Patent Application
20110095027
The invention relates generally to a latching drum lid with integral exhaust hood.
Management of hazardous waste in containers is regulated by The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Containers are portable devices used for the storage, transportation, treatment, disposal or handling of materials (see, for example, 40 CFR §260.10). The regulation, 40 CFR §265.173(a), states in general: A container holding hazardous waste must always be closed during storage, except when it is necessary to add or remove waste. In addition, SUBPART CC, 40 CFR 264.1086 (c) (1) (ii) requires hazardous waste containers to be sealed to prevent VOC emissions.
The purpose of the closed container requirement is to, for example:
Containers are considered adequately closed if:
Satellite accumulation areas enable facilities to collect hazardous waste near the generation areas and store up to 55 gallons of waste before transferring the drum to a designated storage area (40 CFR §262.34 (c) (1)). Making the lids easy to remove and reseal after frequent deposits into the hazardous waste drums has been an ongoing issue. The use of a latching lid with a continuous gasket and a bolt or lever closed attachment ring has addressed the ease-of-use concerns while meeting the knock over, volatilization, dropped items and foreign object requirements. While these latching lids with continuous gaskets and bolt or lever closed attachment rings reduce vapor emission of the hazardous waste when the lid is closed, they do not account for vapor emission when the lid is open. If the emissions are harmful or noxious to humans, they should be vented to an exhaust system to prevent respiration. Hazardous emissions include flammable vapors, gases, fumes, mists, dusts, and volatile or airborne materials posing a health hazard, such as toxic or corrosive materials. The best way to prevent exposure to airborne substances is to prevent their escape into the working atmosphere by use of hoods and other ventilation devices.
Placement of an exhaust hood behind a drum in a satellite accumulation area allows easy access to the lid but requires significant floor space to install. If the lid is hinged, the lid also tends to block the exhaust flow. OSHA provides a diagram for a drum lid that incorporates an exhaust hood. Unfortunately, the design would not remain closed if knocked over since neither the system nor lid are attached to the drum or use a continuous gasket. In addition, the ventilation opening in the design is blocked when the lid is open, which greatly reduces its ability to pull the vapors away from the user. Finally, the opening is not large enough to accommodate five gallon pails.
Other designs to minimize vapor emission while the lid is open include limiting the opening area. While limiting the opening area reduces the amount of vapor emission, it does not pull away the vapors that do escape. Another design to limit vapor emissions is to provide a pressurized air lock between the drum and opening. This design is costly to manufacture, difficult to maintain and does not accommodate five gallon pails. Five gallon pails are a common waste since they are regularly used as supply containers and as temporary collection containers with a disposable liner.
An aspect of the invention includes an apparatus for attaching to an opening of a drum that includes a lid, a base for attaching to the opening of the drum, a circular inner wall formed on the base, a circular outer wall formed on the base and extending between the base and the lid, the circular outer wall being circumferentially spaced about the circular inner wall and defining an open space therebetween, and an exhaust opening formed on an outer surface of the circular outer wall.
Another aspect of the invention includes a latching drum lid with an integral exhaust that includes a lid, a base opposing the lid, a circular inner wall formed on the base, a circular outer wall formed on the base and extending between the base and the lid, the circular outer wall being circumferentially spaced about the circular inner wall and defining an open space therebetween, and an exhaust opening formed on an outer surface of the circular outer wall.
Another aspect of the invention includes a latching drum lid with an integral exhaust that includes a lid, a base opposing the lid, a circular inner wall formed on the base, a circular outer wall formed on the base and extending between the base and the lid, the circular outer wall being circumferentially spaced about the circular inner wall and defining an open space therebetween, and exhaust means for establishing an airflow from the inside of the latching drum lid to the outside of the latching drum lid.
These and other aspects of the present invention will be more fully understood following a review of this specification and drawings.
In one aspect, the invention comprises a circular latching drum lid with a continuous gasket enclosed within an outer wall. The internal space defined by the inner and outer circular walls composes the exhaust hood. The outer wall includes, for example, a 4 inch outside diameter (OD) coupler for attachment to an exhaust duct. If the outer wall is higher than the inner wall, it helps to contain and remove vapors that are both heavier and lighter than air. If the inner wall is extended below the surface of the base lid, it would help to limit the amount of vapor escaping by creating a baffle. This extension, however, would also restrict the effective height of the collection drum. A diffuser screen placed between the two walls would prevent small papers and debris from entering the ductwork. A diffuser screen would also help to more evenly distribute airflow around the exhaust hood. The assembly is then attached to an open-head dram with a bolt-closed attachment ring or other types of rings that use a lever device to quickly remove the attachment ring. The invention meets EPA requirements for closed container while also providing OSHA requirements (e.g., 400 cfm in a 4 inch duct) for exhaust ventilation of fumes while the container is open during use.
In another aspect of the invention, one or more latches may be used to seal the lid. Advantageously, a single-latch assembly can be opened and closed with one hand, allowing the user to quickly open and close the lid to minimize the amount of vapor emission. An additional benefit of the one hand operation is that the user does not need to let go of the hazardous waste to open the container. This helps to eliminate potential contamination of the environment surrounding the hazardous waste drum.
Referring now to the Figures,
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Whereas particular embodiments of this invention have been described above for purposes of illustration, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that numerous variations of the details of the present invention may be made without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/169,408 filed Apr. 15, 2009, which is fully incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61169408 | Apr 2009 | US |
