1. A semiconductor wet processing exhaust apparatus, comprising:
a plurality of wet processing exhaust receptacles, each receptacle associated with a wet processing byproduct, each exhaust receptacle operable in an open and closed position, said exhaust receptacle receiving said associated wet processing byproduct only in said open position;
an exhaust associated with a wet processing byproduct and connected to an exhaust receptacle also associated with said wet processing byproduct, said exhaust suctioning contents of said exhaust receptacle in said open and closed positions; and,
an intake connected to said exhaust receptacle only in said closed position, said intake enabling introduction of a gas chemically compatible with said wet processing byproduct associated with said exhaust receptacle.
2. A apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising:
a wet processing tank connected to said plurality of wet processing receptacles that releases a wet processing byproduct into said exhaust receptacle associated with said wet processing byproduct, when said exhaust receptacle is in said open position.
3. An apparatus as in claim 2, further comprising:
one wet processing exhaust receptacle receiving a wet processing byproduct for an acidic solution, and another wet processing exhaust receptacle receiving a wet processing byproduct for a basic solution.
4. An apparatus as in claim 3, only one wet processing exhaust receptacle in said plurality is in said open position at a given time, while said remaining wet processing receptacles are in said closed position at such time.
5. An apparatus as in claim 4, said intake comprises:
a slider plate that slideably connects to said wet processing exhaust receptacle in said closed position; and,
a shunt draft connected to said slider plate that enables introduction of said chemically compatible gas outside of said apparatus into said shunt draft and said exhaust.
6. An apparatus as in claim 5, said exhaust releasing said wet processing byproduct into a semiconductor manufacturing waste stream associated with said wet processing byproduct.
7. An apparatus as in claim 6, said chemically compatible gas comprising air.
8. A method for exhausting wet process byproducts, comprising:
receiving a wet processing byproduct from a wet processing tank in an exhaust receptacle within a plurality of exhaust receptacles of a wet processing apparatus, said exhaust receptacle associated with said received wet processing byproduct and operable between an open and a closed position, said byproduct receiving step occurring only with said exhaust receptacle in said open position;
receiving a gas chemically compatible with said received wet processing byproduct in said exhaust receptacle, said gas receiving step occurring only with said exhaust receptacle in said closed position; and,
releasing contents of said exhaust receptacle, said releasing step occurring with said exhaust receptacle in both said open and closed positions.
9. A method as in claim 8, said wet processing byproduct is one of a basic wet processing byproduct and acid wet processing byproduct.
10. A method as in claim 8, said exhaust receptacle is one of an acid exhaust receptacle and a basic exhaust receptacle.
11. A method as in claim 8, said gas chemically compatible with said wet processing byproduct comprising air.
12. A method as in claim 8, said contents are released into a semiconductor manufacturing waste stream associated with said wet processing byproduct.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A bi-component fiber, comprising:
a sheath formed of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS); and
a core formed of a high glass transition polyester,
a PPS material of the sheath having a higher melting point than a high glass transition polyester material of the core, and
the core being at least partially crystallized whereby the high glass transition polyester material of the core effectively has a higher softening point than a softening point of the PPS material of the sheath.
2. The bi-component fiber according to claim 1, wherein the high glass transition polyester material of the core comprises a polyester derived from cyclohexanedimethanol and terephthalic acid.
3. The bi-component fiber according to claim 1, wherein the core comprises inorganic filler material.
4. The bi-component fiber according to claim 1, wherein the core comprises carbonate additives.
5. A filter medium, comprising:
a plurality of bi-component fibers, each bi-component fiber including a sheath formed of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) and a core formed of a high glass transition polyester, a PPS material of the sheath having a higher melting point than a high glass transition polyester material of the core, and the core being at least partially crystallized whereby the high glass transition polyester material of the core effectively has a higher softening point than a softening point of the PPS material of the sheath; and
a porous membrane to which the plurality of bi-component fibers is fixedly attached.
6. The filter medium according to claim 5, wherein the high glass transition polyester material of the core of each bi-component fiber comprises a polyester derived from cyclohexanedimethanol and terephthalic acid.
7. The filter medium according to claim 5, wherein the core of each bi-component fiber comprises inorganic filler material.
8. The filter medium according to claim 7, wherein the inorganic filler material comprises at least one or more of titanium oxide, calcium carbonate and glass.
9. The filter medium according to claim 5, wherein the porous membrane comprises polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).
10. The filter medium according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of bi-component fibers are disposed to form a felt material, which is laminated to the porous membrane.
11. The filter medium according to claim 10, wherein the felt material is needlepunched.
12. The filter medium according to claim 5, further comprising a woven scrim disposed among the plurality of bi-component fibers.
13. A filter element for use in filtering flue gas from a coal-fired boiler, the filter element comprising the filter medium according to claim 5.
14. A method of forming a filter medium, comprising:
manufacturing a plurality of bi-component fibers, each bi-component fiber including a sheath formed of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) and a core formed of a high glass transition polyester, a PPS material of the sheath having a higher melting point than a high glass transition polyester material of the core, and the core being at least partially crystallized whereby the high glass transition polyester material of the core effectively has a higher softening point than a softening point of the PPS material of the sheath;
assembling the plurality of bi-component fibers into a felt material; and
laminating the felt material onto a porous membrane.
15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the manufacturing of the plurality of bi-component fibers comprises delaying a cooling process of each bi-component fiber to crystallize the high glass transition polyester material of the core.
16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the manufacturing of the plurality of bi-component fibers comprises adding inorganic filler material to the high glass transition polyester material of the core.
17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the inorganic filler material comprises at least one or more of titanium oxide, calcium carbonate and glass.
18. The method according to claim 14, wherein the assembling comprises needlefelting.
19. The method according to claim 14, further comprising disposing a woven scrim among the plurality of bi-component fibers.
20. The method according to claim 14, wherein the laminating the felt material onto the porous membrane comprises a thermal lamination process.
21. A felt, comprising:
a plurality of bi-component fibers, each bi-component fiber comprising:
a sheath formed of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS); and
a core formed of a high glass transition polyester,
a PPS material of the sheath having a higher melting point than a high glass transition polyester material of the core, and
the core being at least partially crystallized whereby the high glass transition polyester material of the core effectively has a higher softening point than a softening point of the PPS material of the sheath.
22. The felt according to claim 21, wherein the high glass transition polyester material of the core of each bi-component fiber comprises a polyester derived from cyclohexanedimethanol and terephthalic acid.
23. The felt according to claim 21, wherein the core of each bi-component fiber comprises inorganic filler material.
24. The felt according to claim 21, further comprising a woven scrim disposed among the plurality of bi-component fibers.