Claims:We Claim:
1. A sequential air purification system comprising:
a housing having:
an inlet for receiving the air to be purified; and
an outlet for discharging the air after purification;
said housing having disposed, between said inlet and said outlet, therein a set of components arranged sequentially from said inlet to said outlet, said set of components, in sequential order, comprising:
(a) at least one filter selected from the group consisting of at least one mesh type pre-filter and at least one minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) filter;
(b) at least one photo-catalytic oxidation (PCO) filter comprising at least one non-fabric based metal-oxide substrate coated with a catalyst and a dopant, at least a portion of said at least one substrate is irradiated by ultra-violet light from at least one ultra-violet lamp;
(c) at least one of high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, and a granular/a pelleted activated carbon filter; and
(d) a fan disposed at said outlet for inducing a draft for directing the purified air outside said housing.

2. The sequential air purification system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one non-fabric based metal-oxide substrate, coated with said catalyst and said dopant, is selected from the group consisting of alumina, zirconia, silica, and titanium dioxide.

3. The sequential air purification system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said non-fabric based metal-oxide substrate, coated with said catalyst and said dopant, has a pore size in the range of 0.1 mm to 3 mm.

4. The sequential air purification system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said non-fabric based metal-oxide substrate, coated with said catalyst, and said dopant, has a pore density in the range of 20 PPI to 60 PPI.

5. The sequential air purification system as claimed in any one of the claims 1-4, wherein said catalyst is nano-titania.

6. The sequential air purification system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said at least one non-fabric based metal-oxide substrate is independently coated with a different dopant.

7. The sequential air purification system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one PCO filter unit is secured to a frame comprising at least one material selected from plastic, and metal.

8. The sequential air purification system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one spacer is disposed between each of said components, said spacers being corrugated and comprises at least one material selected from aluminum and anodized material.

9. The sequential air purification system as claimed in claim 1, further comprises an embedded controller in data communication with a plurality of sensors, wherein said embedded controller is configured to receive and process signals relating to purification levels of air being filtered therein sensed by said sensors.

10. The sequential air purification system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said embedded controller is further configured to detect a class of errors in operation and provide notifications thereof.

11. The sequential air purification system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said class of errors include lamp failure and requirement for filter replacement.

12. A method for purification of air using said system as claimed in claim 1, said method comprising the following steps:
i. receiving the air to be purified at the inlet for allowing said air to pass therethrough into housing;
ii. permitting said air to be filtered to pass sequentially through:
(a) said at least one filter selected from the group consisting of at least one mesh type pre-filter and at least one minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) filter;
(b) said at least one photo catalytic(PCO) filter comprising at least one non-fabric based metal-oxide substrate coated with a catalyst and a dopant, at least a portion of said at least one substrate is irradiated by UV light from at least one ultra-violet lamp; and
(c) said at least one of high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter and a granular or a pelleted activated carbon filter; and
iii. expelling said purified air through said outlet using said fan. , Description:This is an application for a patent of addition to the Indian Patent Application No. 1723/MUM/2013 filed on 14th May 2013, the entire contents of which are specifically incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD
The present disclosure relates to a sequential air purification system, more particularly, the present disclosure relates to an indoor sequential air purification system for removing particulates, dust/smoke, chemical contaminants, microorganisms/bacteria, mold, odor, pollen, pathogens, and the like.
DEFINITIONS
As used in the present disclosure, the following terms are generally intended to have the meaning as set forth below, except to the extent that the context in which they are used indicates otherwise.
The term “Substrate” for the purpose of the present disclosure refers to a stationary solid structure, in part and as a whole, that is used to hold up or support another material with functional groups. It is made of a metal-oxide alloy, coated with a catalyst and a dopant. It is of non-fabric nature.
The term “PCO filters” for the purpose of the present disclosure refers to photocatalytic oxidation filters.
The term “HEPA filter” for the purpose of the present disclosure refers to high efficiency particulate arrester filters.
The term “MERV filter” for the purpose of the present disclosure refers to minimum efficiency reporting value of the filter.
The term “VOC’s” for the purpose of the present disclosure refers to volatile organic compound.
The term “PPI” for the purpose of the present disclosure refers to Pores per Inch designates the number of pores in one linear inch, used in the measurement of porosity.
BACKGROUND
Air contamination and pollution is a long-standing problem. The air pollution levels continue to rise, with the contaminants like dust, mold, allergens, pollen, and bacteria being prevalent. Other major contaminants are gaseous chemical contaminants including volatile organic compounds (VOC's), such as formaldehyde, ammonia, and other common contaminants, which are released from indoor sources like building materials, adhesives, pesticides, cleaning agents, etc. Further, carbon monoxide is released from fireplaces, gas stoves and smoking. Apart from the indoor sources, gaseous chemicals from outdoors such as vehicular emissions, smog, etc., can affect the indoor air quality. This problem is aggravated by inadequate ventilation in the newer "tight" construction buildings.
Such contaminated air, when inhaled, can cause serious health risks, mostly for people suffering from dust/pollen allergies, asthma, emphysema and other respiratory illnesses.
Filters have long been used to remove contaminants like particulate contaminants, mold, pollen, and dust/smoke. The filters, however, are designed only to remove contaminants up to a specific size.
Many devices use activated charcoal filters and high efficiency particulate arrester (HEPA) filters to remove the air contaminants.
A plethora of indoor air purification devices that are currently available use mechanical filters in conjunction with electronic air cleaners or ion generators for providing purified indoor air. The negatively charged ions have the effect of purifying the atmosphere. A typical indoor area has an increased ratio of positive ions to negative ions, due to household activities like smoking, cooking or dusting or even due to the static electricity generated by synthetic fibers, which is not conducive to preservation of negative ions. However, these devices are not able to completely remove contaminants like gaseous chemicals and bacteria/viruses.
Purification of polluted air by removing gaseous chemicals has also been accomplished through the use of adsorbents or catalysts. Effective clean-up of air requires a combination of different types of adsorbents. In many applications, ozone is used to destroy viruses, bacteria, mold spores, pathogens and also to remove odors and harmful gases. Ozone itself is toxic beyond a certain threshold level. It has been proven that prolonged exposure to ozone might influence a critical step in the development of lung cancer by increasing the frequency of early, precancerous changes in cells.
There have also been attempts to use ultraviolet or UV lamps to destroy bacteria on a variety of surfaces, including filter surfaces. It is known that UV-C light is an effective germicidal, capable of destroying microorganisms in the air. As contaminated air passes through intense UV-C light, bacteria, viruses and other organic compounds get destroyed.
Photo-catalytic Oxidation (PCO) is the technology used for air purification. PCO requires a combination of UV light rays with a titanium oxide (TiO2) coated filter. The process creates hydroxyl radicals and super-oxide ions, which are highly reactive electrons. These highly reactive electrons aggressively combine with other elements in the air, such as bacteria and VOC's. Once bound together, a chemical reaction takes place between the super-charged ion and the pollutant, effectively oxidizing (or burning) the pollutant and breaking it down into harmless carbon dioxide and water molecules, thereby purifying the air. Single or multiple PCO filters coated with titanium dioxide (with and without dopant) coated on different supports, including woven/non-woven fabric, have been used. A HEPA filter can be provided upstream of the PCO filter to capture some of the microorganisms.
A number of different air purification devices using the photo-catalytic oxidation technology for providing purified indoor air have been developed in the past.
EP Patent No. 1433515 discloses an air purifier where the main body allows air to pass through it. A replaceable filter is inserted into the main body and it is replaceable on the basis of the environmental properties of the space to be purified. Further, the air purifier includes a dust collecting unit to charge dust particles electrically and to collect the dust particles by electrostatic attraction.
In addition, a metal filter collects the dust particles charged in the dust collecting unit, and a HEPA filter is used to collect micro-contaminants. The metal filter is positioned in front of the HEPA filter.
US Patent No. 8328917 discloses an air filtration system comprising a particulate filter operably coupled to a substrate, where the substrate is powder coated with a solvent-free and heat-cured binary photocatalyst-resin mixture of titanium dioxide and polymer resins; wherein the binary photocatalyst-resin mixture is electrically charged and sprayed onto the substrate, and the binary photocatalyst-resin mixture is cured by heating onto the substrate to form a photocatalyst powder coated-substrate. A UV light source is provided for irradiating UV light on the photocatalyst powder-coated substrate to remove contaminants from the surface of the photocatalyst powder coated-substrate once the contaminants bind to the photocatalyst powder coated-substrate.
US Patent Application No. 20030019738 discloses a photocatalytic air purifier including filter structures coated with a catalytic material such as titanium dioxide. One or more UV lamps are interposed between the filter structures. The catalytic layer reacts with airborne VOCs and bioaerosols when activated by the UV lamps to oxidize the VOCs and destroy the bioaerosols. The photocatalytic air purifier further includes a control system.
US Patent Application No. 20110033346 discloses an air cleaner comprising an air channel in the air cleaner, an air moving unit configured to create an airflow in the air channel, a photo-catalytic oxidation (PCO) element disposed in the airflow, and an Ultraviolet A (UV-A) Light Emitting Diode (LED) to illuminate the PCO element. The PCO element can be a substrate comprising a first coating comprising a VOC decomposing catalyst; a second coating comprising ozone decomposing catalyst; and a third coating comprising titanium dioxide.
US Application No. 20050069464 discloses an air purification system in which a photocatalytic coating oxidizes volatile organic compounds, which get adsorbed onto the coating, into water, carbon dioxide, and other substances. When photons of ultraviolet light are absorbed by the coating, reactive hydroxyl radicals are formed. When a contaminant is adsorbed onto the coating, the hydroxyl radical oxidizes the contaminant to produce water, carbon dioxide, and other substances. Water adsorbs strongly on the coating, and water and contaminants compete for adsorption sites on the coating. A magnetron emits microwaves of a desired wavelength. The microwaves are only absorbed by the adsorbed water, desorbing the water from the photocatalytic coating, thereby creating additional photo oxidation sites for the contaminants.
Indian Application No. 524/MUMNP/2012 discloses a fluid disinfection device having a substrate in optical communication with a photon source. The photon source may provide UV-A and UV-B light. The substrate may include photocatalytic particles on its surface and the photocatalytic particles may include TiO2, Bi2O3, WO3, ZnO, FeO, SnO, or SiO2. Further, the substrate may be a filter or may include a series of filters. The filter in turn includes fibers, which may be composed of cotton, wool, polymers, metals, metal oxides, or carbon fibers which are such that at least one portion of the substrate is movable between a first position and a second position. The filter is positioned within the path of the fluid thereby allowing the fluid to move over fibers as it passes through the filter. While passing through the fibers, the contaminants in the fluid come in contact with the photocatalytic particles and are thus destroyed.
Traditionally, when multiple PCO filters are used, all the filters generally have the same coating composition, thereby limiting filter efficiency when more than one contaminant was pre-dominant. This also resulted in over-working of the HEPA filters, which if present, captured most of the micro-organisms, resulting in their choking and thereby requiring frequent replacements. In conductive environments, there is a possibility of further microbial growth on the upstream face of the HEPA filter.
The Indian patent application No. 1723/MUM/2013, is discloses a sequential air purification system which includes a module for destroying/killing organisms present in the air using the photocatalytic oxidation (PCO), along with other modules. Other modules are also disclosed in the Indian patent application No. 1723/MM/2013, such as a primary purification unit which includes a prefilter and an MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) filter, a secondary purification unit which includes the PCO filter with a UV light source and a tertiary purification unit which includes a HEPA and /or an activated carbon filter to be placed in a particular sequence. The pre-filter, the MERV filter, the HEPA filters, the activated carbon filter and the PCO filter in the Indian patent application 1723/MUM/2013 are realized by means of using fabric elements. Fabric based filters tend to exhibit higher pressure drops. Higher pressure drops result in higher costs towards maintaining the required draft across the air purifier unit for achieving satisfactory purification levels and making it less energy efficient.
Further, one of the limitations of the fabric based PCO filter is that it needs to be safeguarded with tighter pre-filters, or else it may lead to dust deposition which will reduce light impedance on catalytic surface and hence, it’s inefficient.
Still further, fabric based PCO filters generally has low life, mainly due to mechanical abrasion and catalyst site deactivation. Frequent replacement of these fabrics PCO filters results in high operating cost of the air purification device.
The fabric based filters that are of use and throw type cannot be reused. The discarded fabric filters also cause their own waste disposal issues.
Therefore, there is felt a need to provide an air purification system having enhanced efficacy which addresses the limitations faced by the use of fabric based filters and optimizes the use of filters so that they have significantly similar performance in terms of purification as compared to systems with fabric filters.
OBJECTS
Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows:
It is an object of the present disclosure to ameliorate one or more problems of the prior art or to at least provide a useful alternative.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an air purification system that can be used to purify the indoor circulating air in residential and commercial settings; which is a simple, structured and sequential combination filter that includes high purification efficiency to remove particulates, dust/smoke, chemical contaminants, microorganisms/bacteria, mold, odor, pollen, pathogens, and the like, in a modular, replaceable and disposable unit; which is capable of being easily installed; which can be easily changed or extended according to the specific needs and conditions of the space to be purified, and also in which the modular units that are no longer needed, due to a change in the environmental conditions, can be withdrawn without dismantling the system.
Still another object of the present disclosure is to enhance the life of the HEPA filter by in-situ cleaning.
Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide an air purification system which is aesthetically appealing.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an air purification system which can be used as a standalone unit or with an air handling unit in a centralized HVAC (Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning) system.
Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide an air-purifier system comprising a sequence of filters with minimum pressure drop while simultaneously maintaining satisfactory purification performance. Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a PCO filtration module that makes the element robust and having the qualities described above. The PCO filter provided by the present invention provides for lower pressure drop, is less susceptible to mechanical abrasion and catalyst site deactivation resulting in higher filter life, and is reusable.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an element for use in a PCO filtration module that is robust, easy to manufacture and can function efficiently with low maintenance and that can be manufactured industrially at low cost and with the help of workman having moderate technical ability.
Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, which are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure relates to a sequential air purification system comprising: a housing having an air inlet for receiving the air to be purified and an outlet for discharging the air after purification. The housing disposed between the inlet and the outlet; and a set of components is arranged in a sequence from the air intake to the air outlet in the housing. The set of components in sequential order comprises a) at least one filter selected from the group of filters consisting of mesh type pre-filter and at least one minimum-efficiency reporting value (MERV) filter unit; b) at least one photo catalytic (PCO) filter unit comprising at least one non-fabric based metal-oxide substrate coated with a catalyst and a dopant. The at least a portion of the at least one substrate is irradiated by UV light from at least one ultra-violet lamp, wherein the at least one substrate substantially encompasses the at least one lamp; c) at least one of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, and a granular/a pelleted activated carbon filter; and d) a fan disposed at the outlet for inducing a draft for directing the purified air outside the housing.
The catalyst used in the present disclosure is nano titanium. Typically, two or more PCO filters having different coating compositions are provided. Spacers are provided between each of the system components and the system components are removably positioned in the housing. The spacers are corrugated spacers made of a material selected from aluminum and anodized material. The PCO filter is optimally spaced from the ultra-violet lamp.
The air purification system of the present disclosure comprises embedded controls with a printed circuit board. The system further comprises sensors for monitoring the pollution level, and is configured to automatically change the purification level based on the pollution level. Further, the system is adapted to detect any fault in the operation and provide an indication in at least one situation selected from lamp failure and requirement for filter replacement.
The present disclosure also provides a method for purifying the indoor circulating air using the air purification system comprising the following steps: receiving the air to be purified at the inlet and allowing the air to; pass therethrough into the housing; allowing the air to be filtered to sequentially passed through a) at least one filter selected from the group consisting of mesh type pre-filter and minimum-efficiency reporting value (MERV) filter; b) at least one photo-catalytic oxidation (PCO) filter comprising at least one non-fabric based metal oxide substrate coated with a catalyst and a dopant. The at least one portion of the at least one substrate is irradiated by UV light from at least one ultra-violet lamp, c) at least one of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter and a granular/ a pelleted activated carbon filter; and d) a fan disposed at the outlet for inducing a draft for directing the purified air outside the housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present disclosure envisages a sequential air purification system for clean room application, purifying indoor circulating air in residential and commercial settings. The system can be used in a variety of industries, not limited to, but including pharmaceuticals, food, semiconductors, or in residences, offices, or hospitals. The system can be used as a standalone unit or along with an air handling unit in centralized heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. The system of the present disclosure is a simple, structured, and sequential combination filter that includes high purification efficiency to remove particulates, dust/smoke, chemical contaminants, microorganisms/bacteria, mold, odor, pollen, pathogens, and the like. Further, the system has modular, replaceable, and disposable units which can be easily installed and which can be easily changed or extended according to the specific needs and conditions of the space to be purified. Also, when the modular units are no longer needed, they can be easily withdrawn without dismantling the system. Further, fabric based pre-filter, activated carbon filter and PCO filters can be replaced by non-fabric based filters, which can be engineered to provide lower pressure drops.
The air purification system of the present disclosure comprises a housing having an air intake end for receiving the air to be purified and an air outflow end for discharging the purified air flow. The system comprises a combination of system components for purifying the air flow. The system is a sequential air purification system comprising: a housing having an inlet for receiving the air to be purified and an outlet for discharging the air after purification, the housing having disposed therein a set of components arranged in a sequence. The set of components in sequential order comprises: (a) at least one filter selected from the group consisting of mesh type pre-filter minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) filter; (b) at least one photo catalytic (PCO) filter comprising at least one non-fabric based metal-oxide substrate coated with a catalyst and a dopant. The at least one a portion of the at least one substrate is irradiated by UV light from at least one ultra-violet lamp (c) at least one of high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter and a granular/ a pelleted activated carbon filter; and (d) a fan disposed at the outlet for inducing a draft for directing the purified air outside said housing.
The air inlet and the air outlet are provided with means for creating a uniform air flow distribution across the filters at minimal pressure resistance. The system components are each separated by spacers and are removably placed in the housing. The spacers are corrugated spacers made of a material selected from aluminum and anodized material. A flip arrangement may be provided for removal of the filters. The fan blade may be provided with an anti-microbial coating.
The pre-filter and MERV filters used in the present disclosure is adapted to remove particulate matter and dust. The pre-filter may be provided with an anti-microbial coating to capture the microbes. The pre-filter and the MERV filter are the primary stages of filtration for removal of dust from the air. This also safeguards the PCO filters and the HEPA filters and activated carbon filters provided downstream of the pre-filter and MERV filters, whose performances would otherwise deteriorate due to blockage of catalyst sites in the PCO filter or filter fibers of the HEPA filter.
The at least one photo catalytic (PCO) filter used in the present disclosure comprising at least one non-fabric based metal-oxide substrate coated with a catalyst and a dopant. Two or more PCO filters can be used and optimized to treat various contaminants. Based on the application, for principle contaminant removal (VOC's or micro-organisms), multiple PCO filters can be coated with the same, or different optimum concentrations of nano-titania and dopant. The non-fabric metal-oxide substrate(s) is provided with at least a portion of the at least one substrate is irradiated by UV light from at least one ultra-violet lamp. The PCO filter substrates are irradiated with a ultra-violet lamp to receive UV radiations, typically UV-A radiations, where two PCO filter substrates can be provided with a single UV lamp placed in-between or a single PCO filter substrate can be provided with multiple UV lamps. Multiple stages of photo-catalytic oxidation, in series, ensure effective treatment of the air-borne contaminants. Placement of the ultraviolet light source in-between the PCO filtration stages ensure energy-efficient and effective use of the available photon energy, thereby reducing the power consumption.
The PCO filter substrate substantially encompasses the UV lamp, with an optimal space between the PCO filter substrate and the UV lamp, for maximizing the realized photo-catalytic reaction at the catalyst surface. The non-fabric based metal-oxide substrate is at least one selected from the group consisting of alumina, zirconia, silica, and titanium dioxide.
In accordance with the present disclosure, the substrate may have a pore size in the range of 0.1 to 3 mm and a pore density in the range of 20 PPI to 60 PPI (pores per linear inch).
The HEPA filter and/or an activated carbon filter are used downstream to the PCO filtration stages. Traces of remnant contaminants, if any, are captured by the HEPA filter. HEPA filter's useful life, when used with upstream PCO filters, is much more than when used in isolation. Hydroxyl and super-oxide radicals produced by the UV-PCO action, help in keeping the HEPA surface area clean by continuous destruction of the micro-organisms, thereby providing improved filtering efficiency. For the treatment of VOC's, an activated carbon filter is used in the last stage of air purification.
The PCO filter unit may be bound to a frame made of a material selected from plastic, metal and the like. The mesh pre-filter and the activated carbon filter may also be bound to a similar frame. The filter units other than the PCO filter unit, the mesh pre-filter and the activated carbon filter are made of fabric and are bound to a frame made of a material selected from plastic, metal and the like. These fabric filters may also have a pleated structure. Spacers may be provided between the components. They may be corrugated and made of material selected from aluminum and anodized material. Furthermore, the layout and the disposition of the filtration stages enable a larger contact surface area with the turbulent contaminant currents, yielding enhanced purification and decontamination performance.
The system further comprises embedded controls with multilayer printed circuit board (PCB). The system may be provided with a detachable electrical cabinet for easy access. The system may be provided with a remote having an auto-mode feature. Further, a soft touch start button may be provided on a swoosh design front panel for either switching on/off or for changing modes. The system uses a smartphone or a tablet operating system (like Android, iOS or Windows) based application for the air purifier control and data logging. The system further comprises a remote locator key on the front panel and a real time clock for setting the time. The system further comprises sensors such as an optical dust sensor and a VOC sensor for monitoring the pollution level and is configured to automatically change the purification level based on the pollution level. Further, the system is adapted to detect any fault in the operation and provides an indication in a situation such as lamp failure and requirement for filter replacement. Various components of the system may be composed of plastic, sheet metal, and composites, to reduce the cost.
In the present disclosure PCO filters made from non-fabric elements need not to be safeguarded with tighter pre-filters, and hence, it’s efficient.
Further, non-fabric based PCO filters has longer life than those of the fabric filters. Fabric based PCO filters generally has low life, mainly due to mechanical abrasion and catalyst site deactivation. Frequent replacement of these fabrics PCO filters calls for the high operating cost of air purification device.
Also, non-fabric filters can be reused however the discarded fabric filters also cause their own waste disposal issues.

TECHNICAL ADVANTAGES
The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages including, but not limited to the realization of: an air purification system
• that can be used to purify indoor circulating air in residential and commercial settings;
• that is a simple, structured and sequential combination filter;
• that includes high purification efficiency to remove particulates, dust/smoke, chemical contaminants, microorganisms/ bacteria, mold, odor, pollen, pathogens, and the like;
• that is modular, replaceable and disposable;
• that can be easily installed or can be easily changed;
• that can be extended according to the specific needs and conditions of the space to be purified;
• that is configurable such that when the modular units that are no longer needed, due to a change in the environmental conditions, the modular units withdrawn without dismantling the system;
• that enhances the life of the HEPA filter by in-situ cleaning;
• that is aesthetically appealing;
• that can be used as a standalone unit or with an air handling unit in a centralized HVAC system;
• that includes a unique catalytic filter which provides an enhanced filtration area;
• that provides better abrasion resistance of PCO filter;
• that reduces lower pressure drop of PCO filter;
• that enables better control on TiO2 particle size/uniformity/rigidity; and
• that has less production costs as compared to fabric based PCO filters, simplified making of PCO filter; long life, and filters that can be washed and can be reused.
Throughout this specification the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.
The use of the expression "at least" or "at least one" suggests the use of one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment of the disclosure to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results.
Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like that has been included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the disclosure. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the disclosure as it existed anywhere before the priority date of this application.
The numerical values mentioned for the various physical parameters, dimensions or quantities are only approximations and it is envisaged that the values higher/lower than the numerical values assigned to the parameters, dimensions or quantities fall within the scope of the disclosure, unless there is a statement in the specification specific to the contrary.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.