Abstract 1. A METHOD OF MAKING A FLUID TREATING DEVICE HAVING A POROUS BODY OF ABUTTING SURFACE-ACTIVE AGGREGATE PARTICLES, THE SURFACE AREAS OF WHICH ARE SUBSTANTIALLY FREELY EXPOSED, WHICH AGGREGATE PARTICLES ARE BOUND TOGETHER BY A POLYURETHANE BINDER, SAID METHOD COMPRISING: (A) APPLYING A LIQUID BLOWING AGENT TO SUBSTANTIALLY COVER THE ENTIRE SURFACE OF A PLURALITY OF SURFACE ACTIVE AGGREGATE PARTICLES, SAID BLOWING AGENT BEING A MATERIAL WHICH WHEN REACTED WITH A URETHANE PREPOLYMER PRODUCES GAS GENERATION; (B) COMBINING THE THUS TREATED SURFACE-ACTIE AGGREGATE PARTICLES WITH LIQUID REACTANTS WHICH INCLUDE A URETHANE PREPOLYMER TO FORM AN AGGREGATE-LIQUID REACTANT MASS; (C) SHAPING SAID AGGREGATE-LIQUID REACTANT MASS INTO A DESIRED PRODUCT CONFIGURATION BY CONFINING SAID MASS IN A PRODUCT-SHAPE DEFINING MOLD, SAID AGGREGATE PARTICLES WHILE IN SAID MOLD BEING IN ABUTTING RELATIONSHIP TO EACH OTHER, AND SAID LIQUID REACTANTS BEING USED IN AMOUNTS WHICH WILL PROVIDE A POLYURETHANE BINDER HAVING A VOLUME WHICH IS LESS THAN THE INTERSTITIAL VOLUME BETWEEN SAID ABUTTING AGGREGATE PARTICLES; AND (D) REACTING SAID LIQUID REACTANTS AND BLOWING AGENT TO PRODUCE A POLYURETHANE BINDER WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY GENERATING A GAS AT THE SURFACE OF SAID AGGREGATE PARTICLES BY THE CHEMICAL REACTION OF SAID BLOWING AGENT WITH SAID LIQUID REACTANT TO SEPARATE THE POLYURETHANE BINDER FROM THE SURFACES OF SAID AGGREGATE PARTICLES WHICH ARE THUS BOUND TOGETHER IN ABUTTING RELATIONSHIP TO EACH OTHER BY SAID POLYURETHANE BINDER IN A UNITARY STRUCTURE WHEREIN THE SURFACES OF SAID BOUND AGGREGATE PARTICLES ARE RENDERED SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF SAID POLYURETHANE BINDER BY SAID GAS GENERATION TO PRODUCE SAID POROUS FLUID TREATING DEVICE.
A METHOD OF MAKING A FLUID TREATING DEVICE HAVING A POROUS BODY OF ABUTTING SURFACE-ACTIVE AGGREGATE PARTICLES, THE SURFACE AREAS OF WHICH ARE SUBSTANTIALLY FREELY EXPOSED, WHICH AGGREGATE PARTICLES ARE BOUND TOGETHER BY A POLYURETHANE BINDER, SAID METHOD COMPRISING: (A) APPLYING A LIQUID BLOWING AGENT TO SUBSTANTIALLY COVER THE ENTIRE SURFACE OF A PLURALITY OF SURFACE ACTIVE AGGREGATE PARTICLES, SAID BLOWING AGENT BEING A MATERIAL WHICH WHEN REACTED WITH A URETHANE PREPOLYMER PRODUCES GAS GENERATION; (B) COMBINING THE THUS TREATED SURFACE-ACTIE AGGREGATE PARTICLES WITH LIQUID REACTANTS WHICH INCLUDE A URETHANE PREPOLYMER TO FORM AN AGGREGATE-LIQUID REACTANT MASS; (C) SHAPING SAID AGGREGATE-LIQUID REACTANT MASS INTO A DESIRED PRODUCT CONFIGURATION BY CONFINING SAID MASS IN A PRODUCT-SHAPE DEFINING MOLD, SAID AGGREGATE PARTICLES WHILE IN SAID MOLD BEING IN ABUTTING RELATIONSHIP TO EACH OTHER, AND SAID LIQUID REACTANTS BEING USED IN AMOUNTS WHICH WILL PROVIDE A POLYURETHANE BINDER HAVING A VOLUME WHICH IS LESS THAN THE INTERSTITIAL VOLUME BETWEEN SAID ABUTTING AGGREGATE PARTICLES; AND (D) REACTING SAID LIQUID REACTANTS AND BLOWING AGENT TO PRODUCE A POLYURETHANE BINDER WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY GENERATING A GAS AT THE SURFACE OF SAID AGGREGATE PARTICLES BY THE CHEMICAL REACTION OF SAID BLOWING AGENT WITH SAID LIQUID REACTANT TO SEPARATE THE POLYURETHANE BINDER FROM THE SURFACES OF SAID AGGREGATE PARTICLES WHICH ARE THUS BOUND TOGETHER IN ABUTTING RELATIONSHIP TO EACH OTHER BY SAID POLYURETHANE BINDER IN A UNITARY STRUCTURE WHEREIN THE SURFACES OF SAID BOUND AGGREGATE PARTICLES ARE RENDERED SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF SAID POLYURETHANE BINDER BY SAID GAS GENERATION TO PRODUCE SAID POROUS FLUID TREATING DEVICE.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
256 words
A METHOD OF MAKING A FLUID TREATING DEVICE HAVING A POROUS BODY OF ABUTTING SURFACE-ACTIVE AGGREGATE PARTICLES, THE SURFACE AREAS OF WHICH ARE SUBSTANTIALLY FREELY EXPOSED, WHICH AGGREGATE PARTICLES ARE BOUND TOGETHER BY A POLYURETHANE BINDER, SAID METHOD COMPRISING: (A) APPLYING A LIQUID BLOWING AGENT TO SUBSTANTIALLY COVER THE ENTIRE SURFACE OF A PLURALITY OF SURFACE ACTIVE AGGREGATE PARTICLES, SAID BLOWING AGENT BEING A MATERIAL WHICH WHEN REACTED WITH A URETHANE PREPOLYMER PRODUCES GAS GENERATION; (B) COMBINING THE THUS TREATED SURFACE-ACTIE AGGREGATE PARTICLES WITH LIQUID REACTANTS WHICH INCLUDE A URETHANE PREPOLYMER TO FORM AN AGGREGATE-LIQUID REACTANT MASS; (C) SHAPING SAID AGGREGATE-LIQUID REACTANT MASS INTO A DESIRED PRODUCT CONFIGURATION BY CONFINING SAID MASS IN A PRODUCT-SHAPE DEFINING MOLD, SAID AGGREGATE PARTICLES WHILE IN SAID MOLD BEING IN ABUTTING RELATIONSHIP TO EACH OTHER, AND SAID LIQUID REACTANTS BEING USED IN AMOUNTS WHICH WILL PROVIDE A POLYURETHANE BINDER HAVING A VOLUME WHICH IS LESS THAN THE INTERSTITIAL VOLUME BETWEEN SAID ABUTTING AGGREGATE PARTICLES; AND (D) REACTING SAID LIQUID REACTANTS AND BLOWING AGENT TO PRODUCE A POLYURETHANE BINDER WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY GENERATING A GAS AT THE SURFACE OF SAID AGGREGATE PARTICLES BY THE CHEMICAL REACTION OF SAID BLOWING AGENT WITH SAID LIQUID REACTANT TO SEPARATE THE POLYURETHANE BINDER FROM THE SURFACES OF SAID AGGREGATE PARTICLES WHICH ARE THUS BOUND TOGETHER IN ABUTTING RELATIONSHIP TO EACH OTHER BY SAID POLYURETHANE BINDER IN A UNITARY STRUCTURE WHEREIN THE SURFACES OF SAID BOUND AGGREGATE PARTICLES ARE RENDERED SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF SAID POLYURETHANE BINDER BY SAID GAS GENERATION TO PRODUCE SAID POROUS FLUID TREATING DEVICE.