US4039412A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Process and structure for fixation of atmospheric nitrogen
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1975-07-25
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Granted: 1977-08-02
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Expires: 1995-07-25
Abstract
Abstract A process and structure are described for fixing atmospheric nitrogen to oxygen to produce oxides of nitrogen. Energy required for the conversion process is drawn from radiations produced by radioactive wastes from nuclear reactors. Preferably, two complementary stages are employed in the conversion process. First, waste heat from spent fuel rods is employed as a heat source for producing nitrogen oxides. Second, radioactive waste materials chemically separated from spent reactor fuel rods are employed in a second stage as an ionization source for producing nitrogen oxides.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert Dickson Hill
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 05:15
CPC Classifications
B; B01; B01J; B01J19/00; B01J19/08; B01J19/081; C; C01; C01B; C01B21/00; C01B21/20; C01B21/24; C01B21/30; Y; Y02; Y02P; Y02P20/00; Y02P20/10; Y02P20/129; Y10; Y10S; Y10S422/00; Y10S422/904
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
148 words
A process for fixing nitrogen and oxygen, as in air, to obtain oxides of nitrogen, employing heat generated by spent nuclear reactor rods, the said process relying on an assembly of spent reactor rods arranged in a closely spaced manner so as to confine the heat generated in the rods by the nuclear reactions still occurring in the rods even though the said rods have been removed from the reactor in which they were originally activated, the said process further employing a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen which is forced to flow through said assembly of spent reactor rods at such a rate as to achieve a substantial heating and consequent temperature rise of the mixture, the said heating and temperature rise producing oxides of nitrogen which are in thermodynamic equilibrium with the constituents and which in the final stage of the process are separated from the mixture.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
148 words
A process for fixing nitrogen and oxygen, as in air, to obtain oxides of nitrogen, employing heat generated by spent nuclear reactor rods, the said process relying on an assembly of spent reactor rods arranged in a closely spaced manner so as to confine the heat generated in the rods by the nuclear reactions still occurring in the rods even though the said rods have been removed from the reactor in which they were originally activated, the said process further employing a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen which is forced to flow through said assembly of spent reactor rods at such a rate as to achieve a substantial heating and consequent temperature rise of the mixture, the said heating and temperature rise producing oxides of nitrogen which are in thermodynamic equilibrium with the constituents and which in the final stage of the process are separated from the mixture.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
82 words
A process as set forth in claim 1, including: a further heating of the mixture after passage through the assembly of spent reactor rods in order to increase the temperature of the mixture and the amounts of nitrogen oxides in thermodynamic equilibrium in the mixture, and a subsequent quenching of the heated mixture in order to prevent substantial reconversion of nitrogen oxides back into their constituents prior to separating nitrogen oxides in the final stages of the process as in claim 1.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
70 words
A process as set forth in claim 2, wherein the mixture in the assembly of spent reactor rods is raised to a temperature intermediate between ambient and 1300° K., which intermediate temperature is lower than the safe-margin temperature of the rods, and to a temperature of the order of 1300° K. by a further heating step, then quenched to a temperature at which the fixation process is not strongly reversed.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
120 words
A structure for fixing nitrogen and oxygen in a mixture, as in air, to obtain oxides of nitrogen employing spent nuclear reactor rods, the said structure including an assembly of spent nuclear rods spaced sufficiently closely so as to confine the heat generated by the continuing nuclear and fissioning reactions occurring in the rods even though the said rods were removed from their original nuclear reactor, the said structure having means for flowing a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen through the assembly at a rate sufficient to achieve substantial heating and temperature rise of the mixture, the heating and temperature rise producing oxides of nitrogen, and the said structure having means for separating the oxide of nitrogen from the mixture.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
120 words
A structure for fixing nitrogen and oxygen in a mixture, as in air, to obtain oxides of nitrogen employing spent nuclear reactor rods, the said structure including an assembly of spent nuclear rods spaced sufficiently closely so as to confine the heat generated by the continuing nuclear and fissioning reactions occurring in the rods even though the said rods were removed from their original nuclear reactor, the said structure having means for flowing a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen through the assembly at a rate sufficient to achieve substantial heating and temperature rise of the mixture, the heating and temperature rise producing oxides of nitrogen, and the said structure having means for separating the oxide of nitrogen from the mixture.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
72 words
A structure as set forth in 4 wherein said structure includes means for further heating the mixture after passage through the assmbly of spent reactor rods in order to increase production of oxides of nitrogen in the mixture, and the said structure having means for quenching the heated mixture in order to prevent substantial reconversion of the oxides of nitrogen to nitrogen and oxygen constituents prior to separating the oxides of nitrogen.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
72 words
A structure as set forth in 4 wherein said structure includes means for further heating the mixture after passage through the assmbly of spent reactor rods in order to increase production of oxides of nitrogen in the mixture, and the said structure having means for quenching the heated mixture in order to prevent substantial reconversion of the oxides of nitrogen to nitrogen and oxygen constituents prior to separating the oxides of nitrogen.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
64 words
A process for fixing nitrogen and oxygen, as in air, to obtain oxides of nitrogen, comprising: providing a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen, subjecting the mixture to radiations of charged-particles and electromagnetic energy from nuclear waste materials for the purpose of ionizing atoms and molecules of the mixture without radioactivating atomic nuclei of the mixture, and thereafter separating the nitrogen oxides from the mixture.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
64 words
A process for fixing nitrogen and oxygen, as in air, to obtain oxides of nitrogen, comprising: providing a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen, subjecting the mixture to radiations of charged-particles and electromagnetic energy from nuclear waste materials for the purpose of ionizing atoms and molecules of the mixture without radioactivating atomic nuclei of the mixture, and thereafter separating the nitrogen oxides from the mixture.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
57 words
A process as set forth in 6, in which the mixture remains in the ionization region for a period of time sufficient to build up a near-equilibrium concentration of nitrogen oxides, the said concentration being determined by the time-rate of production of the ionization density of the mixture, and thereafter separating the nitrogen oxides from the mixture.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
57 words
A process as set forth in 6, in which the mixture remains in the ionization region for a period of time sufficient to build up a near-equilibrium concentration of nitrogen oxides, the said concentration being determined by the time-rate of production of the ionization density of the mixture, and thereafter separating the nitrogen oxides from the mixture.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
55 words
A structure for fixing nitrogen and oxygen, as in air, to obtain oxides of nitrogen, the said structure including means: of providing a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen, of providing a nuclear waste material radioactive source, of producing and controlling the flow-rate of the mixture, and of separating the oxides of nitrogen from the mixture.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
55 words
A structure for fixing nitrogen and oxygen, as in air, to obtain oxides of nitrogen, the said structure including means: of providing a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen, of providing a nuclear waste material radioactive source, of producing and controlling the flow-rate of the mixture, and of separating the oxides of nitrogen from the mixture.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
103 words
A structure for fixing nitrogen and oxygen, as in air, to obtain oxides of nitrogen, the said structure providing: means of supplying a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen, means of producing a high density of ionization in a part of the said mixture, means of producing a rapid flow of the said part of the mixture into and out of the region of high ionization density, means of regulating the occupation time of the said part of the mixture in the region of high ionization density to an exceedingly short optimum time, and means for separating the oxides of nitrogen from the mixture.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
103 words
A structure for fixing nitrogen and oxygen, as in air, to obtain oxides of nitrogen, the said structure providing: means of supplying a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen, means of producing a high density of ionization in a part of the said mixture, means of producing a rapid flow of the said part of the mixture into and out of the region of high ionization density, means of regulating the occupation time of the said part of the mixture in the region of high ionization density to an exceedingly short optimum time, and means for separating the oxides of nitrogen from the mixture.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
21 words
A structure as in 9 in which the means of producing a high density of ionization is a nuclear-reactor waste material.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
21 words
A structure as in 9 in which the means of producing a high density of ionization is a nuclear-reactor waste material.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
52 words
A structure as in 9 in which the means of regulating the occupation time of part of the mixture in the region of high ionization density to an exceedingly short optimum time comprises a narrow region of high ionization density and a rapid, controllable flow of mixture across the said narrow region.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
52 words
A structure as in 9 in which the means of regulating the occupation time of part of the mixture in the region of high ionization density to an exceedingly short optimum time comprises a narrow region of high ionization density and a rapid, controllable flow of mixture across the said narrow region.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
28 words
A structure as in 11 in which the exceedingly short optimum occupation time in the region of high ionization density is of the order of a few milliseconds.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
28 words
A structure as in 11 in which the exceedingly short optimum occupation time in the region of high ionization density is of the order of a few milliseconds.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1980-08-01 | 1981-01-31 | 1981-08-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1984-08-01 | 1985-01-31 | 1985-08-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1988-08-01 | 1989-01-31 | 1989-08-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |