3m Innovative Properties Company

Ricardo Lira

Michael R Harms

Yuan-Ming Tang

David L Braun

James R Larson

There is provided an air delivery device and method of moving and filtering air. The air delivery device comprises a housing having an air inlet and an air outlet. Between the air inlet and the air outlet is located an air delivery fan having at least two rotating air moving elements, the rotating air moving elements intersects the flow of air between the air inlet and the air outlet and establishes a higher pressure zone at the air outlet relative to the air inlet. The air delivery fan further comprises at lest one filter element, having at least one upstream filter face and at least one downstream filter face, defining at least one primary flow channel, and rotating along the same axis of rotation as the air moving elements and preferably forming the air moving elements at least in part. The upstream filter face moves into a portion of the airflow through the air delivery fan such that the upstream filter face impacts a portion of the moving airflow in a flow channel, permitting the air to flow through the filter element into the airflow of an further flow channel. The filter elements further define air flow passages or inlets allowing substantially unimpeded airflow to the primary flow channels and out to the air outlet. The air filter elements comprise an electret charged filter media.

Moving filter device having filter elements with flow passages and method of filtering air

A diffusional gas transfer system and method having a membrane disposed between a first gas domain and a second gas domain. The first gas domain includes a first mechanism for directing a first environmental gas flow transversely over and in contact with a first surface of the membrane. The second gas domain includes a second mechanism for directing a second environmental gas flow transversely over and in contact with a second surface of the membrane. The membrane is a diffusional gas transfer medium having a multiplicity of tortuous pathways extending from the first surface of the membrane to the second surface of the membrane. The void volume fraction of the membrane is at least 0.2. The membrane is capable of substantially blocking the transfer of particles from the first gas domain to the second gas domain, while permitting the diffusion of gases between the first and second gas domains, and the first gas domain is maintained at a pressure higher than the second gas domain.

Diffusional gas transfer system and method of using same

There is provided a moving sorbent filter within an air delivery device. The air delivery device has a housing having an air inlet and an air outlet, between the air inlet and the air outlet is located an air delivery fan having at least two rotating air moving means. The rotating air moving means intersect the flow of air between the air inlet and the air outlet and establish a higher pressure zone at the air outlet relative to the air inlet. The air delivery fan further comprising a moving porous sorbent filter formed of at least one sorbent filter element. The sorbent filter has at least one air passage allowing substantially unimpeded airflow into and through the sorbent filter.

Moving sorbent filter device

A filtration system that rotates in conjunction with a blower wheel, and a method of attaching the same. The blower wheel typically has a plurality of fan blades arranged in a spaced relationship radially around a blower cavity to define a flow path extending radially outward from the blower cavity through the fan blades when the blower wheel is rotating. The filtration system includes a filter cartridge releasably attachable to the blower wheel in an engaged configuration. The filter cartridge includes a filter medium defining a generally center opening and a filter surface configured to be positioned generally adjacent to the fan blades and to extend across at least a portion of the flow path. In one embodiment, a plurality of flow passages extending through the filter medium.

Rotating filtration cartridge and blower for HVAC applications

A diffusional gas transfer system and method having a membrane disposed between a first gas domain and a second gas domain. The first gas domain includes a first mechanism for directing a first environmental gas flow transversely over and in contact with a first surface of the membrane. The second gas domain includes a second mechanism for directing a second environmental gas flow transversely over and in contact with a second surface of the membrane. The membrane is a diffusional gas transfer medium having a multiplicity of tortuous pathways extending from the first surface of the membrane to the second surface of the membrane. The void volume fraction of the membrane is at least 0.2. The membrane is capable of substantially blocking the transfer of particles from the first gas domain to the second gas domain, while permitting the diffusion of gases between the first and second gas domains.

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Woodbury, MN, United States of America

Ricardo Lira