Patent Abstract:
An apparatus for removing contaminants from air, including nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and sulphur dioxide. In one of the chambers of a multi-chambered enclosure, polluted inlet air is exposed to one or more first light sources emitting light at wavelengths less than or equal to 242.3 nm to cause dissociation of contaminant molecules, creating ozone plus remaining atoms. The remaining atoms are largely filtered by activated charcoal filters having an appropriate thickness which is sized to achieve suitable dwell times, and which also serves as an oxygen rich medium permitting the ozone generated to undergo atomic rearrangement, whereby ozone molecules (O 3 ) and atomic oxygen atoms (O) form oxygen molecules (O 2 ). In another downstream chamber, the air flow is exposed to one or more second light sources emitting light at wavelengths greater than 242.3 nm but less than 280 nm, causing conversion of remaining ozone into oxygen molecules.

Full Description:
[0001]    This application claims priority on U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/192,599 filed on Sep. 19, 2008, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to improvements in methods and apparatus for purifying air, and more particularly to such methods and apparatus which are specifically capable of removing pollutants that may be either particulate or gaseous in nature. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The air comprising earth&#39;s atmosphere supplies vital life-sustaining requirements for virtually all forms of life. Plants utilize the carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere, through the process of photosynthesis, to produce sugar in the presence of sunlight, and expel oxygen as a waste product. The gills of a fish provide a means for extraction of oxygen from ocean water as well as excretion of carbon dioxide as waste—a natural filtering system—while certain aquatic animals absorb adequate amounts of oxygen through the surface of their bodies. It is well-known that oxygen levels in ocean waters are tied to the oxygen in the atmosphere, despite the prolific oxygen-production capability of the ocean&#39;s phytoplankton. 
         [0004]    The need for clean air for human respiration became an important issue after World War II, with concerns regarding radioactive fallout, and because of the effects of London&#39;s “Great Smog” of 1952, which is generally regarded as the most significant early air pollution episode in history, where over 100,000 became ill and hundreds of thousands were reported to have died prematurely due to the release of sulphur dioxide from burning low-grade coal. The U.S. Congress thereafter passed the Air Pollution Control Act of 1955, followed by a series of other “Clean Air Acts,” and in 1970, President Nixon signed the law creating the Environmental Protection Agency, which was to safeguard the natural environment—air, water and land. 
         [0005]    While progress has been made, the U.S. and other nations—particularly China and India—still rely heavily on the coal-fired generating plant. These coal-burning plants emit lead, mercury, arsenic, and millions of tons of carbon dioxide and soot annually, which are known to drift thousands of miles. Even where governmental regulation effectively controls the output of effluents into the environment, the possibility of accidental release remains a threat, and is starkly illustrated by the industrial disaster in Bhopal, India, where some 42 tons of toxic pesticide gas was accidentally released, resulting in 3,787 confirmed deaths. 
         [0006]    Pollutants affecting the ordinary American household daily may include industrial pollutants just described, as well as dust; pet dander; mold; pollen; plant spores; bacteria from bird droppings; tobacco smoke; and auto emissions in the form of unburned hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides (NO, NO 2 , N 2 O, N 2 O 3 , N 2 O 4 —NOx), carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. Where ozone in the upper atmosphere is necessary to block cancer causing high energy ultraviolet light from the sun, automobile hydrocarbons can react in the presence of NOx to produce ground-level ozone, which itself is carcinogenic. 
         [0007]    The human body has some inherent tolerance to pollutants, and the hair in the anterior nasal passage plus cilia in the nasal cavity—which transports mucus—even serve to filter certain particulates from the air that enters a person&#39;s lungs. But many pollutants, including ozone, while possibly not concentrated enough to cause death or cancer, may cause respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, throat inflammation, chest pain, congestion, and other ailments. So it is not surprising that there are many U.S. patents pertaining to air purification. 
         [0008]    There is wide range of techniques that have resulted in the issuance of patents, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,300 to Knudson. The Knudson approach uses three filters—“a mechanical filter element . . . , an activated charcoal filter element . . . , and an electrostatic air precipitator filter element.” The mechanical and charcoal filters provide conventional filtering, and the electrostatic air precipitator contains charging electrodes that electrically charge particles, which are then removed by electrostatic attraction to the collecting electrodes. Similarly, filtering according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,980,796 to Huggins occurs with an electric field generated by a charged screen that emits charged electrons, and “by ionizing the particulate which then flows to the floor under gravitational and/or electrostatic forces.” 
         [0009]    Purification according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,337,071 to Yang occurs when an “apparatus that produces cryogenic temperatures is used to remove, by condensation, all pollutants in the air.” U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,429 to Goldstein provides a room air purifier in the form of “a high efficiency filter disposed in the housing for trapping small particles down to 0.3 microns” and “at least one ultraviolet lamp means disposed therein for killing viruses and bacteria flowing through the germicidal chamber.” 
         [0010]    Many of these techniques serve to either filter particles, including the HEPA filter of U.S. Pat. No. 5,225,167, and/or provide ultraviolet germicidal lamps. Far less numerous are issued patents which address gaseous pollution instead of particulates. 
         [0011]    Not surprisingly, some of the prior art has dealt with unwanted gaseous contaminants being removed by using the natural process whereby plants take up carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,552 to Saseman provides for passing of room air up through potting soil, which contains carbon granules and sphagnum moss, and through the root system of living green plants, and claims to effectively remove “compositions from the class consisting of aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes and ketones, halogenated hydrocarbons, and cyclic hydrocarbons.” 
         [0012]    In a more time-efficient process, U.S. Pat. No. 5,908,494 to Ross includes a spray purification apparatus to inject an “acid-neutralizing alkali aqueous solution” which is used “to wash the contaminants from the airstream, followed by a mechanical drying of the washed airstream.” The apparatus claims effectiveness in the removal of “nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, hydrochloric acid, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone.” This process, however, requires necessary supporting apparatus of a fluid flow system for the aqueous solution in order to accomplish the spraying, drainage, and recirculation, making the system relatively complex and not autonomous due to the professional servicing that would regularly be required. 
         [0013]    The invention disclosed herein accomplishes cleansing of particulates and gaseous contaminants for a high volume of air in a robust, easily maintained system. 
       OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
       [0014]    It is an object of the invention to provide a means for purifying air. 
         [0015]    It is another object of the invention to provide a method for removal of particulates from room air. 
         [0016]    It is a further object of the invention to provide a process to remove gaseous contaminants from room air. 
         [0017]    It is another object of the invention to provide a robust method of air purification capable of purifying substantial volumes of room air. 
         [0018]    It is also an object of the invention to provide a purification system that is and easy to maintain. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0019]    An apparatus for removing contaminants from air, including nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and sulphur dioxide is disclosed. Polluted air may enter a first chamber through an inlet port. The first chamber, and all of the succeeding chambers, may contain sensors to measure certain properties of the incoming air flow, such as air flow rate in cubic feet per minute (CFM), inlet pressure, static pressure, pressure differentials, temperature, and relative humidity. The first chamber leads to a first activated charcoal filter which may filter particulate matter. The first activated charcoal filter also serves as the interconnection to a second chamber in which a plurality of first lamp sources is mounted. The air is therein exposed to light at wavelengths less than or equal to 242.3 nm to cause dissociation of contaminant molecules, creating ozone plus remaining atoms. 
         [0020]    Dissociation is a process in which ionic compounds separate or split into smaller molecules, ions, or radicals. The process involves a disconnection of the bonds between atoms that hold a molecule together, and may occur only when the energy contained within a photon is released. But to achieve dissociation, the wavelength of light used must be selected to deliver photons that are compatible with the target contaminant molecules. A non compatible sized photon will not disassociate the bonds between the target molecules. 
         [0021]    The flow of air, including the ozone plus remaining atoms resulting from dissociation, travel to the end of the second chamber and pass through a second activated charcoal filter. The remaining atoms are largely filtered by the second activated charcoal filter. The second activated charcoal filter is sized to have an appropriate thickness so as to achieve suitable dwell times of the air flow therein, to enable sufficient time for absorption of the remaining atoms. The second activated charcoal filter also serves as an oxygen rich medium, permitting the ozone generated in the second chamber to undergo atomic rearrangement through the process of molecular respiration. Atomic rearrangement of the ozone occurs with ozone molecules (O 3 ) and atomic oxygen atoms (O) combining to form oxygen molecules (O 2 ). 
         [0022]    The second activated charcoal filter is also the interconnection to the third chamber, in which the air flow is then exposed to one or more second light sources. These second light sources emit light at wavelengths greater than about 242.3 nm but less than about 280 nm, which causes conversion of any remaining ozone into oxygen molecules. The air flow may pass through a third activated charcoal filter for system redundancy to further filter any remaining atoms and ensure that the pollution is eliminated. The third activated charcoal filter interconnects to a fourth chamber, which comprises an outlet port, as well as additional sensors. These sensors may also measure air flow rate, velocity, temperature, relative humidity, and pressure, but can also be used to measure any residual pollution in the purified air flow, which, when compared to pollution levels of the inlet air flow, would serve to identify system efficiency and provide notice for when maintenance of the apparatus may be needed, particularly for replacement of the activated charcoal filters and for the lamps. Sensors may be located in any or all of the chambers to provide data on pressure drops, as well as to provide data on lamp intensity. 
         [0023]    The invention may be housed in a straight-line set of chambers in the form of a rectangular enclosure or a tubular duct. Alternatively, the invention could be configured to save space by having a bend after the second chamber, leading into the third and fourth chamber. Also, a blower may be incorporated to boost air flow, and additional lamps may be mounted to the interior of any enclosure to increase exposure of the air flow to the wavelength-specific light. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0024]      FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 1A  is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0026]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the present invention, having air dispersible baffles. 
           [0027]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the third embodiment of the present invention, having an internal array of additional light sources. 
           [0028]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention, having a blower. 
           [0029]      FIG. 5  is section cut through the blower of the fourth embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 . 
           [0030]      FIG. 6  is cross-sectional view of a fifth embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0031]      FIG. 1  shows a first embodiment incorporating principles of the Atmospheric Molecular Respirator of the present invention. The apparatus  3  is capable of removing contaminants from air by using both physical and chemical principles that will be discussed herein at the corresponding stage of the first embodiment. 
         [0032]    The apparatus  3  comprising a first embodiment may have a first chamber  10  that is formed by one or more walls  11 . It should be pointed out that first chamber  10 , as well as the entire apparatus  3  may be formed with various shaped walls to constitute a duct capable of containing a flow of air. The principles of this invention may be utilized regardless of the shape of the air-conducting enclosure, which may have, but is not limited to, a rectangular-shaped cross-section forming a box-like enclosure, or a circular-shaped cross-section that forms a tubular enclosure. The discussion for the first apparatus  3  will proceed with a description of the enclosure as a plurality of walls  11 , which may be considered, to aid the reader when looking at  FIG. 1 , as creating a rectangular-shaped chamber  10 . 
         [0033]    The plurality of walls  11  may include an inlet port  12  through which an inlet air flow  4  may be received into the apparatus  3 . Inlet airflow  4  would constitute contaminated indoor/outdoor air being introduced into the apparatus  3  for purification. The plurality of walls  11  may include a solid baffle plate  14  that is without any openings so as to serve as a separation wall between first chamber  10  and other subsequent chambers, and thereby prevents intermingling of any of the discrete air flows herein described. The plurality of walls  11  forming chamber  10  should be sized and generally designed to ensure good air flow and air distribution for the particular service conditions. It should be pointed out that the principles of this invention may be incorporated for use in homes, industrial facilities, office buildings, automobiles, aircraft environmental control systems, and more generally into any heating/ventilating or air conditioning (HVAC) system. More particularly, apparatus  3 , or any of the other embodiments offered herein, may be incorporated into a new building or added to an existing building to purify the outside air being drawn in for use by the occupants. In addition, the apparatus could be installed to the tops of buildings to purify air in major metropolitan areas that typically experience serious smog problems. 
         [0034]    Chamber  10 , as well as each of the other chambers discussed hereinafter that may follow chamber  10 , may contain a plurality of sensors  16  to measure certain aspects of the incoming air flow  4 , such as air flow rate in cubic feet per minute (CFM), inlet pressure, static pressure, pressure differentials, temperature, relative humidity, and lamp intensity. It would also be beneficial, in order to provide adjustments to the air flow rate and corresponding air dwell time per chamber, to have sensors measuring pollution levels in parts per million (ppm) for both the incoming air  4  and the purified air. 
         [0035]    The plurality of walls  11  of chamber  10  may also include a first filter  15 , positioned in the only air-permeable exit of first chamber  10  through which air flow  4  can pass. First filter  15  is optional. However, first filter  15 , which may preferably be a carbon-based filter more preferably an activated charcoal filter, would serve to filter particulate matter at this stage, before the air flow undergoes purification. It is well known that a charcoal filter, being a form of carbon that has been processed to have high porosity, serves effectively to filter certain elements and particulates. Activated charcoal is charcoal that has been treated with oxygen to enhance its porosity. Filtration in the activated charcoal filter occurs by the high porosity providing bonding sites to attract and “absorb” chemicals. Once the filter has been in service for an extended period of time, all of the bonding sites may become full, and the filter will no longer attract and remove impurities from the air flow, at which time the filter should be replaced. Therefore, if apparatus  3  incorporates a first activated charcoal filter  15  and any other such filters, provisions must be made for its ease of installation and subsequent replacement into the plurality of walls  11  and solid baffle plate  14 . Activated charcoal filter  15  is shown in  FIG. 1  with an external handle  15 A, permitting easy access to and removal of the activated charcoal filter  15  without disassembly of the apparatus  3 . 
         [0036]    The first activated charcoal filter  15 , as incorporated into apparatus  3 , filters particulates from inlet air flow  4  to produce first filtered air flow  5 . First activated charcoal filter  15 , as incorporated into apparatus  3 , interconnects the first chamber  10  to the second chamber  20 , by providing the porous pathway. A different embodiment, which does not have first activated charcoal filter  15 , would essentially have chamber  10  and second chamber  20  being merged into a single chamber. Chamber  20  may be considered to be formed of a plurality of walls  21 , however, it may also be seen in  FIG. 1  that the plurality of wall constituting the first chamber may simply extend to produce the second and subsequent chambers, and in fact, all of the apparatus  3  walls could actually be formed of a single continuous curved wall. 
         [0037]    The second chamber  20  has one or more walls  21 . A first activated charcoal filter  15  may be considered as forming one of a plurality of walls  21  of said second chamber  20 . Additionally, solid baffle plate  14  may also extend beyond first chamber  10  to serve as one of the walls of second chamber  20 , and thus continues to serve as an air-flow separation wall, separating second chamber  20  from the third chamber  30 , which follows second chamber  20 . 
         [0038]    One of the key features of this invention is the light sources found in second chamber  20 . Second chamber  20  incorporates one or more first light sources  22  that emit light only at specified wavelengths. Positioning one or several first light sources  22  that only emit a mid-range violet light, having wavelengths of less than or equal to 242.3 nm, will cause dissociation of targeted contaminant molecules. 
         [0039]    Dissociation is a process in which ionic compounds—complexes (a “coordination compound” or “metal complex”), molecules, or salts—separate or split into smaller molecules, ions, or radicals. The process involves a dissociation of the bonds between atoms that hold a molecule together, and may occur only when the energy contained within a photon is released. To trigger this release, the photon must strike a molecule capable of absorbing the photon&#39;s energy. 
         [0040]    To achieve dissociation, the wavelength of light used must be selected to deliver photons that are compatible with the target contaminant molecules. A non compatible sized photon will not disassociate the bonds between the target molecules. The appropriate wavelength of light that will cause dissociation is the size of the largest single photon the molecule could possibly carry, based on the energy it can absorb, to “excite” the atomic particles within the molecule. Too large of a photon can result in production of heat, radio waves, visual light, gamma rays, etc. The relationship between energy and frequency is referred to as Planck&#39;s Relation or the Planck-Einstein Equation: E=hv, where v is the frequency of the radiation, and h is Planck&#39;s constant whose units take the form of energy multiplied by time. Planck&#39;s constant is, in various different units, 6.62606896(33)×10 −34  J·s (Joule-seconds), or 4.13566733(10)×10 −15  eV·s (electron volt-seconds), or 6.62606896(33)×10 −27  erg·s (erg-seconds). As an example, the energy of a 200 nm photon is thereby determined to be 10 to the minus 18 th  power (10 −18 ). The light wavelengths selected to shine and produce dissociation of the chemical bonds of the contaminant molecules here will be 242.3 NM or smaller, which comprises only a fraction of the conventional UVC light (wavelengths of 280 nm-100 nm) that is often utilized for its germicidal effect (where UV long wave begins at 400 nm and generally runs down to 10 nm, and has energies from 3 eV to 124 eV). 
         [0041]    In particular, in second chamber  2  of a first embodiment, there will be treatment of inorganic compounds, accomplished by dissociation of molecules that includes, but is not limited to, NOx, CO, CO 2 , and SO2, which will result in the formation of ozone (O 3 ) and remaining atoms. In an alternate embodiment, the air may be treated to so as to only treat one or more specific chemicals from the group consisting of NOx, CO, CO 2 , and SO 2 . 
         [0042]    Once the largest usable wave length of light that will produce the desired molecular respiration is known, which here will be 242.3 nm or smaller, lamp sources can be considered. First light source  22  could be a laser with compressed wavelengths, to shorten the spike and spreads its wavelength, and so have a wider range with a lesser intensity. The lamp source that today seems to be most efficient and economic is a mercury arc lamp, which may preferably be used in a preferred embodiment. 
         [0043]    Exposure of first filtered air flow  5  to a plurality of first lamp sources  22  in the first embodiment produces the dissociated air flow  6 , which includes both the formed ozone and the remaining atoms. It may be seen by looking at  FIG. 1  that first filtered air flow  5  must traverse the full length of second chamber  20  and therein repeatedly undergo illumination by the appropriate wavelength of light being emitted from a series of lamp sources, resulting in air flow which may not avoid lengthy exposure and treatment. The plurality of walls  21  of said second chamber  20  may also comprise a second activated charcoal filter  23  to serve as the primary filter of the invention. Second activated charcoal filter  23  may also include an external handle  23 A for easy access to and removal of the filter. The second activated charcoal filter  23  acts on the former pollutants now in their new form as free radicals, atoms which previously could not be removed from the air, but are now in a vulnerable state, and will be scrubbed from the dissociated air flow  6  as it passes thru the primary activated charcoal filter  23 . Exiting the second activated charcoal filter  23  will be the scrubbed air flow  7 . 
         [0044]    Selection of the appropriate size activated charcoal filter is important for several reasons. The filter should be sized for a thickness that provides a minimal practical service life in terms of months or years of usage, and also provides the minimum thickness to produce suitable dwell times of the air to ensure that this process critical event reaches completion. Additionally, sizing of the filter must address the service conditions including, but not limited to, velocity and air flow rate. A benefit of a thicker filter is that it reduces the frequency of filter replacements needed and offers redundancy, lower maintenance costs, and less down time. Alternatively, a thinner filters benefits the draft inducer with a lower demand by placing a lower static pressure resistance or pressure differential across the filter for the same CFM and orifice size, than a filter of greater thickness. But a thinner filter will require more frequent replacements and or wash downs. 
         [0045]    Another useful effect of second activated charcoal filter  23  is that the ozone that was generated during the second chamber  20  will exchange atoms within the filter, resulting in the atomic rearrangement of the ozone molecule (O 3 ) and atomic oxygen atoms to form oxygen molecules (O 2 ). 
         [0046]    Second activated charcoal filter  23  serves to interconnect the second chamber  20  to a third chamber  30 . The third chamber  30  may be formed of a plurality of walls  31 , of which the second activated charcoal filter  23  comprises one of the walls, along with solid baffle plate  14 . The third chamber  30  may incorporate one or more second light sources  32 . The second light source  32  is selected to emit light at wavelengths greater than 242.3 nm but less than 280 nm. This range of light wavelength is selected as it will cause conversion of ozone into oxygen, so any ozone atoms not converted to oxygen molecules within the activated charcoal filter  23  will be acted upon. Should the wavelengths utilized approach a size greater than 280 nm, heat will also begin to develop proportionately as the increased size of the photons excite molecules being treated. 
         [0047]    Looking at  FIG. 1 , it can be seen that second activated charcoal filter  23  may be positioned as shown, and thus extend outward from solid baffle plate  14 , or could alternatively be replaced by an alternate activated charcoal filter  24 , and/or an alternate activated charcoal filter  25 . Also, alternate activated charcoal filter  24  and alternate activated charcoal filter  25  could be integrated to form a single larger activated charcoal filter and thus provide redundant filtering of dissociated air flow  6 . To reduce losses in the air flow rate in the apparatus  5 , second chamber  20  and third chamber  30  may each contain curved inner wall  26  that redirects the path of the air flow. 
         [0048]    As seen in  FIG. 1 , the second light source  32  may be a plurality of lamps that are mounted in succession across the length of one of the plurality of walls  31  to increase exposure of the remaining ozone molecules in the scrubbed air flow  7 , and produce the converted air flow  8 . Converted air flow  8  may be subjected to a third activated charcoal filter  33  for system redundancy to further filter any remaining atoms and ensure that the pollution is eliminated. Third activated charcoal filter  33  may also include an external handle  33 A for easy access to and removal of the filter. Exiting the third activated charcoal filter  33  will be purified air flow  9 . 
         [0049]    The third activated charcoal filter  33  also serves to interconnect third chamber  30  and a fourth chamber  40 . Fourth chamber  40  serves as an outlet chamber and is comprised of a plurality of walls  41  of which the third activated charcoal filter  33  may serve as one of these walls. The plurality of walls  41  of the fourth “outlet” chamber  40  may also include an outlet port  42 . Chamber  40  may also have sensors  47 , which are comparable to sensors  16  in first chamber  10  as previously described. Sensors  47  may also measure air flow rate, velocity, temperature, relative humidity, and pressure. Furthermore, sensors  47  may be used to measure any residual pollution in the purified flow  9 , which would serve to identify system efficiency, and provide notice for when maintenance of the apparatus  5  may be needed, particularly for replacement of the activated charcoal filters, but also for the lamps. The sensors providing measurements of both inlet and residual pollution levels may also be utilized to adjust the intensity of light being emitted from the lamps  22  and  32  to optimize treatment where there are higher pollution levels or greater flow rates of air due to higher demand. 
         [0050]    In another alternate embodiment 3A, shown in  FIG. 1A , outer wall filters  27  may be located adjacent lamps  22 , or may immediately follow lamps  22  in chamber  20  to draw off purified air before certain target pollutants may reconstitute themselves in the chamber. In one embodiment the filters may be positioned on the wall to surround the lamps. The purified air that is drawn off may continue to flow through outer conduit  28 . Similarly, outer wall filters  37  may also immediately follow lamps  32  in chamber  30  to draw purified air into the outer conduit  28 . Outer conduit  28  may terminate in a secondary outlet port  38 , which may interconnect with outlet port  42 . Alternate embodiment 3A lends itself to a generally radial arrangement of the chambers, lamps, and filters—possibly being a single filter—where the embodiment may have advantageous uses in automotive and other similar applications having air flow rates much lower than that which is required for large buildings. 
         [0051]    A second embodiment of the present invention is shown by apparatus  103  in  FIG. 2 . Apparatus  103  incorporates all of the essential elements of apparatus  3 , but occupies a different shape by having the chambers formed in a straight line. Such an arrangement may trade off compactness in the design of the unit, while achieving greater efficiency. 
         [0052]    Apparatus  103  may be formed of ducting having a rectangular cross-section, but may also preferably be formed with a cylindrical exterior wall  111  having a first end cap  113  and a second end cap  114  ( FIG. 2 ). First end cap  113  may have an inlet port  112  to receive inlet airflow  104 , and second end cap  114  may have an outlet port  142 . Apparatus  103  may also have a first chamber  110 , second chamber  120 , third chamber  130 , and a fourth chamber  140  serving the same functions as first chamber  10 , second chamber  20 , third chamber  30 , and fourth chamber  40  of apparatus  3 , wherein they are separated by first activated charcoal filter  115 , second activated charcoal filter  123 , and third activated charcoal filter  133 . Second chamber  120  may have one or more first light sources  122 , emitting light at wavelengths of less than or equal to 242.3 nm, the same as first light source  22  of apparatus  3 , while third chamber  130  may have one or more second light sources  132 , emitting light at wavelengths greater than 242.3 nm but less than 280 nm, the same as second light source  31  of apparatus  3 . 
         [0053]    With apparatus  103  so constructed, all of the processes—the dissociation of contaminant molecules of a first filtered air flow  105 , the filtering of remaining atoms from the dissociated air flow  106  to produce scrubbed air flow  107 , the conversion of ozone into oxygen molecules constituting converted air flow  108 , and the final filtering to achieve purified air flow  109 —are all comparable to those described for apparatus  3 . 
         [0054]    Apparatus  103  may additionally incorporate, into first chamber  110 , a plurality of air dispersible baffles  150 . The plurality of air dispersible baffles  150  may serve to direct the air flow into a more evenly distributed flow across the periphery of first activated charcoal filter  115 , than might be otherwise obtained from the inlet air flow  104  of the small inlet port  112 . 
         [0055]    Also, in an alternate embodiment of apparatus  103 , first chamber  120  and second chamber  130  may be combined so that both the first and second lamp sources are illuminating the air flow in a single enclosure. 
         [0056]    A variation of the apparatus  103  may create a third embodiment of the invention ( FIG. 3 ), in the form of apparatus  203 , which may also have member  160  running along the axis of the cylinder that forms cylindrical wall  111 . Axis member  160  may generally be supported by posts extending from cylindrical wall  111  (not shown). Axis member  160  so added to apparatus  103  would permit the mounting of an additional array of first light sources  122  in second chamber  120 , and additional second light sources  132  in third chamber  130 . 
         [0057]    Another variation of the apparatus  103  may create a fourth embodiment shown by apparatus  303  in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , which additionally incorporates a fan or blower  370 , having a blower outlet duct  371 . The fan/blower  370 , although shown in the fourth chamber of apparatus  303 , could also be located in any one of the other chambers as well. The fan/blower  370  may be incorporated into the apparatus  303  to counter reductions in flow rates due to pressure drops resulting from appropriately sized activated charcoal filters, as well as deviation from pressure experience under standard atmospheric conditions. Thus; the fan/blower  370  may work in conjunction with the sensors that may be located in each of the chambers to calibrate the air flow rate, so as to ensure sufficient exposure time to the wavelength-specific light in each chamber. 
         [0058]    Finally, another variation of the apparatus  103  may create fifth embodiment in the form of apparatus  503 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . Apparatus  503  may be constructed exactly like apparatus  103  except it includes a fifth chamber  550  that is creating by inclusion of a moveable plate  511  which has a pivotal attachment  512  to one of the walls of the fourth chamber  540 . When sensors  16  and  47  determine that there is a significant reduction in the contaminants contained in the purified air, indicating proper functioning of the lamps and filters, but there still remains a high level of contamination in the treated air due to an inordinately high level of pollution in the incoming air, the sensors may trigger an actuation means (not shown) to rotate moveable plate  511 . The free end of moveable plate  511  may be rotated from position “a,” where it abuts the solid baffle plate  14 , to position “b,” where it abuts one of the walls of fourth chamber  540  and simultaneously blocks air flow out of outlet port  542 , while creating an opening into fifth chamber  550 . Fifth chamber  550  may contain a curved wall, beginning approximately at the position “c” phantom line and ending approximately at the position “d” phantom line, to transition the air flow into a series of chambers adjacent to second chamber  520 , third chamber  530 , and fourth chamber  540 , in creating a redundant purification cycle which may be triggered only when necessary, by the high pollution levels sensed. The adjacent chambers— 560 , and  570 —may be separated by a UV opaque liner that permits transmission of the UV light from the corresponding adjacent chambers— 520  and  530 . Additional UV lamps emitting appropriate wavelengths may also be included in the chambers  560  and  570 . Chambers  560  and  570  may have an interconnection between them, similar to chambers  520  and  530 , in the form of an activated charcoal filter  523 A, and seventh chamber  570  may, interconnect through an activated charcoal filter  533 A into an outlet chamber  580 . Outlet chamber  580  may have an outlet port  582 , which would supply twice-scrubbed air to the home or building into which the apparatus  503  is installed. 
         [0059]    The examples and descriptions provided merely illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Those skilled in the art and having the benefit of the present disclosure will appreciate that further embodiments may be implemented with various changes within the scope of the present invention. Other modifications, substitutions, omissions and changes may be made in the design, size, materials used or proportions, operating conditions, assembly sequence, or arrangement or positioning of elements and members of the preferred embodiment without departing from the spirit of this invention as described in the following claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 2