US 4,370,534 AGranted

Apparatus and method for heating, thawing and/or demoisturizing materials and/or objects

OwnerDeryck Brandoninventor

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Abstract

An apparatus and method for heating, thawing and/or demoisturizing materials and/or objects by means of microwave energy. In one embodiment for heating particulate material stored in an open-faced rail car, a hood having a length twice that of the car and provided with shielding strips is mounted such that the shielding strips engage the car to form a shield microwave cavity between the hood and the car. The car is then transported beneath the hood, with the shielded cavity being maintained by the shielding strips, and irradiated by microwave energy emitted from magnetrons mounted on the hood. In another embodiment, drilling devices coupled to a microwave source penetrate a substance to be heated. Then, the microwave source is energized and emits microwave energy to the substance at the penetration depth. As the drilling device is extracted, the source is maintained energized for at least a part of the extraction period. Applications in the fields of coal thawing, insect pest control and oil recovery are prime candidates for the disclosed technology.

Claims18

Dependent claims

An apparatus for heating, thawing and/or demoisturizing materials stored in a gondola-type container having an open face and a predetermined length and width, comprising:

shielding hood means adapted for forming a shielded microwave cavity in combination with said container, said hood means defining a longitudinal axis and having front and back ends separated by a distance along said longitudinal axis of at least twice the length of said container, said hood means comprising shielding means for blocking microwave leakage from the microwave heating cavity formed by said hood means and said container, said shielding means disposed in contacting engagement with said container to form said cavity in the space enclosed between said shielding hood means and said container;
microwave radiation means mounted in the middle of said shielding hood means for radiating the materials within the container with microwave energy upon contacting engagement of the shielding hood means and the container;
and
means adapted for transporting said container from the front end to the back end of said hood means with said shielding means in contacting engagement with said container, said microwave radiation means radiating said materials as said materials pass adjacent thereto;
whereby the materials stored in the container within the microwave cavity formed by the container and the shielding hood means are heated, thawed, and/or demoisturized by the microwave energy produced by the microwave radiation means.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 06/247,261Filed 25 Mar 1981 · continuation in part
Priority: 9 Apr 1979
Granted: 25 Jan 1983
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

F26B 25/066
Chambers, containers, or receptacles: movable chambers, e.g. collapsible, demountable
A01M 1/226
Killing insects by electric means: by using waves, fields or rays, e.g. sound waves, microwaves, electric waves, magnetic fields, light rays
F26B 3/347
By using electrical effects: electromagnetic heating, e.g. induction heating or heating using microwave energy
H05B 6/80
Heating using microwaves: apparatus for specific applications