# US 11,548,799 B2 · System and method for water treatment with pulsed electric fields > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,548,799 B2 - Document ID: US11548799B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/871,611 - Filed: 2020-05-11 - Published: 2020-11-19 - Granted: 2023-01-10 - Earliest claimed: 2019-05-13 - Assignees: Onvector LLC - Applicants: Onvector LLC - Inventors: Daniel J. Cho - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11548799B2 ## CPC - C02F 1/4608: {using electrical discharges} - C02F 1/48: with magnetic or electric fields (C02F1/46 takes precedence) - C02F 1/46109: {Electrodes} - C02F 1/001: {Processes for the treatment of water whereby the filtration technique is of importance (C02F1/44 takes precedence; construction of filters in general B01D24/00 - B01D41/00)} - C02F 2001/46152: {characterised by the shape or form} - C02F 2001/46161: {Porous electrodes} - C02F 2001/46171: {Cylindrical or tubular shaped} - C02F 2103/007: {Contaminated open waterways, rivers, lakes or ponds} - C02F 2103/08: Seawater, e.g. for desalination - C02F 2201/003: Coaxial constructions, e.g. a cartridge located coaxially within another - C02F 2201/46145: Fluid flow - C02F 2201/46175: Electrical pulses - C02F 2201/4619: Supplying gas to the electrolyte - C02F 2201/48: Devices for applying magnetic or electric fields - C02F 2209/05: Conductivity or salinity - C02F 2301/08: Multistage treatments, e.g. repetition of the same process step under different conditions - C02F 2303/04: Disinfection - C02F: TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE (separation in general B01D; special arrangements on waterborne vessels of installations for treating water, waste water or sewage, e.g. for producing fresh water, B63J; adding materials to water to prevent corrosion C23F; treating radioactively-contaminated liquids G21F9/04; regeneration of reactants for recirculation into processes, see the relevant places for the processes) ## Abstract A water treatment system includes a water inlet that intakes water to be treated, a high voltage (HV) electrode having a porous metal surface area in a range of between 0.1 cm2 and 5 cm2 in fluid communication with the water, such that the water flows through the porous metal surface area of the HV electrode, a ground electrode disposed across a gap from the HV electrode, in fluid communication with the water, a high voltage power supply electrically connected to the HV electrode for generating spark plasma or pulsed electric fields having a rise time equal to or less than 60 nanoseconds (ns) and an amplitude greater than or equal to 30 kV/cm across the gap, thereby producing treated water, and a water outlet that discharges the treated water. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A water treatment system comprising: a water inlet that intakes water to be treated; a high voltage (HV) electrode having a porous metal surface area in a range of between 0.1 cm2 and 5 cm2 in fluid communication with the water, such that the water flows through the porous metal surface area of the HV electrode; a ground electrode disposed across a gap from the HV electrode, in fluid communication with the water; a high voltage power supply electrically connected to the HV electrode for generating pulsed electric fields having a rise time equal to or less than 60 nanoseconds (ns) and an amplitude greater than or equal to 30 kV/cm across the gap, thereby producing treated water; and a water outlet that discharges the treated water. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The water treatment system of claim 1, wherein the water to be treated has an electrical conductivity in a range of between 0.1 mS/cm and 5 mS/cm. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The water treatment system of claim 1, wherein the gap is less than or equal to 1 cm. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The water treatment system of claim 1, wherein the HV electrode and the ground electrode are opposing parallel plates. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The water treatment system of claim 4, wherein the ground electrode has a porous metal surface area, such that the water flows through the porous metal surface area of the ground electrode. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The water treatment system of claim 4, wherein the HV electrode and the ground electrode are circular plates. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The water treatment system of claim 4, wherein the HV electrode and the ground electrode are square plates. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The water treatment system of claim 4, wherein the HV electrode and the ground electrode are rectangular plates. ### Claim 9 (depends on 4) The water treatment system of claim 4, further including a plurality of pairs of HV electrode and ground electrode opposing parallel plates arranged in serial fluid communication with the water to be treated. ### Claim 10 (depends on 4) The water treatment system of claim 4, further including a plurality of pairs of HV electrode and ground electrode opposing parallel plates arranged in parallel fluid communication with the water to be treated. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The water treatment system of claim 1, wherein the ground electrode has a center axis that is coaxial and cylindrically symmetric with the HV electrode, with the gap between the HV electrode and the ground electrode perpendicular to the center axis, and wherein the HV electrode is a cylindrical metal mesh. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The water treatment system of claim 11, wherein the ground electrode has a diameter that is smaller than a diameter of the HV electrode. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The water treatment system of claim 11, wherein the ground electrode is a cylindrical metal mesh. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The water treatment system of claim 11, wherein the ground electrode has a diameter that is larger than a diameter of the HV electrode. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The water treatment system of claim 11, wherein the ground electrode comprises metal rods. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The water treatment system of claim 1, further including a bubble generator for introducing microbubbles of gas into the gap between the HV electrode and the ground electrode while generating the pulsed electric fields. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The water treatment system of claim 1, wherein the high voltage power supply is configured to generate pulsed electric fields at a frequency in a range of between 10 Hz and 70 Hz. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The water treatment system of claim 1, wherein the high voltage power supply is configured to generate pulsed electric fields having an amplitude in a range of between 50 kV/cm and 100 kV/cm. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The water treatment system of claim 1, wherein the high voltage power supply is configured to generate pulsed electric fields having a rise time in a range of between 20 ns and 50 ns. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The water treatment system of claim 1, wherein the gap is approximately 1 cm.