Claims
- 1. A system for venting gas from a gas source to the atmosphere, comprising:
- a) a housing forming a housing chamber and having a housing inlet and a housing outlet;
- b) a gas flow means disposed in the housing chamber for directing the gas to the atmosphere;
- c) a vent extending from the housing outlet for providing fluid communication between the housing outlet and the atmosphere, the vent having a vent inlet end coupled to the housing outlet and a vent outlet end communicating with the atmosphere; and
- d) a shell disposed about the vent and housing with a space provided between the shell and the vent and the shell and the housing, with a port formed in the shell in fluid communication with the space; and
- e) a conduit for providing fluid communication between the gas source and the port.
- 2. A system of claim 1 wherein the gas flow means includes a vacuum pump.
- 3. A system of claim 1 wherein the gas flow means includes a fan.
- 4. A system of claim 1 wherein the gas includes a volatile organic gas.
- 5. A system of claim 1 wherein the gas includes radon gas.
- 6. A system of claim 1 further including lead insulation for shielding gamma rays emanating from the radon-containing gas extracted from the soil.
- 7. The system of claim 1 wherein the gas source is located beneath a building and the conduit extends within the building between the source and the port.
- 8. The system of claim 1 wherein the port is located in proximity to the housing inlet.
- 9. A method for venting a gas from a gas source to the atmosphere, comprising the steps of:
- a) placing the gas source in fluid communication with a port formed in a shell surrounding a housing and a vent with a space provided between the housing and shell and vent and shell, said housing forming an inner chamber in which a gas flow means is disposed, said housing having an inlet and outlet;
- b) venting the gas through the housing outlet and through the vent which extends from the housing outlet, and is in fluid communication with the atmosphere; and
- c) reducing the pressure below atmospheric in the space between the shell and housing and shell and vent by an amount sufficient to cause gas entering the space to be directed into the housing inlet and through the inner chamber of the housing and the vent for discharge to the atmosphere.
- 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the port is located in proximity to the housing inlet.
RELATED APPLICATION
The following is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Pat. application No. 07/4I4,907, filed Sep. 29, 1989, issuing as U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,237 on Jan. 29, 1991, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. That patent is herein incorporated by reference.
Gases emanating from soil adjacent building foundations often include components which can be harmful to occupants of structures disposed on the building foundations. Cracks and pores in building foundations can allow gases emanating from the soil to penetrate building foundations and consequently contaminate living space. An example of a harmful gas is radon, which is a decay product of Uranium-238 occurring naturally in soil. Lung cancer has been associated with the presence of radon gas in homes. Examples of other gases, which can emanate from soil, are volatile organic chemicals, such as 1,1, dichloroethylene, trichloroethylene, parachloroethylene and other volatile chemicals, including pesticides, etc.
One method tried to remove radon from building foundations is by filtration to remove radon from the air. However, filters have not proven to be effective for removal of radon because radon is a gas and the predominate portion of radon remains unattached to particulates collected by filters.
Another attempt to control the presence of radon within building structures has been application of sealing materials to points of entry of radon in foundation structures, such as at: wall and floor joints; settling cracks; utility ports, such as cable connections; and pores within the concrete of building foundations. However, sealants typically deteriorate over prolonged periods of time. Further, cracks tend to propagate, thereby substantially reducing the effectiveness of seals.
In still another attempt to remove radon gas from building foundations, radon-containing gas is drawn from beneath building foundations or from points of entry, such as at seams in building foundations, and is discharged to the atmosphere. Typically, the gas is discharged to the atmosphere by operation of fans disposed in vents. However, such fans have been generally restricted to locations outside of building foundations and building structures in order to prevent discharge of ventilated gas into building structures from leaks in fan housings or through leaks at vents disposed within building structures. Disposition of fans outside of building foundations and building structures has often been problematic because of exposure of fans to potentially damaging environmental conditions, such as rain, snow and ice. Also, extreme temperature conditions can impair the operation of fans and limit their useful life.
Thus, a need exists for a system and method for venting a gas from a building foundation which overcome or minimize the forementioned problems.
The present invention relates to a new system and a new method for venting gas from a building to the atmosphere.
The system includes a housing forming a housing chamber about a gas flow means, said housing having an inlet and an outlet. A vent is coupled to the outlet for venting the chamber to the atmosphere. A shell is disposed about the housing and vent with a space therebetween forming a shell conduit, and an opening in said shell adjacent to the inlet. A conduit couples gas to be vented to the opening.
A method for venting a gas from a gas source at a building to the atmosphere includes directing the gas from the gas source through a conduit extending within the gas source and through a housing inlet of a housing by activation of a gas flow means, such as a fan, disposed within the housing. The gas in the housing chamber is vented by the fan through a housing outlet of the housing and through a vent, which extends from the housing outlet, to a vent outlet end of the vent at the atmosphere. The pressure of the gas is reduced below atmospheric within a shell conduit, defined by the housing and the vent and a shell disposed about the housing and the vent, in an amount sufficient to cause gas entering the shell conduit to be directed from the shell conduit through a shell conduit outlet, the shell conduit outlet providing fluid communication between the shell conduit and the housing inlet, and through the housing and the vent for discharge to the atmosphere.
This invention has many advantages. Gases penetrating a building foundation or a building structure from soil can be ventilated to the atmosphere by a system having a gas flow means, such as a fan, which is disposed within the building. Leakage of gas through the housing or the vent back into the building is prevented by the shell conduit, which directs the leaking gas back to the fan. Further, damage to the shell will not cause discharge of significant amounts of gas into the building because reduced pressure within the shell conduit caused by the fan will direct air through the defect into the shell conduit for discharge to the atmosphere by the fan. Likewise, rupture of the vent and the shell will not result in discharge of gas into the building foundation because a draft from the vent into the shell conduit and from the building foundation into the shell conduit will be caused by the fan. Therefore, the fan can be disposed within a building foundation or a building structure without presenting a significant risk of discharging the gas back into the building. Further, disposing the fan within the building eliminates the need for shielding the fan from adverse weather conditions by a separate means designated for that purpose.
US Referenced Citations (13)
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
| Entry |
| EPA/625/5-86-019, "Radon Reduction Techniques for Detached Houses," 32-41 (1986). |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
| Parent |
414907 |
Sep 1989 |
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Patent Grant
5127768
