초록 ▼

A system for maintaining atmospheric conditions in an enclosed building within desired parameters and rapidly evacuating abnormally high amounts of airborne pollutants from localized areas of the building. Conditioned air, including sufficient outside air, is continuously admitted to the building in

A system for maintaining atmospheric conditions in an enclosed building within desired parameters and rapidly evacuating abnormally high amounts of airborne pollutants from localized areas of the building. Conditioned air, including sufficient outside air, is continuously admitted to the building interior from a plurality of air handling units disposed about the building to maintain the interior of the building under a slight positive pressure throughout. The air handling units, at least in areas where concentrations of airborne contaminants are generated include, in addition to outside air and building air inlets and a building air outlet, an outlet exhausting to the outside. Sensors and/or scanning units located throughout the building monitor various atmospheric conditions and transmit signals indicative of the noted conditions to a central computer. The computer, in turn, compares the observed conditions to predetermined desired conditions and controls the air handling units as necessary to maintain the conditions within desired parameters. When an abnormal airborne pollutant condition is noted in a particular area, the outside air inlet and building air outlets are closed and the building return air inlet and exhaust outlet are opened so that contaminated air is withdrawn from the region and exhausted to the outside.

대표청구항 ▼

A method of maintaining atmospheric conditions within desired parameters throughout an enclosed building having a localized area in which airborne contaminants are periodically generated, comprising admitting outside air to the building interior at a plurality of first locations, at least one of sai

A method of maintaining atmospheric conditions within desired parameters throughout an enclosed building having a localized area in which airborne contaminants are periodically generated, comprising admitting outside air to the building interior at a plurality of first locations, at least one of said first locations being adjacent said localized area, controlling the admission of outside air at said first locations to maintain the atmospheric pressure throughout the interior of said enclosed building above the atmospheric pressure outside said building, periodically determining a selected atmospheric condition within said localized area, the step of periodically determining a selected atmospheric condition including detecting the level of visible airborne pollutants by emitting a high frequency radio signal within said localized area and utilizing the portion of said signal reflected by the airborne pollutants for determining the level of visible airborne pollutants, comparing the determined atmospheric condition with a predetermined desired condition for said localized area, discontinuing admission of conditioned air and exhausting atmosphere from the building interior at said one of said first locations in response to a noted deviation of said atmospheric condition from said desired condition, and increasing the admission of outside air to the building interior at at least one other of said first locations to maintain the atmospheric pressure in said localized area above the atmospheric pressure outside said building, an air handling unit being positioned at each said first location, said air handling unit at said at least one of said first locations comprising a dump mode unit, each said air handling unit including a first inlet port for controllably admitting outside air, a second inlet port for controllably admitting return air from the building interior, and a third outlet port through which air is selectively and controllably admitted to the interior of the building, said dump mode air handling unit further including a fourth outlet port through which air withdrawn from the building interior through said second port is selectively discharged from the building interior, including, in response to the noted deviation, the sequential steps of closing said first inlet port of said dump mode air handling unit, opening said second inlet port, opening said fourth outlet port, and closing said third outlet port whereby airborne contaminants are withdrawn from said localized area through said second port and discharged from said enclosed building through said fourth port.