Air Purification Snorkel

thingiverse

Given the current pandemic crisis, a friend of mine suggested adapting a diving snorkel as personal protective equipment for medical personnel. We aimed to create a positive pressure inside the mask covering the entire face. Utilizing a power bank as our energy source, we drove a 5V blower fan, specifically a 6015 fan in this design, successfully creating good ventilation for the wearer to breathe comfortably. While debate surrounds using handheld vacuum HEPA filters, these filters are readily available and don't significantly restrict airflow. The filter is supposed to capture particulates larger than 0.3 microns with about 99.99% efficiency. Since viruses are smaller at around 0.125 microns, they'll have to hitch a ride on fluid excreted from patients, typically around 3-5 microns in size. We hope this apparatus will prove useful given the current circumstances. Our design separates the fan casing from the nozzle attachment, allowing others to adapt the fan casing unit to various snorkels available in the market. After conducting a survey, we discovered that each snorkel has its unique design for the attachment. I've attached cross-sectional details and dimensions of the fan case unit so you can easily create an adapter fitting both the fan case and the snorkel. Please feel free to offer constructive feedback on our work. We're currently developing another device using a diving snorkel, but instead of HEPA filters, we'll utilize medical/industrial-grade filters, requiring a larger fan, stronger power source, and additional equipment. For now, we hope this APS concept inspires others. Best, Somroj PS: This revised STL model positions the power line hole on the side, as suggested by my colleague. The models in the photos depict an earlier design with the hole located at the back, which protrudes slightly too much.