US3626874A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
System for collecting and disposing of ordinary refuse by converting it into useful energy, without pollution
Assignee: ACTION CONCEPTS TECHNOLOGY Inc
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Filing: 1968-10-22
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Granted: 1971-12-14
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Expires: 1988-10-22
Abstract
Abstract Ordinary refuse is collected, ground-up, oxidized by the liquid environmental combustion thereof, the combustion being controlled to generate heat in excess of that required to maintain the combustion, and the excess heat is converted into useful energy, such as electricity and steam.
Inventors
- 👤 Lloyd R Grant
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 23:54
CPC Classifications
F; F23; F23G; F23G5/00; F23G5/02; F23G5/006; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E20/00; Y02E20/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
26 words
The method according to claim 1 including feeding the collected refuse to a grinder for grinding up the refuse, prior to feeding it to said reactor.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method according to claim 2 in which said oxidizing step comprises: feeding a liquid into said reactor, feeding oxyGen into said reactor, and maintaining the pressure and the temperature in said reactor within predetermined respective ranges.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method according to claim 3 wherein said liquid feeding step comprises feeding dirty water into said reactor and wherein said oxygen feeding step comprises feeding compressed air into said reactor.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method according to claim 3 including: discharging a hot fluid effluent from said reactor, and generating useful energy from the heat contained in said fluid effluent.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method according to claim 5 wherein said generating step comprises feeding the gaseous component of said effluent to a steam generator for generating steam.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method according to claim 2 in which said step of feeding the refuse to said reactor includes converting said ground-up refuse into a liquid slurry, and feeding said slurry to said reactor.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
66 words
A method for disposing of refuse comprising: collecting refuse, said collecting step comprising: depositing the refuse to be collected in a grinder truck, grinding up the refuse in said grinder truck, storing the ground-up refuse in a storage tank on said grinder truck, feeding the collected refuse to a liquid environmental combustion reactor, and, oxidizing, in said reactor, all of the oxidizable matter in said refuse.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
61 words
The method according to claim 8 including: periodically conveying the ground-up refuse from said storage tank in said grinder truck to a larger storage tank in a tanker truck, transporting the ground-up refuse in said tanker truck to a large stationary storage tank, and conveying the ground-up refuse from the large storage tank in said tanker truck to said stationary tank.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method according to claim 9 including continuing to grind up refuse in said grinder truck while the storage tank in the grinder truck is being emptied and feeding the ground-up refuse, during said emptying, to a smaller inventory tank on said grinder truck.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
42 words
A method comprising: feeding all of the municipal refuse to be disposed of in a given community to a liquid environmental combustion reactor, and oxidizing all of the oxidizable matter in said refuse, in said reactor, by the liquid environmental combustion thereof.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method according to claim 11 including: grinding up, prior to said feeding step, all of said refuse to particles within a predetermined range of particle sizes.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method according to claim 12 including generating useful energy from the excess heat resulting from said liquid environmental combustion.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
156 words
Apparatus for disposing of refuse comprising: a plurality of grinder trucks, each of said grinder trucks having a refuse grinder mounted on the truck and a storage tank mounted on the truck and adapted to receive ground-up refuse from said grinder, a tanker truck having a storage tank having a volume substantially larger than that of the storage tank on said grinder truck, means for conveying ground-up refuse from a grinder truck storage tank to the tanker truck storage tank, a large stationary storage tank having a volume substantially larger than that of the tanker truck storage tank, means for conveying ground-up refuse from said tanker truck to said stationary storage tank, a liquid environmental combustion reactor, means for conveying ground-up refuse from said stationary storage tank to said reactor, means for feeding compressed air into said reactor, means for feeding dirty water into said reactor, and means for discharging a fluid effluent from said reactor.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
49 words
The apparatus according to claim 14 including: means for separating the liquid from the gases in said effluent from said reactor, means for conveying the separated-out liquid component of the effluent to a settling tank, and means for generating useful energy from the separated-out gaseous component of the effluent.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-12-13 | 1975-06-14 | 1975-12-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-12-13 | 1979-06-14 | 1979-12-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-12-13 | 1983-06-14 | 1983-12-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |