Method of and apparatus for heating a reaction vessel with microwave energy
First Claim
1. An apparatus for heating material comprising a closed vessel for receiving the material andmeans for generating microwave energy,a waveguide operably coupled to said microwave generating means at a first end and having a means for exciting multiple microwave propagation modes in a second end, said second end integrally coupled to the closed vessel in an angled configuration with respect to the lateral axis of said vessel to induce a helical-type reflection of microwave energy which propagates throughout the closed vessel in a whispering gallery-type mode;
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Accused Products
Abstract
A reaction vessel used in industrial applications is heated by a multiple mode microwave beam that is directed to an interior wall of the reaction vessel. The beam is in an inclined-angular fashion and the wall is arranged so the beam is absorbed and reflected from it many times to provide a helical-like reflection and absorption pattern within the vessel interior to uniformly heat the vessel wall and the material. A microwave isolator connected between a source of the microwave energy and the reaction vessel includes a quartz plate and a seal for compensating disparities in thermal expansion coefficients between the plate and a housing for the plate.
42 Citations
52 Claims
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1. An apparatus for heating material comprising a closed vessel for receiving the material and
means for generating microwave energy, a waveguide operably coupled to said microwave generating means at a first end and having a means for exciting multiple microwave propagation modes in a second end, said second end integrally coupled to the closed vessel in an angled configuration with respect to the lateral axis of said vessel to induce a helical-type reflection of microwave energy which propagates throughout the closed vessel in a whispering gallery-type mode; - and
a microwave transparent isolation means operably interposed between said microwave generating means and said closed vessel, said isolation means comprising a housing and a microwave transparent barrier fixedly attached to said housing by a thermal expansion compensating seal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17)
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16. An apparatus for heating material comprising
a reaction vessel for receiving the material, means for generating microwave energy having a frequency between about 850 MHz and about 30 GHz; -
a waveguide having a first end of a first diameter, and a second end of a second diameter larger than said first diameter, said first end operably coupled to said microwave generating means and said second end integrally coupled to the reaction vessel in a tangentially angled configuration with respect to the lateral axis of said reaction vessel to induce a helical-type reflection pattern of microwave energy which propagates throughout the reaction vessel in a whispering gallery-type mode; and a microwave transparent isolation means operably coupled between the waveguide and the reaction vessel, said isolation means comprising a housing and a dielectric material fixedly mounted in said housing, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the waveguide, by a thermal expansion compensating seal. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. The method of heating a reactor vessel using microwave energy, comprising the steps of
generating microwave energy; -
exciting multiple propagation modes of said microwave energy; directing said excited microwave energy into the reactor vessel at an offset, angled position relative to the lateral axis of said vessel to induce a helical-type reflection pattern propagating throughout the vessel in a whispering gallery-type mode. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
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- 25. A method of heating material in a reaction vessel having a wall with facing interior portions, the wall including microwave absorbing and reflecting material, comprising the steps of supplying a microwave energy beam to a first of said interior portions, the energy being supplied to the first portion at an angle so energy in the energy beam is partially absorbed by the wall at the first portion and is partially reflected from the wall at the first portion, the energy reflected from the first portion propagating to a second of said portions that faces the first portion, the energy propagating from the first portion to the second portion being partially absorbed and partially reflected at the second portion, the energy reflected from the second portion propagating to a third of said portions that faces the second portion, the energy propagating from the second portion to the third portion being partially absorbed and partially reflected at the third portion, all of said first, second and third portions being spaced from each other and being heated by the microwave energy absorbed thereby, the reflection and absorption of the energy being repeated for many additional different ones of said facing portions so the many additional different portions are heated by the microwave energy absorbed thereby, the energy being supplied to the first, second, third and many different portions for a sufficiently long period to heat the wall to a temperature to cause the material to be heated to a desired temperature.
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30. Apparatus for heating material comprising
a reaction vessel for receiving the material, the reaction vessel having a wall with facing interior portions, the wall including microwave absorbing and reflecting material, a microwave feed for supplying a microwave energy beam to a first of said interior wall portions, the energy being supplied to the first portion on the interior wall at an angle so energy in the energy beam is partially absorbed by the wall at the first portion and is partially reflected from the wall at the first portion, the first wall portion and the angle of the energy beam being such that the energy reflected from the first portion propagates to a second of said portions that faces the first portion, the energy propagating from the first portion to the second portion being partially absorbed and partially reflected at the second portion, the energy reflected from the second portion propagating to a third of said portions on the interior wall that faces the second portion, the energy propagating from the second portion to the third portion being partially absorbed and partially reflected at the third portion, all of said first, second and third portions being spaced from each other and being heated by the microwave energy absorbed thereby, the reflection and absorption of the energy being repeated for many additional different facing portions on the interior wall so the many additional different portions are heated by the microwave energy absorbed thereby, whereby in response to the energy being supplied to the first, second, third and many different portions for a sufficiently long period the wall is heated to a temperature to cause the material to be heated to a desired temperature.
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39. In combination
a chemical reaction vessel, a microwave coupling circuit connected to the interior of the reaction vessel for supplying energy from a source of microwave energy to the interior of the vessel, the vessel being adapted to include materials that are heated to relatively high temperatures and produce corrosive gases and cause the vessel to have a wide range of temperatures from ambient to about the high temperature, the coupling circuit including a microwave window with a dielectric plate that (a) is transparent to the microwave energy, (b) is exposed to the high temperature, (c) is exposed to the corrosive gases, (d) has a relatively low coefficient of thermal expansion and (e) is able to withstand the corrosive gases without substantial chemical and mechanical change, the plate being surrounded by a metal housing having a coefficient of thermal expansion substantially different from that of the dielectric plate, and a thermal expansion matching seal between the dielectric plate and the metal housing for maintaining a seal between opposite sides of the plate and the housing throughout the temperature range experienced by the plate and the housing.
Specification