US-12618574-B2 - Air quality enhancement system based on fluid mechanics and integrated UV emission

Abstract

A system for improving indoor air quality for shared and confined spaces with people. This allows an improvement in surrounding air quality in indoor spaces and interaction situations with (i) groups of people among themselves (inter-person transmission), (ii) between people and the above-mentioned indoor spaces (confined spaces, buildings and/or airborne and/or overland and/or seaborne passenger transportation systems and/or confined patient transportation systems such as pods/incubators and others similar thereto), and also (iii) for interaction between people and invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilation systems. The system proposes the use of a system based on fluid mechanics and UV wavelengths for inactivating viruses and bacteria.

Inventors

• Joao Miguel DOS SANTOS ALMEIDA NUNES
• Gabriela Conceicao DUARTE JORGE DA SILVA
• Sandra Maria BRAGA FRANCO
• Joao Manuel MACIEL LINHARES
• Jose Miguel AZEVEDO PEREIRA
• Quirina Alexandra PINTO DOS SANTOS COSTA
• Elsa Maria RIBEIRO DOS SANTOS ANES
• David Alexandre RODRIGUES PIRES

Assignees

• ASSOCIACAO BLC3—CAMPUS DE TECNOLOGIA E INOVACAO
• UNIVERSIDADE DE COIMBRA
• UNIVERSIDADE DO MINHO
• FACULDADE DE FARMACIA DA UNIVERSIDADE DE LISBOA

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20210812

Priority Date

20200812

Claims (5)

1. 1 . Air quality enhancement system, for deployment at a close interpersonal interaction point, comprising at least one isolation chamber; and at least one extraction chamber; wherein the at least one extraction chamber comprises at least one conduit for intake of individualized airflow, installed on an upper surface of the at least one isolation chamber, and at least one UV rays emission source, wherein the isolation chamber comprises a physical structure comprised of a transparent separator and a protective divider.
2. 2 . The system according to claim 1 , comprising a moveable lateral protection.
3. 3 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one extraction chamber comprises at least one integrated information collection, command, and control system.
4. 4 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one conduit for the intake of the individualized airflow comprises at least one controlled force action system for the intake of the flow of air and/or gases, comprising at least one flow regulator valve, cut-off valves, mechanical and electrical actuation systems for blowers/fans and/or rotors and/or turbines, a heat source for increasing the contact temperature of the air and/or gas inflows and outflows from 70° C. to 500° C.; and a system for spraying antimicrobial chemical compounds with antiviral and/or antibacterial and/or antifungal properties, comprised of a line of sprayers with microspray nozzles projecting over the flow of air and/or gases.
5. 5 . A method of functioning for the air quality enhancement system according to claim 1 , comprising: i. placing a person/User A and a person/User B at the chamber entrance positions, which allows audiovisual interaction; ii. allowing for a physical barrier in the chamber and a method for controlling contact between people/users; iii. conveying the air exhaled by people/users into the inside of the chamber, within the context of the specific placement of people/users, the geometry of the chamber and the direction and flow of air and/or gases generated by the respiratory system, as well as projections of droplets generated by people; iv. allowing droplet projections and the flow of air and/or gases generated during respiration to be trapped in the chamber, whose geometry may vary, in order to have the correct volume; v. providing lateral protection of the chamber in the form of “flaps” that prevent the generation of lateral crossflows or turbulent flows that give rise to early air and/or gas outflows, without first being inactivated; vi. extracting the air that is in the chamber by a controlled force system that conveys it and ensures there are no air and/or gas outflows towards people, but rather through the upper outlet where it is thus inactivated; vii. depending on the frequency of the interaction and duration of the interaction between people/users, the chamber functions without the first extraction system, through the system that already has interior UV emission integrated therewith, with protection through materials and geometry that ensure the UV rays are not projected outside the chamber, in order to protect the safety and health of people/users; viii. optionally removing the central barrier separating the two interaction zones in order to allow direct interaction through a visual interior tunnel format; ix. allowing close physical contact between a person and person/user, through an internal moveable lateral system that allows physical protection to be moved through a chute to the area alongside the person, who can then engage in contact actions with protection, through using a fixed glove that serves as a physical barrier, and restoring the capacity of the chamber by returning the glove to the inside of the chamber so that it can be disinfected, inactivating possible virus particles and other microorganisms.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a 371 of PCT/IB2021/057430, filed Aug. 12, 2021, which claimed the priority of Portuguese Application No. 116640, filed Aug. 12, 2020, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Domain The present invention describes a system for improving indoor air quality for shared and confined spaces with people. BACKGROUND Viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms have weak points that can be exploited at the inactivation level and for the protection of people, such as for example: i) inactivation through exposure to pH<2;ii) exposure to temperatures above 65° C. for periods longer than thirty minutes (according to an Influenza A study); oriii) exposure to UV radiation. However, there are weak points and other aspects to be taken into account for its applicability within the context of public health and protecting the safety of people. Consequently, and with regard to inactivation through exposure to pH<2, this offers limitations resulting from high permanent disinfection costs for large areas and the release of volatile compounds that are harmful to health, limiting its application due to the high risks resulting from the continued exposure of healthcare practitioners, for example. Using temperatures above 65° C. for periods of more than thirty minutes has also not proven very feasible, due either to the cost of high temperature levels, and the same issue of technological implementation over large areas. Finally, UV radiation, which is a functionally low-cost technology compared to the previous options, is functional and may be used to inactivate viruses and bacteria in a controlled manner and within a well-defined context. The use of this technology is scientifically grounded and proven (nature-based solution: for thousands of years, no viruses or bacteria are known to have withstood UV radiation). The UV-C inventions and technologies developed so far are for use in the context of pandemics, for example, at places with high concentrations of people, in zones and/or confined spaces, with a significant part of confinement in buildings, such as airports, subway zones, and parking areas, as well as overland passenger transportation systems (for example, automobiles, trains, subways and others). The morphology of the SARS-COV-2 virus is similar to that of the SARS-COV-1 virus for the RNA genome, acting mainly at the lung infection level, which increases its capacity to infect through the air, which may be translated into the possibility of infection in the “airborne” form, contaminating people by the transmission pathway through (1) contact (deposited on materials and surfaces); (2) forced and natural convection (inhalation through the mouth and nose and through air coming into contact with the eyes); and (3) “radioactive” (directly through droplets and actions of the hand in contact with the eyes, mouth and nose). Droplet projections may reach two meters, and in aerosol form (conveyed by fluid in the vapor exhaled by human beings) may reach eight meters. Furthermore, in places such as healthcare facilities when the virus is present in vapor fluid, it may be conveyed over longer distances, due to the length of time that it remains in the air, for three to four hours. Slanting the problem only towards the context of the invention, wide-spaced social distancing between a healthcare practitioner and a patient is not feasible. The problem is how to achieve social distancing far closer than the minimum safety level without giving rise to problems with contamination, while at the same time allowing the healthcare practitioner to undertake their work safely. On the other hand, avoiding the dispersal of particles through the air and on materials and places, due to the spreading capacity of the transportation fluid (vapor and droplets). Still at the public health safety and quality level for people in the presence of airborne microorganisms, another problem is associated with the fact that the higher the concentration levels in presence of “airborne virus” (also called aerosols and under the “airborne” effect), and microorganisms in confined indoor areas such as, for example, buildings and transportation systems, the higher the risk of people interacting with these spaces being contaminated by viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms, as well as interactions among people rendering care services and coming into contact with other people, such as for example physicians and users, nurses and healthcare technicians in the screening zone for identifying and referring users in healthcare facilities, as well as other examples, like airport workers and professional home services providers. At the level of interaction among (A) people and indoor spaces and/or confined areas in buildings and/or transportation systems, and for interaction among (B) groups of people, major challenges arise for which solutions are sought, namely: 1. How can healthcare practitio