Patent ID: 7238330

Claim:
A vapor decontamination system for decontaminating a defined region, said system comprising: a chamber defining a region; a closed loop circulating system for supplying said vaporized hydrogen peroxide to said region, said closed loop circulating system defining a first fluid path; a generator disposed within said first fluid path, said generator being operable to generate vaporized hydrogen peroxide from a solution of hydrogen peroxide and water; a destroyer for breaking down said vaporized hydrogen peroxide disposed within said first fluid path upstream of said generator; a bypass conduit bypassing a portion of said first fluid flow path, said destroyer being disposed in said portion of said first fluid flow path, said bypass conduit having a first end fluidly connected to said first fluid path between said region and said destroyer and a second end fluidly connected to said first flow path between said destroyer and said generator; a valve disposed at said first end of said bypass conduit, said valve having a first position for directing fluid flowing along said first fluid flow path though said portion of said first fluid flow path, and a second position for directing fluid flowing along said first fluid flow path though said bypass conduit bypassing said portion of said first fluid flow path and said destroyer; and a controller operable to cause substantially all of said vaporized hydrogen peroxide generated by said generator to bypass said destroyer during a predetermined phase of operation.