Systems and methods for removing contaminants from surfaces of solid material
AssigneeKyata Capital Inc.
InventorsFilippo Giansante, Antonio Serafino Mancina
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods for removing contaminants from surfaces of a solid material using a flow of compressible fluid to draw incompressible fluid through pathways between fragments of the solid material. At least one method includes introducing solid material into a processing chamber, concurrently directing compressible fluid and incompressible fluid into the processing chamber via the inlet fluid distribution manifold, and operating a vacuum pump to maintain a pressure at a discharge outlet of the processing chamber sufficient to promote the compressible and incompressible fluids each achieving a velocity of at least 10 meters per second within the processing chamber.
Claims15
A system for removing contaminants from surfaces of a solid material, the system comprising:
- a processing enclosure defining a processing chamber, the processing enclosure including an inlet fluid distribution manifold and a discharge outlet;
- a cyclonic separation stage configured to remove compressible fluid from a discharge stream obtained from the processing chamber;
- a primary discharge flow path extending from the discharge outlet of the processing enclosure to the cyclonic separation stage;
- a first return flow path extending from the cyclonic separation stage to the inlet fluid distribution manifold;
- a vacuum pump positioned in the first return flow path between a compressible fluid outlet of the cyclonic separation stage and the inlet fluid distribution manifold;
- a first centrifugal separation stage configured to remove insoluble solids from a discharge stream obtained from the cyclonic separation stage;
- a secondary discharge flow path extending from the first centrifugal separation stage to the centrifugal separation stage;
- a second centrifugal separation stage configured to remove incompressible fluid from a discharge stream obtained from the first centrifugal separation stage;
- a tertiary discharge flow path extending from the first centrifugal separation stage to the second centrifugal separation stage;
- and
- a second return flow path extending from the second centrifugal separation stage to the inlet fluid distribution manifold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.