Improved Method of Disinfecting and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Jan., 1898-Accepted, 28th May, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Method of Disinfecting and Apparatus therefor.
I, EUGÈNE FOURNIER, of 114, Rue de Provence, Paris, in the Republic of France,
Pharmaceutical Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
The experiments with disinfecting apparatus which formed the subject of my
former Patent No. 7888 of 1897 not being absolutely conclusive as regards per-
ject and complete disinfection under any desired conditions, I instituted further
researches, the result of which is a new process and apparatus for its practical
application, which form the subject of the present application for patent.
The experiments have shown that in order to completely disinfect dust or con-
taminated dry substances which are difficult to penetrate, such for instance, as
those containing carbon spores, it is necessary to first saturate the atmosphere of
the building etc. with slightly alcoholised and alcalinised steam, for instance,
steam produced from water charged with % to 5% of alcohol (90%), as desired,
and with 2% of ammonia (22%). It is moreover absolutely necessary for
obtaining completely satisfactory results, that this steam, as well as the disin-
fecting or sterilising vapours subsequently injected, should penetrate or be diffused
throughout the atmosphere. This is specially necessary when the dimensions
of the place to be disinfected exceed 60 cbc. metres, and the height exceeds the
usual height of a room, such for instance as is the case in official laboratories
where the minimum height is very often 5 metres.
In order more particularly to sterilise contaminated dust and dry substances,
it has been found best to generate disinfecting or sterilising vapours by vapour-
ising a mixture of formaldehyde with alcohol and acetone.
Having first moistened the atmosphere of the room by the first operation and
before proceeding with the second operation, the floor of the room is sprinkled
with the solution of the disinfectant used for said second operation.
One of the experiments made with the hereinbefore described process related to
15 cultures with which fabrics and wood were impregnated and which comprised
carbon spores, Eberth microbes, tetragène, and blue lice (pus bleu). After 24 hours
of contact the most perfect and absolute results were obtained, as none of
the seeds of these cultures germinated.
An apparatus enabling the easy and quick practical application of the herein-
before process to be made, will now be described.
For this purpose a hermetically closable apparatus is employed, the construc-
tion of which will be easily understood from the description with reference to
the accompanying drawing, Figure 1, showing the essential parts of the apparatus
in vertical section, Figures 2 and 3 being detail views.
The apparatus comprises (Figure 1) a hermetically closing boiler or generator A
with a cover B, in which generator is arranged a cylindrical receptacle C having
a fixed bottom and cover, the latter of which is provided with an aperture D for
filling, closed by an air-tight screw-plug E, and with a tubular projection or
branch F passing through the cover B of the boiler at G, the joint being rendered

page_text: air-tight in any suitable manner. To this branch F is attached a short tube H
having a cock I having a plug with two ways, one of which can come in line
with the passage J communicating at the bottom with the interior of the boiler A,
and the other with the passage K communicating with the interior of the recep-
tacle C. The upper ends of these passages J and K are continued by two
tubes LM which come together at a certain height merging into one tube N,
which is made as long as desired. A protecting casing O attached to the end of
the upper tube of the cock I surrounds the tubes L M and N for a certain length.
The tube N is preferably made of rigid metal. To its upper end is connected
by means of a screw union-piece Q, a continuation made of some flexible metal or
material, so as to enable it to be bent in any direction. To the end of this exten-
sion may be joined other similar extensions made of flexible or rigid material or
metal in any desired number and of any length; or instead of these last exten-
sions, to the second extension may be if required directly connected a spraying
or diffusing device. This device serves for projecting into and diffusing in the
room firstly, the alcoholised and alcalinised steam which prepares the contaminated
dust or material for the subsequent thorough impregnation with disinfecting
vapours, and secondly, the disinfecting vapours after a sufficient interval has
elapsed to enable the steam to condense, and the pressure in the apparatus to be
raised to 4 atm., said projections taking place preferably at a pressure of about
4 atm., and for any desired length of time. Previously to these operations the
room etc. to be disinfected is closed in a more or less air-tight manner, the
apparatus being placed outside, and one of the tubes R being passed through a
key-hole or any other suitable opening into the room.
The projections device according to the present invention consists in one form
of a trident shaped device Figure 2, the tubular prong or branch S of which is
directed downwards normally to the prong U directed upwards, while the branch T
is arranged along the bisector of the angle formed by the branches S and U, and
is horizontal. The cross-sectional area of the tubular branches is preferably such
that the pressure of steam in the generator A and of the vapours in the receptacle C
is only slightly diminished.
It will be now easy to understand the new disinfecting and sterilising process.
The receptacle C containing the required quantity of the disinfected solution,
is introduced into the generator A which is closed by its cover B and contains
a quantity of alcoholised and alcalinised water required for heating the recep-
tacle C and producing the steam required for the first operation according to the
present process. The attachment containing the cock I is screwed into the
socket F. The protecting casing is then attached. The tube N is connected by
its first extension of flexible tubing to a second extension which is rigid and
which has been put in place before closing up the room or place to be disinfected.
This extension passes through the wall of the room, through a key-hole or any
other suitable opening and is connected inside the room with the projecting
and diffusing device or trident S TU, either directly or by means of one or several
other extensions protected, if required, by a woollen or fabric covering, according
to the length of the room.
Then the generator A. is heated by any suitable means, the cock I being succes-
sively opened at both its passages to a sufficient extent to enable air to escape
both from the generator and from the receptacle C. The apparatus may be pro-
vided with a safety valve and alarm whistle set to the desired pressure which
should be about 4 atmospheres; the signal given by said safety devices indicates
that the apparatus has acquired sufficient pressure and is ready to work. The
cock I is then turned so as to open the passage J communicating with the generator.
When it is considered that a sufficient quantity of steam has been projected, the
cock I is closed in order that the pressure may again reach 4 atmospheres, and
also to enable the steam projected to condense. Then the cock. I is turned so as
to open the passage K from the receptacle C by which disinfecting vapours are
projected into the room.

page_text: As already mentioned, it is necessary, between these two operations, to sprinkle
the floor with a suitable quantity of the disinfecting solution.
The alcoholised and alcalinised steam in the first operation as well as the dis-
infecting vapours in the second, are thus projected into the room or place to be
disinfected in all directions. After the necessary amount of disinfectant has been
applied, the room must remain closed in an air-tight manner for a certain time,
in order to enable the disinfecting and sterilising action to take place, which
time in the experiment above related was 24 hours.
In certain cases and according to the arrangement of rooms, instead of the
trident S T U, the projecting and diffusing apparatus may be constituted by a
pivotted rotating tube or sprayer V, Figure 3, rotated by the fluid escaping under
pressure, and the tubular branches of which, under the influence of this rotation,―
which can be regulated as desired in any manner, spray and diffuse said vapours,
but in a less perfect manner than is done by the trident Figure 2. These two
apparatus naturally may vary in shape and dimensions according to the rooms
or places treated.
When disinfecting bedding, clothing, and other articles, in air-tight receptacles
of any shape, size, and description, whether fixed or mounted on a vehicle, the
branches of the trident may vary in shape and size, or in some cases they may be
entirely dispensed with, a simple nozzle or tube being employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The process of disinfecting rooms, receptacles and articles consisting in
successively spraying alcoholised and alcalinised steam and disinfecting vapours
of combined formaldehyde, alcohol and acetone into said rooms, receptacles and
articles, the same being sprinkled with the disinfecting solution between the
two operations, substantially as and for the purpose described.
2. Apparatus for carrying out the process described, comprising a closed recep-
tacle for alcoholised and alcalinised water, and an inner closed vessel for disin-
fecting solution, in combination with a tubular extension containing two passages,
one communicating with the inner and the other with the outer receptacle, and
a rotatable plug with two boxes cooperating with said passages, a tubular exten-
sion of same, wherein the two passages merge into one, a protecting casing there-
for, a flexible tubular extension and spraying arms, substantially as and for the
purpose described.
outer
3. Disinfecting apparatus of the character described comprising an
hermetically closable receptacle and inner closed receptacle C, tubular extension F
provided with two passages J K, cock I, with corresponding passages, tubular
extension L M N, casing O, flexible extension R, spraying branches S T U or
rotatable sprayer V X Y, substantially as and for the purpose described.
Dated this 21st day of January 1898