Abstract: An adsorption bed arrangement includes a plurality of adsorption elements, a housing, and a gasket member. Each of the adsorption elements has adsorption media contained within a respective element. Each of the adsorption elements are selectively openable to provide access to the adsorption media. The housing defines an interior, a plurality of inlet openings, and a plurality of outlet openings. The plurality of adsorption elements are positioned within the housing interior. The housing is selectively openable to provide access to the plurality of adsorption elements. The gasket member is between the housing and the adsorption elements. A method for changing filtering media in an adsorption apparatus includes steps of removing an access panel from an adsorption bed housing to expose a cover member covering an end of an adsorption element; removing the cover member from the end of the adsorption element to expose filtering media within the element; and pouring the filtering media from the element.

Abstract: An adsorption apparatus has a housing including an inlet and an outlet, and defining an inlet plenum extending vertically below the inlet and an outlet plenum extending vertically below the outlet. A plurality of adsorption bed assemblies in a vertically stacked configuration are retained in the housing in fluid communication with the inlet plenum. Each of the adsorption bed assemblies has a bottom opening and a top opening and layers of adsorption material with the assembly oriented in a V-type configuration. A plurality of baffles angle upward from the inlet plenum to the outlet plenum, including a baffle disposed between each pair of adjacent stacked adsorption bed assemblies, to direct flow up toward the bottom opening of the adsorption bed assembly immediately above the baffle and to direct flow passing from the top opening of the adsorption bed assembly immediately below the baffle.

Abstract: A process for separating the components of a gas mixture, including a sterilant gas and a diluent gas is disclosed. The gas mixture is fed to a membrane separation unit within which a perm-selective membrane is located which allows migration of diluent gas and sterilant gas at different rates. Both sterilant-rich and diluent-rich gas streams are withdrawn from the membrane separation unit and optionally recovered or further processed to a less hazardous compound. The process may be utilized to separate and treat the constituents of the exhaust gases from a chemical sterilization process of which the common components are olefin oxides such as ethylene oxide as a sterilant and chlorofluorocarbons (freon) such as dichlorodifluoromethane (CFC-1) as a diluent.

Abstract: A smoke evacuator and a system for surgical devices, such as electrocautery scalpels and laser surgical devices. Evacuator is geometrically designed to permit retrofit to existing electrocautery scalpels, and includes a radiused inlet to minimize noise and a stand off to prevent unintentional tissue suck down. The system optimizes suction flow rate, inlet diameter, and inlet distance so as to provide efficient evacuation while permitting good visibility. An automatic smoke evacuation system is also provided which switches the smoke evacuation on or off depending upon whether a current is sensed in the power cord to the electrosurgical device.

Abstract: A filter-cleaning apparatus utilizes pulsed air to remove matter collected on a first surface of a filter. Reverse flow loosens the material which is collected in a hopper on the upstream side of the filter. The collected matter may then be combusted in the hopper so that the amount of material collected is minimized. The pulses are directed at the filter with a controlled shape and time to optimize reverse pulsing. Pulsing occurs while the thermal exhaust flow continues so that operation of the engine is not interrupted. A number of valves may be utilized to clean one or more filters.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to a refillable gas adsorption bed assembly having a box-like, generally rectangular frame The frame has a pair of oppositely disposed side members and a pair of oppositely disposed end members. There is a first and a second rectangular fine mesh screen mounted within the frame on opposite sides of a filler opening through one of the side members. The first and second prefilters are mounted within the frame. The first prefilter is disposed to one side of both screens and the second prefilter is disposed on the opposite side of both screens. The invention includes a housing for the gas adsorption bed assembly and a counterflow adsorber module formed by operably connecting the housings end-to-end.

Abstract: A sound attenuating device is provided for attenuating noise in an exhaust system. The attenuating device includes an inlet end, an outlet end and a constricted portion therebetween. In use, the attenuating device may be disposed in a tubular housing or may be an integral portion of a tail pipe, connecting pipe, or muffler. Further, a sound suppressing system is described including one or more attenuating regions including attenuating devices. The attenuating regions are spaced to attenuate desired frequencies. Expansion chambers formed between attenuating regions contribute to sound suppression.

Abstract: A clean room ceiling grid system having a detent means for loading filter panels into ceiling grids from a clean room. The system is operable to permit removal of the filter panels by use of a filter panel removing tool. More particularly, this clean room ceiling grid system requires no plenum space use above the grid members for either installation or removal of filter panels. The system also includes means for hermetically sealing the interface of connected ceiling grid members and means for substantially laminar flow of filtered air in clean rooms.

Abstract: A clean room ceiling grid system having spring clips for loading filter panels into ceiling grids from a clean room. The system is operable to permit removal of the filter panels by use of a filter panel removing tool. More particularly, this clean room ceiling grid system requires no plenum space use above the grid members for either installation or removal of filter panels. The system also provides for hermetic sealing of the interface of connected ceiling grid members and allows substantially laminar flow of filtered air in clean rooms.

Abstract: A known military tank is powered by a turbine engine having a large capac air filter unit; a fan is ordinarily employed to draw dust-laden air from the filter unit. Erosion of the fan blades by fast-moving dust particles is a problem. We have substituted for the fan an aspirator mechanism; fast moving combustion products flowing through the engine exhaust duct draw dust-laden air from the filter unit through a slot-like orifice in one wall of the duct.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for supplying clean air to a closed vehicle from an ambient source of air polluted with particulate matter. This is accomplished by drawing in air as a hollow cylindrical flow, converting it to the form of a flat sheet of air having components of motion radial and tangential with respect to an axis, deflecting the air by more than 90.degree. to convert it to a conical whirling flow tapering toward the axis while retaining the tangential component of motion, purging from the flow particulate matter discharged centrifugally at the site of the deflection, skimming the conical flow to remove successive outer portions thereof together with the particulate matter centrifugally displaced thereinto, again deflecting the flow by more than 90.degree.

Abstract: A miniature centrifugal separator for use in an engine air cleaner. Two cn air take-off tubes are coaxially aligned in the main flow tube for successively removing selected fractions of the outer annular portion of the swirling gas stream. The clean air tubes are spaced pre-selected distances downstream from the swirl means such that entrained dust particles are enabled to complete approximately one swirl revolution prior to encountering each take-off tube. The invention seeks to accomplish a relatively high collection efficiency with a relatively short flow tube.