Method and apparatus for purifying fluids

Claim 2

An ultraviolet purifying unit according to claim 1 wherein said fluid inlet means comprises an elongated, cylindrical chamber disposed in parallel relationship with respect to said cylindrical radiation chambers and extending through said body from the front end to the rear end thereof, and being interconnected with the first of the series of radiation chambers by an elongated interconnecting chamber, said fluid inlet chamber having a fluid inlet connection; and wherein said fluid outlet means comprises an elongated cylindrical chamber disposed substantially parallel to said cylindrical radiation chambers and being interconnected to the last of the series of radiation chambers by an elongated interconnecting chamber, said fluid outlet chamber having an outlet connection.

Claim 3

An ultraviolet purifying unit according to claim 1 wherein said sealing means for sealing the front plate with respect to said body comprises a seal plate and a gasket interposed between said front plate and said body, and said sealing means for sealing the rear plate with respect to said body comprises a seal plate and a gasket interposed between said rear plate and said body.

Claim 4

An ultraviolet purifying unit comprising a body having a series of spaced, parallel, elongated, cylindrical, radiation chamber extending through said body from the front end to the rear end thereof, said body having a plurality of elongated interconnecting chambers interconnecting said cylindrical radiation chambers, and extending through said body from the front end to the rear end thereof, fluid inlet means connected to the first of said cylindrical radiation chambers and fluid outlet means connected to the last of the series of said cylindrical chambers, said fluid inlet means comprising an elongated, cylindrical chamber disposed in parallel relationship with respect to said cylindrical radiation chambers and extending through said body from the front end to the rear end thereof, and being interconnected with the first of the series of radiation chambers by an elongated interconnecting chamber, said fluid inlet chamber having a fluid inlet connection, said fluid outlet means comprising an elongated cylindrical chamber disposed substantially parallel to said cylindrical radiation chambers and being interconnected to the last of the series of radiation chambers by an elongated interconnecting chamber, said fluid outlet chamber having an outlet connection, the height of said interconnecting chambers being less than about one-half inch and being substantially less than the diameter of said cylindrical radiation chambers, a front plate covering the front end of said body and a rear plate covering the rear end of said body, sealing means for sealing the front plate with respect to said body and sealing means for sealing the rear plate with respect to said body, said sealing means for sealing the front plate with respect to said body comprising a seal plate and a gasket interposed between said front plate and said body, and said sealing means for sealing the rear plate with respect to said body comprising a seal plate and a gasket interposed between said rear plate and said body, said front and rear plates having openings therein corresponding to the ends of said cylindrical radiation chambers, an elongated, cylindrical light transmitting jacket being centrally mounted in each of said cylindrical radiation chambers, the outside diameter of said jacket being less than the diameter of said cylindrical radiation chamber to provide a laminar fluid flow passage therebetween, the height of said passage being less than about 1/4 inch, said jackets extending through said openings in the front and rear plates, sealing means for sealing said jackets with respect to said front and rear plates, elongated ultraviolet radiation lamps being removably mounted in said jackets, respectively, and extending from said front and to said rear end, an electric power source for activating said radiation lamps, a plurality of interconnecting wiping members for frictionally engaging the periphery of said jackets and the walls of said chamber, a rod connected to said wiping members, said rod extending through one of said plates for reciprocal movement to move said wipers from one of said plates to the other of ssid plates.

Claim 6

A method of continuously purifying a fluid by the emission of ultraviolet rays according to claim 6 further comprising the steps of periodically frictionally engaging the periphery of the radiation lamps and the walls of said chambers with a plurality of interconnected wiping members by reciprocating said wiping members longitudinally of said lamps from one end of said chamber to the opposite end thereof.

Claim 7

An ultraviolet purifier unit comprising a body having at least one elongated, cylindrical, radiation chamber extending through said body from the front end to the rear end thereof, an elongated, cylindrical fluid inlet chamber disposed in parallel relationship with respect to said cylindrical radiation chamber and extending through said body from the front end to the rear end thereof, and being interconnected with said radiation chamber by an elongated interconnecting chamber extending through said body from the front end to the rear end thereof, said fluid inlet chamber having a fluid inlet connection; an elongated cylindrical fluid outlet chamber disposed substantially parallel to said cylindrical radiation chamber and being interconnected with said radiation chamber by an elongated interconnecting chamber and extending through said body from the front end to the rear end thereof, said fluid outlet chamber having an outlet connection, the height of said interconnecting chambers being substantially less than the diameter of said cylindrical radiation chamber and being less than about one-half inch, a front plate covering the front end of said body and a rear plate covering the rear end of said body, sealing means for sealing the front plate with respect to said body and sealing means for sealing the rear plate with respect to said body, said front and rear plates having openings therein corresponding to the ends of said cylindrical radiation chamber, an elongated, cylindrical light transmitting jacket being centrally mounted in said cylindrical radiation chamber, the outside diameter of said jacket being less than the diameter of said cylindrical radiation chamber to provide a fluid flow passage therebetween having a height of less than about 1/4 inch, said jacket extending through said openings in the front and rear plates, sealing means for sealing said jacket with respect to said front and rear plates, and an elongated ultraviolet ray emitting lamp removably mounted in said jacket and extending from said front end to said rear end.