High power ultrasonic reactor for sonochemical applications

• US 7,157,058 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2004
• Issued: 01/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nano-Size Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nano-Size Ltd.
• Inventors: Marhasin, Evgeny, Grintzova, Marina, Pekker, Vicktor, Melnik, Yuri
• Primary Examiner(s): Jastrzab; Krisanne
• Assistant Examiner(s): Conley; Sean E.
• Application Number:
  US10/767,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20040256213A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,069 Days
• Field of Search: 422/128, 422/134, 310/321, 310/322, 310/323.19
• US Class Current: 422/128
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/10 employing sonic or ultrasonic vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0877 Liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0879 Solid
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/40 with fluidised bed subjected to vibrations or pulsations
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 3/00 Methods or apparatus specially adapted for transmitting mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 1/054 Nanosized particles
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2202/01 Use of vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2999/00 Aspects linked to processes or compositions used in powder metallurgy
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 9/24 starting from liquid metal compounds, e.g. solutions
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 13/36 by precipitation reactions in aqueous solutions C01B13/328 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C01G 49/06 Ferric oxide [Fe2O3]
• CPC Class Codes: C01G 53/02 Carbonyls
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2004/64 Nanometer sized, i.e. from 1-100 nanometer
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2006/10 Solid density
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2006/12 Surface area
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2006/60 Optical properties, e.g. expressed in CIELAB-values
• CPC Class Codes: C09C 1/24 Oxides of iron

Abstract

Ultrasound device having a reaction chamber, which includes a magnetostrictive transducer and a horn transmitting ultrasound radiation substantially uniformly throughout the reaction chamber. The horn is hollow and is constituted by a cylinder having an empty inner chamber at its core defining a resonance chamber, which may be cylindrical and may comprise a plurality of sections of cylindrical shape or a central section of larger diameter and two terminal sections of smaller diameter.

Claims

1. Sonochemical reactor comprising:

a. a reactor volume confined by external walls with internal dimensions establishing resonance of ultrasonic waves in a liquid contained within the reactor volume;

b. a high power ultrasonic transducer;

c. a horn, of a longitudinal length directly proportional to whole number of half-wavelengths of ultrasonic waves in the horn material, attached to the transducer and outwardly emitting ultrasonic energy into the reactor volume; and

d. an internal cavity of said horn characterized by resonant properties and providing, in accordance with Poisson'"'"'s effect, an efficient transformation of longitudinal ultrasonic oscillations received from the transducer into transversal ultrasonic oscillations of the external walls of the horn in such a way that the distribution of ultrasonic energy throughout the reactor volume is homogeneous.

2. Sonochemical reactor according to claim 1, wherein said reactor volume is of a cylindrical shape with the distance between the external surface of said horn and the internal surface of said walls directly proportional to a whole number of half-wavelengths of sound in the contained liquid.

3. Sonochemical reactor according to claim 1, wherein the distance between a horn tip and a bottom surface of said reactor volume is equal to whole number of half wavelengths of ultrasound in the contained liquid.

4. Sonochemical reactor according to claim 1, wherein said ultrasonic transducer is of a magnetostrictive type.

5. Sonochemical reactor according to claim 4, wherein the power emitted by said transducer is higher than 1 kW.

6. Sonochemical reactor according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal length of said horn in the direction of longitudinal ultrasonic wave propagation is equal to whole number of half wavelengths of ultrasound in the horn material.

7. Sonochemical reactor according to claim 1, wherein said horn is of a cylindrical shape.

8. Sonochemical reactor according to claim 7, wherein the internal cavity of said horn is of a cylindrical shape, coaxial with an external emitting surface of the horn.

9. Sonochemical reactor according to claim 8, wherein the internal cavity comprises a plurality of cylindrically shaped sections of differing diameters.

10. Sonochemical reactor according to claim 9, wherein the internal cavity comprises a central section of larger diameter and two end sections of smaller diameter.

11. Sonochemical reactor according to claim 10, wherein said horn comprises the following elements:

a. a cylindrical body element comprising the central section of the internal cavity and a smaller diameter end section of internal cavity; and

b. a cylindrical plug element of smaller diameter comprising a second smaller diameter end section of internal cavity which is screwed to the main element by a thread connection.