Method and device for activating a physical and/or a chemical reaction in a fluid medium

• US 6,616,730 B1
• Filed: 07/12/2001
• Issued: 09/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gérard Bienvenu
• Original Assignee: Gérard Bienvenu
• Inventors: Bienvenu, Gérard
• Primary Examiner(s): ANDREWS, MELVYN J
• Application Number:
  US09/889,150
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 757/30, 757/24, 266/101, 266/170
• US Class Current: 75/724
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/56 by introducing solids in liquids, e.g. dispersing or dissolving
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 31/87 transmitting the vibratory energy by means of a fluid, e.g. by means of air shock waves
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/451 wherein the mixture is directly exposed to an electromagnetic field without use of a stirrer, e.g. for material comprising ferromagnetic particles or for molten metal
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/8362 with chemical reactions
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/087 employing electric or magnetic energy
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/10 employing sonic or ultrasonic vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2208/00752 Feeding
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0852 employing permanent magnets
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0858 employing moving elements
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0862 employing multiple (electro)magnets
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/0015 Feeding of the particles in the reactor; Evacuation of the particles out of the reactor
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/16 with particles being subjected to vibrations or pulsations B01J8/40 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/42 with fluidised bed subjected to electric current or to radiations this sub-group includes the fluidised bed subjected to electric or magnetic fields

Abstract

It is possible to activate a physical reaction and/or a chemical reaction in a medium, comprising a solution and solid matter that is freely dispersed in said solution, by placing the mixture in a reactor that has two walls which are located opposite close to each other, whereby the mixture fills the space in between the two walls and forms therein a thin long layer in a direction that is defined by a geometrical axis parallel to the walls, by activating an agitating means that are disposed outside the reactor and capable of acting through said walls on an area of agitation covering part of the layer and having a small dimension in the direction of the geometrical axis, and by simultaneously displacing said agitating means in such a way that the area of agitation substantially spans the entire area located between the two walls.

Claims

1. A process for activating a physical and/or chemical reaction in a mixture subjected to agitation and comprising a solution charged with a noble metal in ionic form and a reactive metal introduced in solid form and freely dispersed in the solution so as to obtain a cementation from the reactive metal reacting to the noble metal present in the solution, comprising:

injecting the solution via the bottom of a reactor having two walls facing one or another and close to one another, the mixture filling the space between the two walls and forming therein a layer of small thickness and of great length in a direction defined by a geometric axis parallel to the walls, an agitating means movably attached to the reactor including a plurality of electromagnets, the electromagnets being arranged outside the reactor to act through said walls on an agitation zone covering a part of said layer and having a small dimension in the direction of the geometric axis;

causing an ascending flow of the solution in a vertical direction parallel to the walls so as to form a fluidised bed;

introducing solid ferromagnetic particles, at the top part of the fluidised bed, which particles are the seat of a disposition when the cementation reaction takes place, agitating the mixture by activating the electromagnets sequentially supplied with periodic currents to create an electromagnetic field able to direct the ferromagnetic particles alternately in two distinct directions;

moving the agitating means in an alternating movement between a first extreme position and a second extreme position so that the agitation zone spans appreciably the whole of said space located between the two walls; and

cementing the noble metal from the mixture.

2. A device for implementing the process according to claim 1, for activating a physical and/or chemical reaction in a mixture subjected to agitation and comprising a solution charged with a noble metal in ionic form and a reactive metal introduced in solid form and freely dispersed in the solution so as to obtain a cementation consisting in replacing the noble metal present in the solution by said reactive metal, a device comprising:

a reactor designed to contain the mixture to be agitated, the reactor having two walls facing one another and close to one another, the mixture filling the space between the two walls and forming therein a layer of small thickness and of great length in a direction defined by a geometric axis parallel to the walls, causing an ascending flow of the solution in a vertical direction parallel to the walls so as to form a fluidised bed,

means for injecting the solution via the bottom of the reactor,

means for causing an ascending flow of the solution in a vertical direction parallel to the walls,

means for introducing solid ferromagnetic particles at the top part of the fluidised bed, which particles are the seat of a deposition when the cementation reaction takes place,

agitating means comprising a plurality of electromagnets sequentially supplied with periodic currents to create an electromagnetic field able to direct the ferro-magnetic particles alternately in two distinct directions, the electromagnets being arranged outside the reactor to act through said walls on an agitation zone covering a part of said layer and having a small dimension in the direction of the geometric axis,

and means for moving the electromagnets in an alternating movement between a first extreme position and a second extreme position so that the agitation zone spans appreciably the whole of said space located between the two walls.

3. The device according to claim 2, comprising means for introducing the reactive metal in the form of metallic wires.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the means for introducing the reactive metal comprise guides opening out into the reactor.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the guides are formed by polymer tubes.

6. The device according to claim 2, wherein both of the walls are shaped in such a way that their external surface is defined geometrically by a set of segments of straight lines parallel to one and the same geometric axis and bearing on any curve extending in a plane perpendicular to said axis, the distance between each segment of one of the walls and the other wall being constant.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein both of the walls are flat or cylindrical with a circular base.

8. The device according to claim 2, wherein the walls comprise asperities forming restrictions, inside the space bounded by the walls, designed to cause local accelerations of the solution.

9. The device according to claim 2, comprising a support carriage of the electro-magnets, the means for moving the electromagnets comprising means for driving the carriage.