US5326530A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Energy-efficient electromagnetic elimination of noxious biological organisms
Assignee: IIT Research Institute
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Filing: 1991-01-22
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Granted: 1994-07-05
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Expires: 2011-01-22
Abstract
Abstract An energy-efficient method for killing noxious biological organisms (bacteria, insects, etc.) in contaminated materials ranging from liquid, semi-liquid, and solid foods pharmaceuticals and hospital wastes comprises passing the contaminated material through an exposure chamber; screening, comminution, addition of fluid or foam, limited heating, or other pretreatment steps may be required. As it flows through the exposure chamber the contaminated material is subjected to a nonuniform, high-intensity electric field; in that chamber, excessive current flows, including arcing and current "streamers", are suppressed by limiting the current density. The amplitude of the applied current density and the electric field in the exposure chamber are controlled, in accordance with the conductivity and/or dielectric constant of the contaminated material, so that the electric field intensity is of the order of 3,000 volts/centimeter or more.
Inventors
- 👤 Jack E. Bridges
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 03:20
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61L; A61L11/00; A61L2/00; A61L2/02; C; C02; C02F; C02F1/00; C02F1/48; A61L2103/00; A61L2103/05; C02F2303/00; C02F2303/04; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S422/00; Y10S422/906; Y10S422/907
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
107 words
An energy-efficient electromagnetic method for elimination of noxious biological organisms comprising the steps of: (a) conveying a material contaminated with noxious biological organisms into and through an exposure chamber; (b) in the exposure chamber, exposing the contaminated material to a spatial non-uniform, high intensity electric field; and (c) in the exposure chamber, suppressing excessive current flow in localized regions, including suppressing arcing and current streamers; the amplitude of the current density and electric field within the exposure chamber being controlled, in accordance with the conductivity and/or dielectric constant of the contaminated material, so that the electric field intensity is of the order of 3,000 volts/centimeter or more.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
107 words
An energy-efficient electromagnetic method for elimination of noxious biological organisms comprising the steps of: (a) conveying a material contaminated with noxious biological organisms into and through an exposure chamber; (b) in the exposure chamber, exposing the contaminated material to a spatial non-uniform, high intensity electric field; and (c) in the exposure chamber, suppressing excessive current flow in localized regions, including suppressing arcing and current streamers; the amplitude of the current density and electric field within the exposure chamber being controlled, in accordance with the conductivity and/or dielectric constant of the contaminated material, so that the electric field intensity is of the order of 3,000 volts/centimeter or more.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
36 words
An energy-efficient method for elimination of noxious biological organisms, according to claim 1, in which, in step (b), the electric field is a pulsed field with the pulses having a duration of 0.2 to 200 microseconds.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
48 words
An energy-efficient method for elimination of noxious biological organisms, according to claim 2, in which the spatial non-uniform electric field of step (b) extends between spaced electrodes, between which the contaminated material traverses the exposure chamber and is exposed to at least a portion of the electric fields.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
47 words
An energy-efficient method for elimination of noxious biological organisms, according to claim 3, in which at least one of the electrodes is coated, on a surface facing the contaminated material, with a layer having an admittance that is no greater than the admittance of the contaminated material.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
64 words
An energy-efficient method for elimination of noxious biological organisms, according to claim 3, in which: the two spaced electrodes include an outer, tubular electrode concentric with and encompassing an inner electrode; the contaminated material passes through an annular space between the electrodes; and the electric field adjacent the inner electrode is at least ten percent stronger that the electric field adjacent the outer electrode.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
47 words
An energy-efficient method for elimination of noxious biological organisms, according to claim 5, in which at least one of the electrodes is coated, on a surface facing the contaminated material, with a layer having an admittance that is no greater than the admittance of the contaminated material.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
An energy-efficient method for elimination of noxious biological organisms, according to claim 3, and including the following additional step: (d) pretreating the contaminated material to remove major heterogeneities.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
34 words
An energy-efficient method of elimination of noxious biological organisms, according to claim 3, and including the following additional step: (e) increasing the temperature of the contaminated material to about 40° C. to 60° C.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
60 words
An energy-efficient method for elimination of noxious biological organisms, according to claim 3, and including the following additional steps: (f) sensing and determining the specific admittance and the current density of the materials within the exposure chamber; and (g) controlling the electrical current used to generate the electric field of step (b) to assure maintenance of the requisite field intensity.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
84 words
An energy-efficient method for elimination of noxious biological organisms, according to claim 3, and including the following additional steps: (d) pretreating the contaminated material to remove major heterogeneities; (e) increasing the temperature of the contaminated material to about 40° C. to 60° C.; (f) sensing and determining the specific admittance and the current density of the materials within the exposure chamber; and (g) controlling the electrical current used to generate the electric field of step (b) to assure maintenance of the requisite field intensity.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
56 words
An energy-efficient method for elimination of noxious biological organisms, according to claim 3, and including the following additional steps, prior to step (a): (h) comminuting a product contaminated with noxious biological organisms; and (i) mixing the comminuted product from step (h) with a fluid of predetermined electrical properties to form the contaminated material for step (a).
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
36 words
An energy-efficient method for elimination of noxious biological organisms, according to claim 11, and including the following additional step: (j) separating the comminuted product from the fluid of step (i), following treatment in the exposure chamber.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
37 words
An energy-efficient method for elimination of noxious biological organisms, according to claim 3, and including the following additional step: (k) coating the contaminated material with a flexible material having a similar specific admittance prior to step (a).
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
37 words
An energy-efficient method for elimination of noxious biological organisms, according to claim 12, and including the following additional step: (k) coating the contaminated material with a flexible material having a similar specific admittance prior to step (a).
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
42 words
An energy-efficient method for elimination of noxious biological organisms, according to claim 1, for a contaminated material having a loss tangent of 0.6 or less, including the following additional step: (l) recovering excess energy from the lossless portion of the exposure chamber.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
71 words
An energy-efficient method for elimination of noxious biological organisms, according to claim 3, and including the following additional steps: (d) pretreating the contaminated material to remove major heterogeneities; (f) sensing and determining the specific admittance and the current density of the materials as appearing within the exposure chamber; and (g) controlling the electrical current used to generate the electric field of step (b) to assure maintenance of the requisite field intensity.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
51 words
An energy-efficient method for elimination of noxious biological organisms, according to claim 3, and including the following additional step: (k') coating the contaminated material with a flexible material having a similar specific admittance of no less than 1/30th and no more than 10 times the specific admittance of the contaminated material.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
50 words
An energy-efficient method for elimination of noxious biological organisms, according to claim 3, in which a low-voltage continuous direct current voltage is applied to the exposure chamber to inhibit corrosion by transfer of ions from the permanent components within the exposure chamber to the fluids passing through the exposure chamber.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
37 words
An energy-efficient method for elimination of noxious biological organisms, according to claim 10, and including the additional step of transferring some heat from the treated fluids to the untreated fluids by means of a counterflow heat exchanger.
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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) | 1997-07-04 | 1998-01-03 | 1998-07-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-07-04 | 2002-01-03 | 2002-07-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-07-04 | 2006-01-03 | 2006-07-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |