Apparatus for removing particles from an airstream

Claim 1

An apparatus for removing fine dust particles from an airstream, said apparatus comprising: a substantially continuously operating funnel shaped centrifugal dust collector mounted at an exterior building location and initially receiving said airstream, and including fan means for forcing air through said centrifugal dust collector, said centrifugal dust collector also having an outlet, a plurality of bags each having an opening, said bags being pervious but closed except for said openings and through which a flow of air passes, a vertical, substantially cylindrical chamber having a long cylindrical wall, and said chamber having chamber openings, means individually connecting the openings of said bags to said chamber openings, said chamber having an entrance, coupling means providing a connection between the outlet of said centrifugal dust collector and said entrance of said chamber for receiving said airstream from the outlet of said centrifugal dust collector into said chamber so that said airstream passes through said chamber, through said bag openings via said chamber openings, into said bags, and through said bags to atmospheric pressure, with said chamber and bags being located in an environment for exposing said bags to said atmospheric pressure, said bags being supported from said chamber and being inflated from within by air blown thereinto by air pressure provided by said fan means, said bags being elongated and supported in circular vertical array comprising a circle of bags disposed around and substantially surrounding the cylindrical side wall of said cylindrical chamber where the bags receive the airstream from said chamber, said chaMber being provided with a rotatable hollow sweep arm adapted for making successive connection with said bags via said chamber openings, and said sweep arm having means for providing a suction relative to atmosheric pressure for reversing air flow and withdrawing dust from the bag to which the hollow sweep arm connects.

Claim 2

An apparatus for removing fine dust particles from an airstream, said apparatus comprising: a substantially continuously operating funnel shaped centrifugal dust collector mounted at an exterior building location and initially receiving said airstream, and including fan means for forcing air through said centrifugal dust collector, said centrifugal dust collector also having an outlet, a plurality of bags each having an opening, said bags being pervious but closed except for said openings and through which a flow of air passes, a vertical, substantially cylindrical chamber having a long cylindrical wall, and said chamber having chamber openings, means individually connecting the openings of said bags to said chamber openings, said chamber having an entrance, coupling means providing a connection between the outlet of said centrifugal dust collector and said entrance of said chamber for receiving said airstream from the outlet of said centrifugal dust collector into said chamber so that said airstream passes through said chamber, through said bag openings via said chamber openings, into said bags, and through said bags to atmospheric pressure, with said chamber and bags being located in an environment for exposing said bags to said atmospheric pressure, said bags being supported from said chamber and being inflated from within by air blown thereinto by air pressure provided by said fan means, said bags being elongated and supported in circular vertical array comprising a circle of bags disposed around and substantially surrounding the cylindrical side wall of said cylindrical chamber where the bags receive the airstream from said chamber, said chaMber being provided with a rotatable hollow sweep arm adapted for making successive connection with said bags via said chamber openings, and said sweep arm having means for providing a suction relative to atmosheric pressure for reversing air flow and withdrawing dust from the bag to which the hollow sweep arm connects.

Claim 17

An apparatus for removing fine dust particles from an airstream, said apparatus comprising: a plurality of bags each having an opening, said bags being pervious but closed except for said openings through which a flow of air passes, a chamber having chamber openings, duct means individually connecting the openings of said bags to the chamber openings, and means coupling said airstream to said chamber so that said airstream passes through said chamber, through said bag openings via said chamber openings, into said bags, and through said bags to atmospheric pressure, said bags being inflated from within by air blown thereinto, a hollow sweep arm adapted for making successive connection with said bags via said chamber openings, said sweep arm having means for providing a suction relative to atmospheric pressure for reversing air flow and withdrawing dust from a bag to which the hollow sweep arm connects, and a plurality of substantially cylindrical cages, each cage corresponding to one of said bags and each cage supported from one of said duct means, each cage having a substantially perforate cylindrical sidewall and an open loop end, each of said bags having an end and having a cylindrical sidewall disposed in surrounding relation to the cylindrical sidewall of a said cage, of said bags being larger in diameter than the cage which it surrounds and each of said bags when inflated being spaced outwardly thereby from the major portion of said cage, said bags being secured in sealing relation to said duct means which supports said cage, each of said bags crumpling against its corresponding cage when said sweep arm provides said suction, said bag as inflated being spaced from said open loop end of said cage, the adjacent end of said bag popping toward said loop end of said cage when said means provides said suction.

Claim 18

An apparatus for removing fine dust particles from an airstream, said apparatus comprising: a plurality of bags each having an opening, said bags being pervious but closed except for said openings through which a flow of air passes, a chamber having chamber openings, duct means individually connecting the openings of said bags to the chamber openings, and means coupling said airstream to said chamber so that said airstream passes through said chamber, through said bag openings via said chamber openings, into said bags, and through said bags to atmospheric pressure, said bags being inflated from within by air blown thereinto, a hollow sweep arm adapted for making successive connection with said bags via said chamber openings, said sweep arm having means for providing a suction relative to atmospheric pressure for reversing air flow and withdrawing dust from a bag to which the hollow sweep arm connects, and a plurality of substantially cylindrical cages, each cage corresponding to one of said bags and each cage supported from one of said duct means, each cage having a substantially perforate cylindrical sidewall and an open loop end, each of said bags having an end and having a cylindrical sidewall disposed in surrounding relation to the cylindrical sidewall of a said cage, of said bags being larger in diameter than the cage which it surrounds and each of said bags when inflated being spaced outwardly thereby from the major portion of said cage, said bags being secured in sealing relation to said duct means which supports said cage, each of said bags crumpling against its corresponding cage when said sweep arm provides said suction, said bag as inflated being spaced from said open loop end of said cage, the adjacent end of said bag popping toward said loop end of said cage when said means provides said suction.