Apparatus and method for time-domain tracking of high-speed chemical reactions
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for time-domain tracking high-speed chemical reactions comprising:
- radio frequency means for radiating radio frequency energy into a volume wherein said chemical reaction is to occur;
probe means in the volume to measure complex permittivity in the volume; and
feedback means driven by the probe means to control the radio frequency means by adjusting the frequency of the radio frequency means as a function of relaxation frequency as determined by permittivity measured by the probe means.
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Abstract
A novel apparatus and method for time-domain tracking of high-speed chemical reactions. The apparatus of this invention includes a feedback system for controlling the RF frequency of an RF radiator system to thereby provide the optimum RF frequency for heating the reaction. The apparatus and method of this invention are particularly useful in the recovery of products from oil shale wherein the oil shale is heated by RF dielectric heating and the feedback system adjusts the RF frequency as the permittivity of the oil shale changes during the heating process.
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15 Claims
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1. An apparatus for time-domain tracking high-speed chemical reactions comprising:
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radio frequency means for radiating radio frequency energy into a volume wherein said chemical reaction is to occur; probe means in the volume to measure complex permittivity in the volume; and feedback means driven by the probe means to control the radio frequency means by adjusting the frequency of the radio frequency means as a function of relaxation frequency as determined by permittivity measured by the probe means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for time-domain tracking a high-speed chemical reaction comprising:
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locating an oil shale formation; generting in situ a very fast rise voltage step across the oil shale formation; picking up both incident and reflected RF energy waves from the generating step; and determining the complex permittivity by analyzing a system response to the fast rise time voltage pulse from the generating step. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
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13. A method for recovering products from oil shale comprising:
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placing an RF radiator means in an oil shale formation to heat the oil shale formation in situ with RF energy by RF dielectric heating; inserting a probe means in the oil shale formation, the probe means operable to detect changes in the permittivity of the oil shale during the RF dielectric heating; heating the oil shale with RF energy from the RF radiator means; analyzing the changes in the permittivity of the oil shale during the dielectric heating; and adjusting the frequency of the RF energy on the basis of the changes in the permittivity of the oil shale. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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Specification