Portable vacuuming device for collecting and neutralizing flammable residue

1. A portable vacuuming device for neutralizing flammable powders, comprising:

a container including a top portion, a bottom portion, and a sidewall portion that separates said top portion and said bottom portion, said sidewall portion extending upwards from said bottom portion to define an opening and said top portion comprising a lid that forms a closure over said opening, said container defining an interior chamber;

a baffle disposed in said container that defines an upper chamber between said top portion and said baffle and defines a lower chamber between said bottom portion and said baffle, said baffle depending from said lid and suspended over said bottom portion of said container, said baffle including a peripheral edge being radially inset from said sidewall portion to define a substantially uniform annular gap between an interior surface of said sidewall portion and said peripheral edge, wherein an annular volume extends axially along an interior surface of said sidewall portion, said annular volume having a substantially uniform annular width defined by said annular gap, at least a portion of said annular volume extending unobstructed from said bottom portion into said upper chamber of said container;

a vacuum inlet line in fluid communication with said interior chamber, said vacuum inlet line defining an egress port, said egress port being disposed between said baffle and said bottom portion of said container, said egress port being arranged for generation of a tangential flow component that is parallel to a face of said sidewall portion; and

a suction source in fluid communication with said interior chamber of said container.

2. The vacuuming device of claim 1 , wherein an upper surface of said baffle defines a concavity.

3. The vacuuming device of claim 2 , wherein said concavity defines a funnel having a mouth at an upper end and a drain aperture at a lower end.

4. The vacuuming device of claim 3 , wherein said funnel substantially outlines an inverted conical geometry having a base at said upper end and an apex at said lower end.

5. The vacuuming device of claim 4 , wherein said outline of said inverted conical geometry is truncated proximate said apex to define said drain aperture.

6. The vacuuming device of claim 1 , wherein said container is a drum.

7. The vacuuming device of claim 6 , wherein said drum has a capacity between 1 gallon to 70 gallons inclusive.

8. The vacuuming device of claim 7 , wherein said drum has a capacity between 2 gallons to 55 gallons inclusive.

9. The vacuuming device of claim 8 , wherein said drum has a capacity between 5 gallons to 40 gallons inclusive.

10. The vacuuming device of claim 1 , wherein said container is operatively coupled to a plurality of casters.

11. The vacuuming device of claim 1 , wherein said suction source is coupled with an interior suction conduit that extends into said interior chamber, said interior suction conduit defining an inlet port, said interior suction conduit being arranged with said inlet port being proximate said sidewall portion of said container, wherein a vector normal to said inlet port includes a tangential component parallel to an inner surface of said sidewall portion.

12. The vacuuming device of claim 1 , wherein said vacuum inlet line passes through said top portion and said baffle.

13. The vacuuming device of claim 12 , wherein said baffle depends from said top portion by connection to said vacuum inlet line.

14. The vacuuming device of claim 1 , wherein said suction source comprises an eductor.

15. The vacuuming device of claim 1 , wherein said vacuum inlet line includes an ingress port coupled to a vacuum hose.

16. The vacuuming device of claim 15 , wherein said top portion, said baffle, said vacuum inlet line, and said vacuum hose are electrically conductive and are at a uniform electrical potential.

17. The vacuuming device of claim 1 , wherein said vacuuming device is portable.

18. The vacuuming device of claim 1 , wherein said sidewall portion is translucent.

19. The vacuuming device of claim 1 , wherein said portion of said annular volume extends unobstructed from said bottom portion to said lid of said top portion.

20. A method for neutralizing flammable powders, comprising:

providing a vacuuming device including a container having a top portion, a bottom portion, and a sidewall portion that separates said top portion and said bottom portion, and having an upper chamber and a lower chamber separated by a baffle, said upper chamber and said lower chamber being in fluid communication proximate a peripheral edge that is radially inset from said sidewall portion to define a substantially uniform annular gap between an interior surface of said sidewall portion and said peripheral edge, said lower chamber being in fluid communication with a vacuum inlet line that defines an egress port disposed in said lower chamber, said egress port being arranged for generation of a tangential flow along an interior face of said lower chamber;

providing operating instructions on a tangible medium, said operating instructions including:

disposing a liquid in said container prior to operation to a level below said annular gap; and

causing said container to run at sub-atmospheric pressure,

wherein the step of causing said container to run at sub-atmospheric pressure draws a gas stream into said lower chamber of said container to generate an air jet having a tangential flow component that is parallel said interior face of said lower chamber, said tangential flow component causing said liquid to rotate within said lower chamber such that said liquid forms a concave shape having a raised edge along an interior circumference of said sidewall portion raised into said annular gap.