Electromagnetic wave assisted chemical processing

• US 6,723,999 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2001
• Issued: 04/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The 323 Trust
• Original Assignee: Holl Technologies Company
• Inventors: Holl, Richard A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gurzo, Paul M.
• Application Number:
  US09/853,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20010030295A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: 250/438, 210/748, 210/85, 422/22, 165/109.1, 366/69, 366/279, 435/99, 494/27
• US Class Current: 250/438
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 27/116 Stirrers shaped as cylinders, balls or rollers
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 27/272 with means for moving the materials to be mixed axially between the surfaces of the rotor and the stator, e.g. the stator rotor system formed by conical or cylindrical surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/05 Mixers using radiation, e.g. magnetic fields or microwaves to mix the material B01F23/2133, B01F23/238, B01F23/55, B01F33/3031, B01F33/3032 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/83613 by grinding or milling
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/4122 at the side walls of the receptacle
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/54 Closely surrounding the rotating element
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/082 Gamma-radiation only
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/10 employing sonic or ultrasonic vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/122 Incoherent waves gamma-radiation B01J19/082
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/125 X-rays
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/126 Microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/127 Sunlight; Visible light
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/18 Stationary reactors having moving elements inside B01J19/08, B01J19/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/1887 forming a thin film
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2208/00 Processes carried out in the presence of solid particles; Reactors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00094 Jackets
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00141 Microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00146 Infrared radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00164 controlling the flow
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00166 controlling the residence time inside the reactor vessel
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00168 : controlling the viscosity
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0888 : Liquid-liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/1227 : Reactors comprising tubes with open ends
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/182 : horizontal
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/1943 : cylindrical
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2998/00 : Supplementary information concerning processes or compositions relating to powder metallurgy
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 7/401 : having a casing closely surrounding the rotor, e.g. with a plunger for feeding the material B29B7/407, B29B7/42 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 7/90 : Fillers or reinforcements , e.g. fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/03 : characterised by the shape of the extruded material at extrusion
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/38 : using two or more serially arranged screws in the same barrel
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2021/00 : Use of unspecified rubbers as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/16 : Fillers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2503/04 : Inorganic materials
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/30 : by irradiation
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/302 : with microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/32 : with ultraviolet light
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/36 : ultrasonic vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 3/01 : characterized by their specific function
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 32/0094 : with organic materials as the main non-metallic constituent, e.g. resin
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 11/02 : the movement being rotary, e.g. performed by a drum or roller F28D11/08 takes precedence

Abstract

A window allows the introduction of radiation energy into an annular processing chamber filled with a material to be processed. The chamber is formed from coaxial cylinder members rapidly rotating relative to one another. The chamber can be thin enough so that it is short compared to the penetration depth of the radiation through the material, providing even exposure of the material to the radiation. Also, eddies created in the material by the relative rotation enhances the even exposure. When the material inside the annular processing chamber is opaque, resulting in an insignificant penetration depth, the eddies still insure that the material is evenly exposed to the irradiation.

Claims

1. A method for processing materials, comprising:

passing materials to be processed in a flow path through an annular processing passage between two closely-spaced smooth surfaces provided by respective inner and outer cylindrical apparatus members at least one rotating relative to the another, the height of the annular processing passage is small enough, the cylindrical apparatus members rotate relative to each other rapidly enough and the two closely-spaced smooth surfaces are smooth enough such that the materials are essentially free of Taylor vortices; and

irradiating the materials in the processing passage with processing energy passing through at least one window of one of the two members, wherein the height of the annular processing passage is less than the penetration depth of the processing energy into the materials to be processed.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the energy applied to the processing passage is any one of electromagnetic energy of microwave frequency, light, X-rays, gamma radiation and ultrasonic longitudinal vibrations.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cylindrical apparatus members rotate relative to one another about respective longitudinal axes that are coaxial with one another so that the radial spacing of the two surfaces is constant circumferentially thereof.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus members are moved so as to produce a linear velocity between their operative surfaces relative to one another of at least 0.5 meter per second.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein one or both of the surfaces is coated with catalytic material that enhances at least one of chemical, bio-chemical and biocidal reactions in the processing passage.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cylindrical apparatus members rotate relative to one another about respective horizontally oriented parallel longitudinal axes.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cylindrical apparatus members rotate relative to one another about respective vertically oriented parallel longitudinal axes.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outer member remains substantially stationary while the inner member rotates to produce a linear velocity between their operative surfaces relative to one another.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the processing energy irradiating the materials enters the processing passage through at least one window in the wall of the outer member.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the processing energy is electromagnetic energy produced by at least one microwave tube connected to at least one port in the wall of the outer member leading to the at least one window in the wall of the outer member.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the frequency of the electromagnetic energy is between 2.5 GHz and 50 GHz.

12. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the processing energy is light irradiation introduced into the annular processing passage through at least one laser light guide.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing energy is produced by at least one transducer.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing energy is electromagnetic energy.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the frequency of the electromagnetic energy is between 2.5 GHz and 50 GHz and the electromagnetic energy enters the processing passage through at least one window in the wall of the outer member;

and further including;

circulating the molecules of the materials to be processed past the at least one window to provide substantially even exposure on a molecular level of the materials to be processed.

16. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the material to be processed is substantially opaque to the processing energy and further comprising the step of circulating the materials to be processed past the processing energy to provide surface renewal so that molecules of the materials to be processed are substantially evenly exposed to processing energy.

17. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the materials to be processed include a gas and a liquid;

the height of the annular processing passage is small enough and the cylindrical apparatus members rotate relative to each other rapidly enough so that the gas is emulsified into the liquid to produce a gas/liquid emulsification, thereby increasing the interfacial contact between the gas and liquid; and

the gas/liquid emulsification is irradiated with the processing energy through said at least one window of the two members to facilitate a reaction between the gas and liquid.

18. A method as claimed in claim 1, further including

irradiating the materials to be processed with the processing energy through at least one window of the two members to facilitate a reaction in the essentially Taylor vortices-free material.

19. An apparatus for processing material comprising:

two cylindrical apparatus members being mounted concentrically about a common axis for rotation relative to one another, and defining two closely-spaced smooth surfaces providing an annular processing passage constituting a flow path for the material, the height of the annular processing passage is small enough, the cylindrical apparatus members rotate relative to each other rapidly enough and the two closely-spaced smooth surfaces are smooth enough so that the materials to processed are essentially free of Taylor vortices; and

an energy source for applying processing energy to the processing passage through at least one window in at least one wall of the two members, wherein the height of the annular processing passage is less than the penetration depth of said processing energy.

20. An apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein the energy applied to the processing passage is any one of electromagnetic energy of microwave frequency, light, X-rays, gamma radiation and ultrasonic longitudinal vibrations.

21. An apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein the cylindrical apparatus members are mounted to rotate relative to one another about respective longitudinal axes that are coaxial with one another so that the radial spacing of the two surfaces is constant circumferentially thereof.

22. An apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein the apparatus members are moved so as to produce a linear velocity between their operative surfaces relative to one another of at least 0.5 meter per second.

23. An apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein one or both of the surfaces is coated with catalytic material that enhances at least one of chemical, bio-chemical and biocidal reactions in the processing passage.

24. An apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein the cylindrical apparatus members rotate relative to one another about respective horizontally oriented parallel longitudinal axes.

25. An apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein the cylindrical apparatus members rotate relative to one another about respective vertically oriented parallel longitudinal axes.

26. An apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein the outer member remains substantially stationary while the inner member rotates to produce a linear velocity between their operative surfaces relative to one another.

27. An apparatus as claimed in claim 26, wherein the processing energy irradiating the materials in the processing passage passes through the wall of the outer member.

28. An apparatus as claimed in claim 26, wherein the processing energy is light irradiation introduced into the annular processing passage through at least one laser light guide.

29. An apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein the processing energy is electromagnetic energy produced by at least one microwave tube connected to at least one port in the wall of the outer member leading to the at least one window in the wall of the outer member.

30. An apparatus as claimed in claim 29, wherein the frequency of the electromagnetic energy is between 2.5 GHz and 50 GHz.

31. An apparatus as claimed in claim 19, further comprising at least one transducer for producing the processing energy.

32. An apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein the processing energy is electromagnetic energy.

33. An apparatus as claimed in claim 32, wherein the frequency of the electromagnetic energy is between 2.5 GHz and 50 GHz;

wherein said at least one window is in the wall of the outer member through which the electromagnetic energy enters the processing passage; and

molecules of the materials to be processed, pass the at least one window, to provide substantially even exposure on a molecular level of the materials to be processed.

34. An apparatus as claimed in claim 33, wherein the material to be processed is substantially opaque to the processing energy.

35. An apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein:

the materials to be processed include a gas and a liquid;

the height of the annular processing passage is small enough and the cylindrical apparatus members rotate relative to each other rapidly enough so that the gas is emulsified into the liquid to produce a gas/liquid emulsification, thereby increasing the interfacial contact between the gas and liquid; and

the gas/liquid emulsification is irradiated with the processing energy through said at least one window of one of the two members to facilitate a reaction between the gas and liquid.

36. A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein:

the materials to be processed are irradiated with the processing energy through said at least one window of one of the two members to facilitate a reaction in the essentially Taylor vortices-free material.

37. A means for electromagnetic processing of material comprising:

two cylindrical apparatus members mounted for rotation relative to one another, and defining two closely-spaced smooth surfaces, the height of the annular processing passage is small enough, the cylindrical apparatus members rotate relative to each other rapidly enough and the two closely-spaced smooth surfaces are smooth enough providing an annular processing passage constituting a flow path for essentially Taylor vortex-free mixing the material; and

a means for supplying electromagnetic energy to the material through at least one window in a wall of the two members.