High-throughput continuous-flow ultrasound reactor
First Claim
1. A flow-through reactor for the continuous treatment of a liquid material with ultrasound, said flow-through reactor comprising:
- a reaction vessel,an elongate ultrasonic horn having first and second opposing end surfaces, said ultrasonic horn mounted to said reaction vessel with said first end surface extending into the interior of said reaction vessel,an electrical power source,an ultrasonic transducer operatively connecting said electrical power source to said second end surface of said ultrasonic horn to convert said electrical energy from said electrical power source to ultrasonic vibrations in said ultrasonic horn, andentry and exit ports in said reaction vessel arranged to cause liquid material entering said reaction vessel to strike said first end surface and flow across said first end surface before leaving said vessel through said exit port.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Liquids are treated by ultrasound in a flow-through reaction vessel with an elongate ultrasonic horn mounted to the vessel with one end of the horn extending into the vessel interior. The liquid flow path inside the vessel is such that the entering liquid strikes the end of the horn at a direction normal to the end, then flows across the surface of the end before leaving the vessel. The end surface of the horn is positioned in close proximity to the entry port to provide a relatively high surface-to-volume ratio in the immediate vicinity of the horn end. In a further improvement, the horn is joined to an ultrasonic transducer through a booster block that provides an acoustic gain to the ultrasonic vibrations, and the booster block is plated with a reflective metal to lessen any loss of ultrasonic energy being transmitted to the horn.
14 Citations
33 Claims
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1. A flow-through reactor for the continuous treatment of a liquid material with ultrasound, said flow-through reactor comprising:
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a reaction vessel, an elongate ultrasonic horn having first and second opposing end surfaces, said ultrasonic horn mounted to said reaction vessel with said first end surface extending into the interior of said reaction vessel, an electrical power source, an ultrasonic transducer operatively connecting said electrical power source to said second end surface of said ultrasonic horn to convert said electrical energy from said electrical power source to ultrasonic vibrations in said ultrasonic horn, and entry and exit ports in said reaction vessel arranged to cause liquid material entering said reaction vessel to strike said first end surface and flow across said first end surface before leaving said vessel through said exit port. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. Apparatus for generating ultrasonic vibration, said apparatus comprising:
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an ultrasonic horn, an ultrasonic transducer arranged to receive electrical energy and to convert said electrical energy to ultrasonic vibrations, and a vibration transmitting block joining said ultrasonic transducer to said ultrasonic horn to transmit said ultrasonic vibrations from said ultrasonic transducer to said ultrasonic horn, in which at least one of said ultrasonic horn and said vibration transmitting block is clad with an ultrasound reflecting cladding. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A flow-through reactor for the continuous treatment of a liquid material with ultrasound, said flow-through reactor comprising:
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a reaction vessel, an elongate ultrasonic horn having first and second opposing end surfaces joined by a side surface, said ultrasonic horn mounted to said reaction vessel with said first end surface and at least a portion of said side surface extending into the interior of said reaction vessel, an electrical power source, an ultrasonic transducer operatively connecting said electrical power source to said second end surface of said ultrasonic horn to convert said electrical energy from said electrical power source to ultrasonic vibrations in said ultrasonic horn, a vibration transmitting block joining said ultrasonic transducer to said ultrasonic horn to transmit said ultrasonic vibrations from said ultrasonic transducer to said ultrasonic horn, said vibration transmitting block clad with an ultrasound reflecting cladding, and entry and exit ports in said reaction vessel arranged to cause liquid material entering said reaction vessel to strike said first end surface and flow across said first end surface before leaving said vessel through said exit port. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. A process for treating a liquid fossil fuel by ultrasound, said process comprising continuously passing a fluid comprising said liquid fossil fuel and water through a reactor comprising:
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a reaction vessel, an elongate ultrasonic horn having first and second opposing end surfaces, said ultrasonic horn mounted to said reaction vessel with said first end surface extending into the interior of said reaction vessel, and an ultrasonic transducer that converts electrical energy to ultrasonic vibrations, said ultrasonic transducer operatively connecting an electrical power source to said second end surface of said ultrasonic horn to transmit ultrasonic vibrations through said ultrasonic horn to said first end surface, while supplying electrical energy to said ultrasonic transducer to produce said ultrasonic vibrations at said first end, and causing said fluid upon entering said reaction vessel to first strike said first end surface of said ultrasonic horn in a direction substantially normal to said first end surface and then to flow across said first end surface. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification