U.S. patent application number 10/493533 was filed with the patent office on 2005-09-08 for modular containment unit.
Invention is credited to Pettus, Daryl Owen.
Application Number | 20050193643 10/493533 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 29417600 |
Filed Date | 2005-09-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050193643 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Pettus, Daryl Owen |
September 8, 2005 |
Modular containment unit
Abstract
A prefabricated, self-contained, standardised working
environment that combines transport-useful physical standards for
overall dimensions (a shipping container/cargo container) together
with functional standards (such as specified clean air or
biological containment standards) related to specific types of work
to be carried out, and takes advantage of volume production at an
assembly site with appropriate materials and expertise. Optionally,
users are provided with "no-touch" control of items like doors or
taps, and with management of supplies, event logging, instrument
control, communications and the like through a network of computer
peripherals and a control unit.
Inventors: |
Pettus, Daryl Owen;
(Auckland, NZ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
YOUNG & THOMPSON
745 SOUTH 23RD STREET
2ND FLOOR
ARLINGTON
VA
22202
US
|
Family ID: |
29417600 |
Appl. No.: |
10/493533 |
Filed: |
March 11, 2005 |
PCT Filed: |
May 8, 2003 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/NZ03/00085 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/79.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04H 1/1205 20130101;
C12M 37/00 20130101; E04H 1/1277 20130101; B01L 2200/028 20130101;
E04H 2001/1283 20130101; E04B 1/3483 20130101; F24F 3/167 20210101;
B01L 1/52 20190801 |
Class at
Publication: |
052/079.1 |
International
Class: |
E04H 001/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 8, 2002 |
NZ |
518841 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A modular containment unit including a working space, for use
within an external surrounding environment, characterised in that
the modular containment unit is constructed within an outer shell
capable of meeting at least one physical standard appropriate to
outer shells, and includes an internal working space having a
construction and having environmental support means together
capable of meeting at least one functional standard appropriate to
at least one task capable of being carried out within the working
space.
2. A modular containment unit as claimed in claim 1, characterised
in that the outer shell capable of meeting at least one physical
standard is that of a dedicated shipping container.
3. A modular containment as claimed in claim 2, characterised in
that the construction of the internal working space is based on
panels each comprised of a foam interior and at least one coated
protective surface.
4. A modular containment unit as claimed in claim 3, characterised
in that the internal working space includes means capable of
trapping suspended particles within the air, and the internal
working space provides walls, floors, ceilings and fitments
constructed so as to minimise the release of particles into the
air, so that the working space meets or exceeds a standard
requirement for the amount of suspended particles in the air.
5. A modular containment unit as claimed in claim 2, characterised
in that the internal working space is capable of providing a
barrier between a bio-technical operation carried out within the
working space and the external surrounding environment according to
at least one recognised Standard for biological containment, and
the construction provides for sterilisation of the working space
from time to time.
6. A modular containment unit as claimed in claim 2, characterised
in that the modular containment unit includes means for
maintaining, within the working space, an internal atmosphere
capable of meeting the at least one functional standard, the means
also providing a barrier between the internal atmosphere and the
external surrounding environment by means of air filtration and/or
sterilisation.
7. A modular containment unit as claimed in claim 5, characterised
in that the means for maintaining an internal atmosphere and
barrier is capable of being serviced and/or replaced from the
exterior of the unit without breaching the barrier.
8. A modular containment unit as claimed in claim 5, characterised
in that the modular containment unit includes means for preventing
exchange of organisms between the internal atmosphere and the
external surrounding environment by carriage within liquids passing
across the barrier.
9. A modular containment unit as claimed in claim 5, characterised
in that the modular containment unit includes means for preventing
transfer of organisms across the barrier upon workers' clothing, by
providing garment storage and changing areas.
10. A modular containment unit as claimed in claim 2, characterised
in that the working space includes at least one internal modular
serviced space, each of which is capable of being occupied by a
corresponding item of equipment.
11. A modular containment unit as claimed in claim 3, characterised
in that the modular containment unit includes service means
(electric power and any gases) for supporting the internal working
environment, and for supporting a bio-technical operation carried
out within the unit.
12. A modular containment unit as claimed in claim 7, characterised
in that the modular containment unit includes a plurality of
non-contact sensors each coupled to a corresponding actuator
coupled in turn to an item to be operated; each sensor being
capable of responding to a worker when requiring that the item be
operated, so that the worker does not physically handle the
item.
13. A method for manufacture of a plurality of modular containment
units each as claimed in any previous claim, characterised in that
the method incorporates the steps of aggregating the steps of
manufacture at a single site and then transporting each modular
containment unit to a destination site as if it were a standard
shipping container, so that experience gained in meeting imposed
standards may be used repeatedly, so that any one modular
containment unit may be later provided with at least one modular
item of laboratory equipment, and so that the cost of supply of
said modular containment units is minimised.
Description
FIELD
[0001] This invention relates to provision of an environmentally
controlled, stand-alone, user-facilitated work space, and more
particularly to providing an effective containment laboratory
within a standardised shell with modular fitments capable of
passing quality standards appropriate to the type of work carried
out within.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Some types of work must be carried out within environments
having unusual characteristics such as extreme freedom from
particles carried in the air ("clean rooms" for silicon foundries
and photolithography), or being effectively sealed from the outside
world, such as for the handling of infectious organisms. One form
of standard descriptor for a clean room is the US Federal Standard
209D including a specific class number representing the degree of
freedom from particles of defined size ranges within a given
sampled volume of air.
[0003] A bio-technical operation may require, or be required by law
to use an enclosed laboratory space meeting certain requirements,
such as to be able to guarantee containment of highly infectious
organisms so that they are absolutely not released to the outside
environment, or to maintain biological material held in a "bank" in
a sterile and uncontaminated manner. The Australasian standards
PC2, PC3, and PC4 refer to a capability for containing biohazards.
For example, a PC3 laboratory (see "Definitions) includes a sealed
room, an airlock for entry of personnel, an air inflow prefilter
and baffles, a HEPA filter leading to an air exhaust fan piped to
an exhaust on a rooftop, means to regulate and supervise the
internal pressure at about -50 Pa with reference to the adjacent
rooms in the building, and the usual laboratory furniture including
Class II biosafety cabinets. Should the internal air pressure fall
below a threshold alarms are raised. People using the facility have
to be approved and trained, provide serum samples on a regular
basis, and wear appropriate sealed clothing. (On occasion,
containment laboratories are operated at a slightly raised pressure
with respect to the outside air). Filters of the HEPA type are
highly but not totally effective and therefore an air disinfection
procedure, compatible with concurrent human exposure, may be useful
on occasion such as when very infective or very dangerous organisms
are present.
[0004] Example applications include quarantine facilities,
operating theatres, anthrax spore (or other biological warfare)
decontamination, decontamination of a person exposed to radioactive
fallout, experimentation with viruses, vaccine production, and
packing containers of live viruses or bacteria (such as live
vaccines) on an industrial scale.
[0005] From time to time, forensic pathology requires forensic DNA
procedures to be carried out in a clearly uncontaminated
environment, so that any conclusions reached will stand up during
legal argument. Further, such procedures may have to be carried out
in a site that is remote from the usual scientific laboratory
services.
[0006] It has been a common practice to install containment
laboratories of the PC2 or PC3 type within multi-storey buildings.
The cost of on-site construction of a highly secure bio-laboratory
capable of meeting or exceeding the PC3 or PC4 rating is in year
2002 about one million New Zealand dollars. This can be prohibitive
for smaller organisations, for short-term activities, and for
universities on tight budgets. Furthermore, should the building
suffer a structurally damaging catastrophe such as fire,
earthquake, or explosion, the risk that the contents of the
laboratory have been spread in an invisible manner about the
general area adds an unknown degree of risk to firefighting, search
and rescue, demolition, repair, or occupation of surrounding
areas.
[0007] Other uses of a laboratory of the type under consideration
include those where the biological material itself is not
dangerous, but instead extremely valuable, and examples of such
biological material include germ cells (sperm and eggs) of
endangered animals, of people undergoing IVF procedures, and
include a bank for storage of live cells such as stem cell lines.
In these cases efforts are made to keep pathogens out, and to
maintain the material in a viable state (eg by uninterrupted
storage under boiling nitrogen at -196 deg C.).
[0008] Many fairly standard technical aids (such as laminar flow
cabinets, liquid nitrogen storage facilities, or dark rooms) for
use within such a laboratory are relatively expensive when a
laboratory is built individually in a "target site" somewhere
around the world, but which could be provided more cheaply and more
easily if such laboratories could be built in one specialised
factory and then shipped to a destination. It would be an advantage
if the containment laboratory was as far as possible a stand-alone
unit dependent on outside energy (electricity or fuel) only.
[0009] From time to time, a self-contained laboratory should be
able to undergo a rigorous disinfection procedure in order to
guarantee a known status prior to carrying out certain work.
[0010] Accordingly the problem to be solved could be stated as
"provision of a cheap, portable working space within an integral
prefabricated building, capable of meeting specified appropriate
standards".
[0011] Known prior art comprises the infrequent construction on an
ad hoc basis of laboratories within containers such as wet labs for
use in oceanography or the like; however no attempt has been made
to provide such constructions that are specifically designed to
meet stringent standards for cleanliness, for the containment of
hazardous organisms, or the like. Most working spaces to meet such
standards are constructed as "buildings within buildings".
DEFINITIONS
[0012] "Shipping container", sometimes also known as "cargo
container" refers to robust, stackable steel boxes with doors at
one or both ends, have a constant width of 8 feet, are made in 20
foot, 30 foot or 40 foot lengths and 7.5 feet or 8.5 feet internal
heights. They are capable of being lifted by a crane, carried by
truck or train, or stacked on board a ship and normally used for
the transport of cargo from place to place.
[0013] By "portable" we mean that the object in question is capable
of being moved about from time to time, such as on the back of a
truck or on a trailer.
[0014] "HEPA" (High Efficiency Particulate Arrestance) filters are
a well-known group that belong to the `interception` family of
filters and typically have a deep bed of randomly positioned 0.5 to
1.0 micron diameter glass fibers.
[0015] There are standard descriptors for containment laboratories
and for convenience we will refer to Australian Standard AS
2243.3-1991 (1995 draft revision) in which, for example, PC3 refers
to a laboratory capable of containing HIV virus, recombinant DNA
vectors, and pathogens of similar risk factor defined as Level 3
pathogens. PC2 is for less dangerous material, and PC4 is a very
high containment standard.
OBJECT
[0016] It is an object of this invention to provide an improved
portable laboratory, or at least to provide the public with a
useful choice.
STATEMENT OF INVENTION
[0017] In a first broad aspect this invention relates to the
provision of a working area or room, wherein the external
characteristics of the room meet an existing standard for
containers, and the internal working environment of the room meets
an existing standard appropriate to the use made of the working
environment.
[0018] In a first related aspect, the outer shell capable of
meeting at least one physical standard is that of a dedicated
shipping container so that the working area can be moved about from
time to time by means of existing transport facilities adapted for
the movement of shipping containers.
[0019] In a preferred version, the laboratory is made within a
structure compatible with steel cargo/shipping containers in that
it can be stored, moved, and used in the same manner and using
cranes, trucks, and other facilities already adapted for use with
shipping containers.
[0020] Optionally the structure is built inside an existing steel
cargo (shipping) container.
[0021] In a second related aspect, the working environment
standards are preferably satisfied by means including use of
constructional techniques, environmental conditioning, filtering,
sterilistation, and air management means.
[0022] In a second broad aspect the invention provides a portable
laboratory within an existing prefabricated and portable structure
of the type known as a "shipping container", characterised by being
self-contained in relation to environmental support means including
air conditioning, heating, water reticulation, and disposal.
[0023] In a related aspect the self-contained laboratory is
provided with intake means capable of admitting air from the
surrounding space, inlet filtering means capable of filtering out
potentially harmful airborne material, circulating the air within
the laboratory, and outlet filtering means capable of filtering out
potentially harmful airborne material from used air before the used
air is passed to the external environment.
[0024] Preferably the internal space is maintained at a lower
ambient pressure than that of the outside air so that no air can
escape from the laboratory except through the outlet filtering
means.
[0025] Alternatively, the internal space is maintained at a higher
ambient pressure than that of the outside air so that no air can
enter the laboratory except through the inlet filtering means.
[0026] Preferably the modular containment unit is constructed
within an outer shell capable of meeting at least one physical
standard appropriate to outer shells, and includes an internal
working space having a construction and having environmental
support means together capable of meeting at least one functional
standard appropriate to at least one task capable of being carried
out within the working space.
[0027] Preferably, the construction of the internal working space
is based on panels each comprised of a foam interior and at least
one coated protective surface and one such product is known as
"BONDOR".TM..
[0028] In a third related aspect, the internal working space
preferably includes means capable of trapping suspended particles
within the air, so that the working space meets or exceeds a
standard requirement for the amount of suspended particles in the
air.
[0029] Preferably the internal working space provides walls,
floors, ceilings and fitments constructed so as to minimise the
release of particles into the air, so that the working space meets
or exceeds a standard requirement for the amount of suspended
particles in the air.
[0030] Preferably the structure preferably has a smooth interior
lining capable of resisting contamination by dangerous biological
materials.
[0031] Preferably the lining is at least partially resilient so
that imposed strains, distortions, or impacts do not cause
structural damage such as cracks or fractures.
[0032] Preferably any fixtures are molded with radius corners.
[0033] Preferably the space between the lining and the exterior is
thermally insulated.
[0034] Preferably the entire ceiling includes a diffuse lighting
system for general illumination.
[0035] Preferably all the interior lining, ceiling, floor,
insulation and fixtures are made of hazard resistant materials.
[0036] Preferably the floor is a semi-elastic composition with a
non-skid texture.
[0037] In a second broad aspect, the internal working space is
preferably capable of providing a barrier between a bio-technical
operation carried out within the working space and the external
surrounding environment according to at least one recognised
Standard for biological containment.
[0038] Preferably the construction provides for sterilisation of
the working space from time to time, by chemical and/or physical
means.
[0039] In a related aspect, the modular containment unit includes
means for maintaining, within the working space, an internal
atmosphere capable of meeting the at least one functional standard,
the means also providing a barrier between the internal atmosphere
and the external surrounding environment by means of air filtration
and/or sterilisation.
[0040] Optionally, the means for maintaining an internal atmosphere
and barrier is capable of being serviced and/or replaced from the
exterior of the unit without breaching the barrier.
[0041] In a subsidiary aspect, the modular containment unit
includes means for preventing exchange of organisms between the
internal atmosphere and the external surrounding environment by
carriage within liquids passing across the barrier.
[0042] In another related aspect, the modular containment unit
includes means for preventing transfer of organisms across the
barrier upon workers' clothing, by providing garment storage and
changing areas.
[0043] In a related aspect, one version of the laboratory is
rendered capable of at least meeting the Australian PC2 (C2)
containment laboratory standard for holding dangerous biological
materials, including infectious agents and genetically modified
organisms within the laboratory.
[0044] In another related aspect, another version of the laboratory
is rendered capable of at least meeting the Australian PC3 (C3)
containment laboratory standard for holding dangerous biological
materials within the laboratory.
[0045] In a further related aspect, another version of the
laboratory is rendered capable of providing an environment capable
of continuously maintaining biological material in a state of
preservation free from exogenous infectious agents.
[0046] In a yet further aspect a further version of the laboratory
is rendered capable of providing a substantially clean and
preferably sterile environment so that it can be used for medical
and surgical procedures within a contaiminated external
environment.
[0047] In an even further aspect, a further version of the
laboratory is rendered capable of retaining biological, chemical,
or radioactive harmful materials within, when used for
decontamination of persons or objects, so that the external
environment is not contaiminated.
[0048] In a related aspect the further version includes means to
render said harmful materials harmless before their removal from
the laboratory.
[0049] In a third broad aspect, the working space includes at least
one internal modular serviced space, each of which is capable of
being occupied by a corresponding item of equipment.
[0050] In a related aspect, the modular containment unit includes
service means (electric power and any gases) for supporting the
internal working environment, and for supporting a bio-technical
operation carried out within the unit.
[0051] In another related aspect, the modular containment unit
includes a plurality of non-contact sensors each coupled to a
corresponding actuator coupled in turn to an item to be operated;
each sensor being capable of responding to a worker when requiring
that the item be operated, so that the worker does not physically
handle the item.
[0052] In a yet further related aspect, the modular containment
unit includes unit-wide control means capable of regulating the
internal environment using closed-loop control, according to a
predetermined set of requirements.
[0053] Preferably this invention relates to provision of facilities
within a prefabricated structure as previously described within
this section, the facilities including at least some of:
[0054] (a) an ablutions area including some or all of: airlock,
quarantine, scrub room with clothing locker, drench shower,
hands-free basin and eyewash station (a common requirement for all
levels of physical containment standards).
[0055] (b) a computer-based installation for the controlling and
recording the status of the internal environment and atmosphere,
and for raising an alarm if an abnormality is detected.
[0056] (c) a computer-based installation for the provision of an
intelligent building system (including means to specifically
monitor selected devices such as liquid nitrogen storage
devices).
[0057] (d) the or another computer-based installation being
interfaced with voice recognition technology in order to simplify
and improve the sterile work process (such as by opening a door in
response to a voice command).
[0058] In a fourth broad aspect, the invention provides a method
for manufacture of a plurality of modular containment units as
previously described in this section, wherein the method
incorporates the steps of aggregating the steps of manufacture at a
single site so that experience gained in meeting imposed standards
may be used repeatedly, so that any one modular containment unit
may be later provided with at least one modular item of laboratory
equipment, and so that the cost of supply of said modular
containment units is minimised.
Preferred Embodiment
[0059] The description of the invention to be provided herein is
given purely by way of example and is not to be taken in any way as
limiting the scope or extent of the invention.
DRAWINGS
[0060] FIG. 1: Plan view of modular laboratory at about floor
level.
[0061] FIG. 2: Plan view of another modular laboratory at about
head height.
[0062] FIG. 3: Perspective view showing environmental services
module pulled out for service.
[0063] FIG. 4: End elevation view showing window and a filter.
[0064] FIG. 5: Elevation side view of short (20 foot)
container.
[0065] FIG. 6: End elevation view
[0066] FIG. 6a: Detail of roof/ceiling corner.
[0067] FIG. 7: Side elevation view of long (40 foot) container.
[0068] FIG. 8: Plan view of joined-together shipping containers,
providing a complete facility.
[0069] (Illustrative dimensions included in FIGS. 5-8 are in
millimetres and are not to be interpreted as limiting the scope of
the invention.)
[0070] In principle this invention takes advantage of the existence
of a first set of standards for external characteristics of
convenient compartments (such as shipping containers) and the
existence of a second set of standards related to specific types of
work that may be carried out in defined spaces, and brings the two
together preferably by assembly at a common site where materials
and expertise are present relates to provision of a clean room,
laboratory, or the like. For example the invention may provide a
laboratory capable of meeting specifications for bio-hazard
handling such as the Australian PC2/PC3 type ratings, or may
provide another workplace (such as an ordinary temporary
laboratory, an operating theatre, a biological material storage
unit, or a decontamination unit) having a contained environment,
within a prefabricated shell. Modularity is provided in several
ways:
[0071] (a) the prefabricated shell is a module,
[0072] (b) different versions of laboratory can be supplied as
"turnkey" modules, and
[0073] (c) within any lab, equipment can be placed at any one of a
series of locations each of a standard size and having a standard
set of utilities provided close by. See FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0074] (d) As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, containers 800, 804 can be
temporarily or permanently joined together at a site, in order to
provide a larger working area.
[0075] We propose that using existing shipping containers (or newly
built modules which fit the same handling means and strength
requirements as do shipping containers) is a convenient way to
provide portable, integrated laboratory units. Further, we propose
to simplify the construction of the laboratory units by assembling
them at a central site either to order or as available stock, and
then selling or leasing them to clients. Considerable savings are
possible through bulk purchases and economy of scale, and through
application of accumulated on-site experience in meeting standard
conditions.
EXAMPLE 1
[0076] The construction of shipping containers has been more or
less standardised over many years. Because their primary purpose is
to hold and protect goods during shipment, even if exposed on a
ship's deck and if underneath a stack of 5 or 6 other containers,
they are weatherproof, strong, and are as cheap as their commodity
nature allows. See FIGS. 1 to 8. The first aspect of the present
invention is to use a shipping container 100 as the outer shell of
a specialised working space capable of meeting or exceeding
standard requirements relating to factors such as the ingress or
egress of microorganisms. A business comprising the manufacture at
a site of numbers of such laboratories to meet global standards and
then transporting them like ordinary shipping containers, to
various destinations would allow experience gained in meeting those
standards to be replicated. Otherwise, each individual site has to
learn how to meet the relevant standard(s) with greater difficulty.
Then, if each laboratory is laid out internally in a "modular"
manner, facilities or specific equipment can be installed off the
shelf as required.
[0077] Accordingly the invention in a typical embodiment includes
these features:
[0078] 1. The invention is built inside a shell such as a shipping
container 100 (FIG. 1) or 700 (FIG. 7) having structural integrity
both during use and during transport, and having known dimensions.
The outline of a worker 702 indicates dimensions approximately.
[0079] a) At this time we prefer to fit an empty shell with
internal panelling of a type used in refrigeration engineering for
the walls and internal ceiling. One suitable type is knwown as
"BONDOR.TM. (James Hardie Ltd, Penrose, Auckland). This consists of
a foamed polystyrene (or the like) plastics panel about 30 mm
thick, covered on one or both sides with an optionally coated steel
skin. Alternative fillers may be selected according to fire
resistance, solvent resistance, and/or vermin resistance according
to the specific end-use intended. The preferred coating, normally
used as a roof covering, is compatible with wiping, many chemicals,
and the internal coating would normally comprise the formal
boundary of the sealed area Internal corners may be made smooth by
coving with a settable composition such as fibreglass/epoxy/other
fillers, or by use of specialised metal extrusions adapted to
accept the edges of the panels and provide a smooth interior
surface at flush edges, over exposed edges, or within corners.
Aluminium extrusions are available for edge-to-edge joints, for
coving, for delineating windows, and for surrounding lighting
fixtures. See FIGS. 7 and 8. Here, the Bondor panels are shown with
hatched filling, corresponding to the foam and the external metal
skin is shown as a sinusoidal line. FIG. 6a shows details of a top
corner of a container, where 601 is the outer wall, and 604 is the
outer roof of the pre-existing container, while 605 is a
pre-existing attachment point. 602 indicates a foam-filled wall
panel, and 603 indicates an internal coving between the wall panel
and the ceiling panel. Apertures for electrical connectors or the
like should be sealedat or near any penetration through the panel
surface skin, such as by bringing wires in through conduits and by
filling at least part of each receptacle box or part of each
conduit with a silicone sealant.
[0080] b) A previously preferred option for interior surfaces is a
fibreglass and cured resin type of coating such as is used on
luxury boats, moulded and/or coved into all recesses so that the
interior surface presents an unbroken smooth coating with curved
corners. Crevices which might harbour microorganisms are
undesirable. It would be useful if the interior lining itself, or
its mounting and support was tolerant of damage caused for example
by shipping-related impacts. FIG. 1 also shows a layer of
insulation (hatching 111) useful for thermal, sound, and impact
insulation which should also enhance the integrity of the interior
lining. The insulation is preferably fireproof (such as glass wool)
or may be a plastics foam.
[0081] c) The floor material would depend more particularly on the
type of use to be made of the workspace and may comprise a
resilient surface or a smooth wipable surface as required. A
compromise between the risk of a person slipping while holding a
fagile item, (overcome with a softer, more friction-inducing
surface), and the ability to clean the floor to the required
standard (and sometimes to disinfect the floor) with a hard, smooth
wear-resistant surface, is required.
[0082] d) For doors, one preferred type known as "RUDNEV".TM. is
compatible with the BONDOR.TM. panels. Doors of this type,
including windows, are shown at 501, 607 in FIGS. 5 and 6.
[0083] 2. Provides one or more modular services units (as required)
for supplying, for example:
[0084] a) air control and air conditioning; filtered as required by
a user, or as set down by relevant Standards. (In FIG. 3, 304 is a
combined HEPA filter (or equivalent) and exhaust fan for extracting
air from within the laboratory through vent 201 (FIG. 2): 303 is an
air conditioning module, and 301 is a controller to hold the
internal air pressure at a set amount less than ambient pressure.
(Sometimes the internal pressure is positive with respect to the
outside, such as when internally held material must be protected).
303 is an air conditioner operating within the internal air space.
It will be apparent from FIG. 7 that there is space within the
ceiling of about 300 mm (approximately) for carrying utilities such
as air distribution and return pipes, wiring, lighting fixtures,
and the like.
[0085] b) Internal air disinfection may be provided on a long-term
continuous basis as an option (as long as the bio-technical
operation is not jeopardised--such as if the material being handled
is sensitive to disinfection) and one likely example is the use of
low levels of the vapour of propane 1,2 diol(propylene glycol)
supplied by an appropriate vaporizer as is known to kill or
immobilise bacteria and viruses, within the relevant art. This
material is GRAS-rated (a Food & Drugs Administration term:
generally regarded as safe) and used in foods and medications.
Alternatively, only the exhaust air and/or the airlock may be
treated with the vapour in order to reduce external contamination
from within.
[0086] c) Clean water; preferably treated and sterilised on receipt
such as by ultraviolet sterilisation, which includes passing the
water close to a low-pressure mercury-vapour discharge tube having
a quartz envelope transmitting sterilising wavelengths of
ultra-violet light (as is known in the relevant art) so that
internal sterility is not compromised. In FIG. 3, 109 represents
water intake and removal piping leading to underground services.
Not shown: internal water reticulation.
[0087] d) Disposal of waste water including means to ensure that
any water leaving the laboratory has been rendered sterile (also by
ultraviolet irradiation and/or disinfectant treatment and/or
filtering). In FIG. 1, the area 104 is designated for waste water
treatment to filter and/or kill any pathogens that would otherwise
present a risk to people or the environment.
[0088] e) Electricity, probably using switchgear for connection to
a utility, or when not available, a generator. A local dedicated
generator is an alternative, in which case the input is either fuel
or renewable energy (sun, wind). In FIG. 1, area 103 is set aside
for electricity conditioning and metering services. Duct 108 leads
to underground electricity reticulation. Valuable cell lines would
particularly require continuous services. (They may also need a
guaranteed supply of liquid nitrogen).
[0089] f) Heating and lighting. In FIG. 4, window 402 is provided
as one form of lighting although in some cases an absence of any
windows may be preferred. Heating is preferably provided by a heat
pump forming part of the air conditioning functions supplied by
block 303. In FIG. 6, 606 represents a lighting fixture. 608
represents an air withdrawal grill in the ceiling. In FIG. 7, 701
represents a skylight.
[0090] 3. Communications such as a telephone line for voice, fax,
and digital data, or perhaps one or more data channels employing
wired or wireless communications (see below)
[0091] a) Gases such as a heating gas like propane, or oxygen for
patients and workers, or other gases may be reticulated through the
laboratory or supplied within stand-alone units. Note that it may
be preferable, in the case of a long container such as that shown
in FIG. 7, to provide the services including power generation, air
conditioning and filtering, an supplies of gas at one end of the
container, accessed through the container's original doors. The
pipes, etc are distributed from this site through the working
environment as required. There is a permanent physical and
containment barrier between these services and the working area,
reached from the side or the other end of the container through
(preferably) adapted doors (FIG. 8-801) leading through
decontamination type air-locks and/or changing rooms.
[0092] b) Intermittently used disinfection modules may be provided
for use after a given bio-technical operation has been completed in
order to provde a fresh start for another bio-technical operation,
such as for use with DNA isolation where either the original
amounts are very small (ancient DNA) or for scrupulous avoidance of
contamination (such as for forensic DNA isolation). It may be used
if a potentially hazardous spill has occurred. One accepted method
is to generate formaldehyde vapour plus humid air, then after a
period of perhaps some hours to generate ammonia in order to
destroy the formaldehyde. Residual formaldehyde is believed to be a
hazardous substance for workers. This disinfection module might be
placed in the corner adjacent to the arrow 110 and the sequence
should be able to be started by remote control. Disinfection may
also be a safety requirement before the working environment is
entered by service people, such as those not part of a PC3 or the
like health monitoring programme.
[0093] 4. Modular benches, modular workstations and modular sites
or bays are installed for required equipment such as operating
tables, centrifuges 207, incubators, laminar flow hoods 206,
refrigerators or store cupboards 208, etc. The modular approach
permits manufacture of a standard laboratory shell, subsequently
fitted out as a generic PC3 laboratory (for example) or for an
individual customer's requirements. The square grid pattern shown
in FIGS. 1 and 2 may be considered to be the floor plan for
standardised laboratory equipment and each square may be provided
with corresponding electricity outlets.
[0094] 5. Use of suitably sealed doors, as wide as needed by the
application in question. These may be made on an airlock principle
so that an outer set 101 must be closed before an inner door or set
105 is opened (or vice versa). An airlock is shown at 102 in FIGS.
1 and 2. There may be a shower facility included within the
airlock. Personal clothing lockers 202, and sterile chothing
lockers 203 may be included within the airlock as is commonly
required in the art. There may be a need for doors at each end of a
decontamination unit, though this is not shown here. We allow for
either the filter 204/401 or the window 402 to be breakable to
allow egress in the event of a fire at the airlock end of this
modular laboratory. FIG. 8 shows shower (802) and washing (803)
facilities constructed within a short container, and machinery
(805, 806) for carrying out a manufacturing process within the long
container 804. For decontamination as a walk-through unit, double
doors may be used at both ends. Patients on gumeys need more room
within an internal airlock than ordinary walking persons and doors
need to be wider and/or double. The laboratory should be secure
against undesired or malicious entry.
[0095] Given that compliance with rigorous standards is
particularly difficult if done only once, one advantage of this
approach is that experience, skills, and knowledge of the
appropriate materials and other resources on the part of the
construction team allows units to be manufactured at a lower cost
than otherwise. Economiy of scale can be exploited. The cost of
shipping the finished modular laboratory to a destination is
expected to be more than offset by the advantages of volume
production. Also, the cost of shipping is alleviated because the
finished modular laboratory includes its own packing--it is a
standard shipping container that can be handled like any other
shipping/cargo container.
[0096] Larger facilities can be provided for by joining individual
container-sized modular units side-to-side, end-to-end,
end-to-side, and so on, or they might share a common access way yet
be individually separate. See FIG. 8. Preferably joining is carried
out at a site, in order to retain the shipping advantages and so
that the joining can be undone if the facility is to be moved.
[0097] It is possible to hire these portable facilities rather than
to sell them outright. Providing that adequate decontamination at
the end of a given use is possible, they can be moved about the
world from user to user according to instant demand. A
multinational user or a military force may also move them according
to demand. A military force may find these useful as components of
a portable hospital, or as a biological or nuclear warfare
decontamination unit. The relative weight of containers (as opposed
to tents) can help support and protect persons inside or in
adjacent tents from adverse weather or enemy fire.
[0098] The invention could be shifted on a conventional (and
ubiquitous) container freight truck with a lifting crane, placed in
a car park or on some other site, supported on foundation blocks
403 if the ground is not level or is wet, optionally connected to
water, waste water, power, and telephone lines, and could be in
full use within a day. The invention could be moved and used when
on top of a towable trailer--useful for forensic pathology
applications.
[0099] The air conditioning system for a containment laboratory is
generally required to operate at a negative pressure in relation to
the outside so that no organisms can be blown out of the
laboratory, and at the same time to filter the air so that
organisms suspended in the air are trapped and may be disposed of.
(Where the laboratory is intended to house precious preserved
living material such as stem cells, it may be run under a positive
pressure regime (in relation to ambient air pressure) so that
incoming micro-organisms are excluded). It should also provide safe
working conditions for personnel, such in relation to temperature,
oxygen content, and humidity, and may include positive pressure
supplies for persons wearing enclosed suits.
[0100] We propose to install the air conditioning system in the
roof space--or in a specially created work space, in such a way
that it can be removed for external maintenance without
compromising the integrity of the internal space (or of the outside
environment) as might happen if used filters are not securely
sealed. There is 300 mm (1 foot) of spare roof space in an 9.5 foot
high container available for use. FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the
principle. Here, a large "drawer" 302 is shown pulled out from the
roof space above the entry doors 101 so that maintenance engineers
can work on the equipment without having to enter the laboratory
and with minimal exposure to risk of infection or release of
organisms. In FIG. 3, 305 indicates some indicator lamps which
might flash to alert a security guard if an accident has happened
inside, if the internal pressure is outside the set limits, if
formaldehyde has been released for a decontamination procedure, or
if unauthorised entry has happened. 306 is an exit or supplementary
filter module. The HEPA filter is installed below the fan
304--above the grille 201 in FIG. 2. Other equipment may be placed
in the roof, such as communications equipment, computers, and the
like. An air inflow prefilter and baffles (for setting the internal
pressure) may be located at the far end of the laboratory such as
at 204 in FIGS. 2 and 4.
[0101] In an exclusion laboratory (rather than a compliance
laboratory, the fan 304 is reversed so that it blows into the
laboratory space through the HEPA filter and air exits either
through the airlock (when used) or through the vent 204.
[0102] One solution to maintenance is to separate the filtering
units (which are most likely to need attention and which will have
pressure differential indicators across them to indicate blockage)
from the air processing section (compressors, fans, radiators,
humidifiers, etc), and provide the filters with enclosures similar
in principle to those used for toner cartridges (eg "Brother" TN
200HL), where each filter can be totally contained before
installation or removal for disposal or external disinfection
inside a sealable shell: the shell being opened out once the filter
is in place. Another solution to maintenance is to duplicate the
air processing section and ensure that either processor can manage
the job while the other one is removed for maintenance. A drawer
like 302 might be installed at both ends of the modular
laboratory.
[0103] The required quality of filtration is for most purposes laid
down in the relevant standards and may be very high. "HEPA" filters
are one suitable exhaust filter used in high-level (PC2, PC3)
containment labs. Clean rooms usually require an even higher level
of filtration.
[0104] The air conditioning can optionally be linked up to the
monitoring/auditing portion of the intelligent building system (see
Example 3) in order to constantly ensure that variables such as
pressure/temperature/contaminants are at acceptable levels, and
warn when this is not the case.
EXAMPLE 2
[0105] It is feasible and often advisable to construct a highly
demanding environment such as a P3 or P4 laboratory with all the
inherent intelligence that is possible. "Intelligent buildings" is
a broad term, which can be interpreted as providing one or more of
the following options, depending on the level of
automation/auditing/monitoring required:
[0106] 1. Lighting which can be adjusted according to the needs of
a task at a position, and/or which can be configured to switch
itself off when not required, so as to optimise resources.
[0107] 2. Heating or cooling which is also configurable according
to needs, leading to both optimised resources and reduced risk of
temperature variance (i.e., to assist in production/lab
environments where maintaining a constant temperature is vital to
results).
[0108] 3. Input systems enabling hands-free interaction with the
building controls. For example, if a person has gloved hands, is
dressed in an isolation suit, or is otherwise unable to easily
grasp controls, then they have a choice of voice commands, eye
movement commands, foot switches, and the like at their disposal to
interact with the building, and/or to communicate either inside or
outside the building, and/or to interact with compatible devices
within the building (including specific taps, laboratory equipment,
laminar flow hood devices, etc) in a manner which facilitates work
without breaking sterility. Bar code readers may be used to monitor
where labelled bottles or the like are being placed. For example
each incubator, each storage cupboard, or each liquid nitrogen
dewar would have a bar code reader beside it.
[0109] 4. Supervision of intended containment conditions, such as
by warning of likely breakdowns in air management (such as blocked
filters, low fuel, etc) by controlling and logging ingress and
egress by persons (perhaps through an airlock device), and by
monitoring relative air pressure between the inside and outside
environments.
[0110] 5. Supervision of structural integrity of the container,
perhaps using fibre optic bundles mounted within or on surfaces of
the structure so that strains affect their optical properties as
sense by a transducer. Polarised light is one way to detect strain,
and ranging can locate the position where strain is applied. The
technology is well known in relation to bridges and skyscrapers for
example.
[0111] 6. Logging of laboratory activity for audit or security
reasons. I.e., entry/exit points to be fitted with biometric
readers, and all other significant events (to be configured by end
client) to be logged to a suitable RDBMS system.
[0112] A networked or standalone digital computer with appropriate
peripherals could provide the necessary building intelligence.
Wireless LAN connections from this PC could allow the laboratory to
be linked into a larger corporate or university-wide LAN, or simply
allow authorised access to laboratory systems via laptop or other
portable computer without the need to enter the laboratory and
compromise sterility. Again, particularly for stringent
applications, the data processing device can be backed up with a
redundant duplicate, and possess data storage (optionally offsite)
so that breakdowns do not affect running. Access to bioinformatics
systems and the Internet should be available through a data channel
such as a wireless interface.
[0113] On a more mundane level, a wireless LAN system is useful for
controlling access (security) for reporting on internal activities
by workers, and for reporting on environmental parameters such as
internal pressure differentials.
[0114] The modular air conditioner fitted in the roof and
serviceable outside the container could include and devices related
to the <<intelligent building>> operations, even
dangling power outlets so that the modular laboratory can comprise
an empty lined box, coupled with a removable (for maintenance or
upgrading purposes) technically sophisticated control unit held
within the drawer 302.
EXAMPLE 3
[0115] The invention is applicable to packaging of pharmaceuticals,
such as where live vaccines are involved or where bacteria or their
spores are pressed into tablets. Of particular relevance is the
ability to sterilise the entire working environment after
completing manufacture or packing one product line, and before
commencing work on the next product line. Otherwise, organisms from
previous operations may still be present within the working
environment and can be found within subsequently produced product
lines.
EXAMPLE 4
[0116] The invention is also applicable to the "Clean Room" concept
as used in particular for the manufacture of integrated circuits,
where in essence many physical or chemical treatments are applied
in sequence to a silicon wafer surface; most of these are
controlled by optically projected images acting on
photolithographic coatings, and the presence of dust upon the
surface at any stage will prevent the circuit being constructed on
the wafer from eventually being used. Some surfaces should be
totally defect-free over areas of 30.times.30 mm or more--such as
for CCD camera detectors, or for processors for computers. Dust is
one of the main obstacles to extremely large-scale integration. A
fully self-contained facility such as may be provided within a
single container, or possible several containers joined together,
may allow better control over dust than is possible within a large
building with many concurrent processes.
COMMERCIAL BENEFITS OR ADVANTAGES
[0117] 1. The invention provides a "turnkey" modular laboratory
capable of being constructed to meet high standards of containment
or exclusion.
[0118] 2. The invention provides a low-cost "turnkey" modular
laboratory which can be constructed in a factory then easily
shipped to a remote site; the fabrication using specialities not
available generally, such as in interior finishes, intelligent
controls, and air control, conditioning, and filtration. These are
particularly useful during final testing and verification that the
specified standards are met.
[0119] 3. The modular laboratory may be hired for the period during
which it is required, so avoiding the cost of ownership. It may be
required for only a short period--such as the period of a limited
research grant or the duration of an outbreak of disease, a war, or
radioactive fallout. For the latter three examples, storage at a
base somewhere within a country and availability anywhere else at 6
hours notice is useful.
[0120] 4. The laboratory may be used within another building
(perhaps inside a garage, or on a higher storey in a building, or
outside in the grounds. The stand-alone aspect is an advantage for
control of a serious spill, when the entire laboratory can be
fumigated, or in the worst kind of accident, can be lifted out,
taken away, and incinerated.
[0121] 5. An outside containment laboratory is a safer prospect in
contrast to results of structural damage to a multi-storey building
having a containment laboratory built conventionally inside.
Invisible biohazards may be disseminated widely as a result of the
damage posing a risk to the general population as well as to people
involved with disaster control (fire, etc) at the site.
[0122] 6. A mobile operation such as a military organisation can
make use of these modulare laboratories for purposes such as
operating theatres, measures to control biological warfare,
decontamination of biologically or radiation-contaminated
individuals, and the like.
[0123] 7. Shipping containers are inherently relatively secure
against theft by breaking and entering.
[0124] Finally, it will be understood that the scope of this
invention as described and/or illustrated within this provisional
specification is not limited to the preferred embodiments described
herein for illustrative purposes. Those of skill will appreciate
that various modifications, additions, and substitutions are
possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the
invention as set forth in the following claims.
* * * * *