Systems and methods for extracting liquid
AssigneeCorner Star Limited
InventorSteven Lawrence Kimbel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for extracting liquid is provided. The system includes a vacuum source and a nozzle having a wettable plunger and a vacuum tube connected in flow communication with the vacuum source. When the plunger is partly submerged in the liquid and the vacuum source is actuated to initiate a flow of gas through the vacuum tube, droplets of the liquid separate from at least a portion of the unsubmerged part of the plunger and become suspended in the gas flow. The system also includes a cooling structure positioned adjacent to the vacuum tube to facilitate solidifying the droplets suspended in the gas flowing through the vacuum tube.
Claims20
A system for extracting liquid, said system comprising:
- a vacuum source;
- a nozzle having a wettable plunger and a vacuum tube connected in flow communication with the vacuum source such that, when the plunger is partly submerged in the liquid and the vacuum source is actuated to initiate a flow of gas through the vacuum tube, droplets of the liquid separate from at least a portion of the unsubmerged part of the plunger and become suspended in the gas flow;
- and
- a cooling structure positioned adjacent to the vacuum tube to facilitate solidifying the droplets suspended in the gas flowing through the vacuum tube.
A method for extracting liquid, said method comprising:
- submerging part of a wettable plunger in a liquid such that a layer of the liquid develops on an unsubmerged part of the plunger;
- applying vacuum pressure to a gaseous environment surrounding the layer of liquid such that droplets of the liquid separate from at least a portion of the unsubmerged part of the plunger and become suspended in a gas flowing over the layer;
- and
- cooling the droplets such that the droplets solidify while suspended in the gas flow.
A monosilicon production assembly comprising:
- an ingot growth subassembly having a furnace, a crucible disposed in the furnace, a water-cooled jacket situated at least in part above the crucible, and a puller mechanism having a seed crystal insertable into the crucible;
- and
- an extraction subassembly having a holding reservoir, a vacuum source, a carrier gas source, and a nozzle having a wettable plunger and a pair of concentric tubes including an inner tube and an outer tube, the inner tube connected in flow communication with the vacuum source across the holding reservoir, and the outer tube connected in flow communication with the carrier gas source,
- wherein the nozzle is insertable into the furnace via the jacket such that, when the carrier gas source and the vacuum source are actuated with the plunger partly submerged in molten silicon contained in the crucible, droplets of the molten silicon separate from at least a portion of the unsubmerged part of the plunger, become suspended in a flow of carrier gas through the inner tube, and solidify before reaching the holding reservoir for collection in the holding reservoir as solid particles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.