treatment plant. Accordingly, it is within the scope of the present invention that the apparatus be portable, such as transportable by truck, to a preferred location or permanently mounted at a particular location.  
         [0050]     While there has been described what are at present considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that various modifications may be made thereto, and it is intended that the appended claims cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Other modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art.