Device for conditioning recirculating air, especially clean room air

• US 7,468,084 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2004
• Issued: 12/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: M+W Facility Engineering GmbH (Chiu Cheung Ma,)
• Original Assignee: M+W Zander Facility Engineering GmbH (Chiu Cheung Ma,)
• Inventors: Bauer, Helmut, Renz, Manfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Greene; Jason M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham; Minh-Chau T
• Application Number:
  US10/905,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20050132677A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,473 Days
• Field of Search: 553/852, 55471-473, 555/852, 961/32, 961/38, 961/42, 454/187
• US Class Current: 55/385.2
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/77 by controlling the speed of ventilators
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2221/14 mounted on the ceiling
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 3/167 Clean rooms, i.e. enclosed spaces in which a uniform flow of filtered air is distributed air distribution by perforated walls F24F7/10
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

A device for conditioning recirculating air in a cleanroom has at least one fan having a housing. A return air conduit is provided through which a first portion of recirculating air is supplied from the cleanroom to the at least one fan. A second portion of the recirculating air is directly supplied to the at least one fan by bypassing the at least one return air conduit.

Claims

1. A device for conditioning recirculating clean room air, the device comprising:

at least one filter fan unit mounted on a ceiling of a room and arranged in a common plenum above the ceiling, wherein the at least one filter fan unit comprises a housing, a fan and a filter, wherein the fan and the filter are arranged inside the housing;

at least one return air conduit through which a first portion of recirculating clean room air is supplied from a bottom area of the room to the common plenum and from the common plenum is sucked in by the fan into the at least one filter fan unit;

wherein the fan has at least one intake that opens into the room at the ceiling;

wherein a second portion of the recirculating clean room air bypasses the at least one return air conduit and is directly supplied to the fan through the at least one intake;

wherein the at least one intake is an intake line connected to the housing of the at least one filter fan unit or the at least one intake is integrated into the housing of the at least one filter fan unit.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the fan has an intake area and wherein the at least one intake opens into the intake area of the fan.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the intake line is a hose.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the intake line is a rigid line.

5. The device according to claim 2, wherein the housing has sidewalls and the sidewalls have an extension, wherein the intake area is delimited at least partially by the extension of the sidewalls of the housing.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the intake line opens into the extension of the sidewalls of the housing.

7. The device according to claim 2, wherein the second portion of the recirculating clean room air flows through the at least one return air conduit and is supplied to the intake area.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the intake line is approximately L-shaped.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the housing has opposed sidewalls and wherein the opposed sidewalls each have at least one of the intake line connected thereto.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the intake lines are aligned with one another in an area where the intake lines connect to the opposed sidewalls of the housing.

11. The device according to claim 2, wherein the second portion of the recirculating clean room air in the intake area of the fan is supplied to the fan with a counter swirl relative to a rotational direction of the fan.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the second portion of the recirculating clean room air flows at a lateral spacing to an axis of rotation of the fan into the intake area.

13. The device according to claim 11, wherein the housing has at least two opposed sidewalls and wherein the at least two opposed sidewalls each have at least one of the at least one intake line connected thereto and wherein the intake lines on the at least two opposed sidewalls are displaced relative to one another.

14. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second portions of the recirculating clean room air are mixed in an intake area of the fan.

15. The device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one guiding element, wherein the second portion of the recirculating clean room air is supplied by the at least one guiding element to the fan.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein the at least one guiding element extends across the housing of the at least one filter fan unit at a spacing to the housing.

17. The device according to claim 15, wherein the at least one guiding element and the housing of the at least one filter fan unit together delimit a flow channel for the recirculating clean room air.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein a mixing zone is arranged upstream of the flow channel and wherein the first and second portions of the recirculating clean room air flow into the mixing zone before entering the flow channel.

19. The device according to claim 18, further comprising at least one pipe through which the second portion of the recirculating clean room air is supplied to the mixing zone.

20. The device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one pipe through which the second portion of the recirculating air is supplied to the at least one fan.

21. The device according to claim 20, wherein the at least one pipe is arranged at a spacing from the housing of the at least one filter fan unit.

22. The device according to claim 20, wherein the at least one pipe has an exit opening positioned at a spacing adjacent to the housing of the at least one filter fan unit.

23. The device according to claim 21, wherein the exit opening of the at least one pipe is directed toward the fan.

24. The device according to claim 23, wherein the exit opening of the at least one pipe and the fan have a common axis.

25. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one intake comprises at least one flow channel integrated at least partially into the housing of the at least one filter fan unit.

26. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second portion of the recirculating clean room air flows uncooled to the fan.

27. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one return air conduit has at least one cooling device for the recirculating clean room air.

28. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one filter fan unit has at least a two-part configuration comprising the fan and the filter.

29. The device according to claim 28, wherein the at least one intake comprises flow channels integrated at least partially into the housing of the at least one filter fan unit wherein the flow channels are arranged in two opposed double-wall sidewalls of the housing.

30. The device according to claim 29, wherein the flow channels are arranged height-adjustably in the sidewalls of the housing.

31. The device according to claim 29, wherein the flow channels are L-shaped.

32. The device according to claim 31, wherein the flow channels each have a long leg and a short leg, wherein the long leg projects into the sidewalls of the housing.

33. The device according to claim 32, wherein the short leg of the flow channels rests on the housing or a housing attachment for a prefilter of the at least one filter fan unit.

34. The device according to claim 33, wherein the housing attachment has a smaller base surface than the housing.

35. The device according to claim 32, wherein the long leg of the flow channels extends essentially across at least one of an entire length and an entire width of the sidewalls of the housing.

36. The device according to claim 35, wherein the sidewalls of the at least one filter fan unit are aligned with flow channels of the filter.

37. The device according to claim 36, wherein the flow channels of the filter are formed by double-wall sidewalls.

38. The device according to claim 36, wherein the flow channels of the filter are positioned congruently to the sidewalls of the at least one filter fan unit when the filter is mounted on the fan.

39. The device according to claim 36, wherein the flow channels of the filter have intake openings for the second portion of the recirculating clean room air, wherein the intake openings are arranged within a ceiling of the removal area.

40. The device according to claim 39, wherein on the filter at least one shield is provided.

41. The device according to claim 40, wherein two of the at least one shield are provided and wherein the two shields are spaced from one another.

42. The device according to claim 40, wherein the at least one shield has a substantially T-shaped cross-section.

43. The device according to claim 42, wherein the at least one shield is a rail extending substantially across the entire length of the flow channels.

44. A filter-fan unit comprising:

a housing;

a fan arranged in the housing, wherein the fan has an intake area that takes in a first portion of return air from a plenum of a clean room, in which plenum the filter fan unit is arranged;

a filter arranged in the housing;

at least one intake for recirculating a second portion of return air, wherein the at least one intake is connected to a ceiling of the clean room, wherein the least one intake is integrated into the housing.