Process for the reduction of biofouling using electric fields
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsThangavelu ASOKAN, Setu Chokshi, Yuseph Montasser, David M. Polizzotti, Yatin Tayalia
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Abstract
A process to reduce or prevent biofouling, by destroying or deactivating microbiological content of feedwater, or other liquid, prior to its entrance into membranes or process equipment, such as heat transfer equipment. The process comprises the use of electrical discharge and/or electric fields to destroy microbes that result in the biofouling of surfaces. By destroying the microbiological content of the water the microbiology no longer is able to create a restricting biofilm upon or within said process equipment.
Claims22
A process for the reduction of biofouling on surfaces of equipment in an industrial process comprising pretreating a liquid supplied to said process by subjecting the liquid to strong electrical fields to destroy microbial matter prior to entering said process equipment.
A process for the prevention of biofouling in an industrial aqueous system, comprising pretreating the water by subjecting it to a high voltage process using pulsed electric fields prior to entering process equipment.
A process for the reduction of biofouling in an industrial aqueous system, comprising pretreating the water by subjecting the water to electrical discharges comprised of microsecond or sub-microsecond pulses.
A process for the prevention of biofouling in an industrial aqueous system, comprising pretreating the water by subjecting the water to electrical discharges comprised of microsecond pulses.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.