Apparatus for heating electrically conductive flowable media
AssigneeThe Electricity Council
InventorDavid P. Simpson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A heater for liquid foodstuffs has a pipe through which the foodstuff flows and electrodes spaced along the pipe to drive a heating current through the foodstuff. In the embodiment, the electrode is a platinum coated cylinder arranged transversely in an enlarged part of the pipe so that electric current flows to the electrode only over a smooth surface portion, entirely within the edges of the exposed electrode surface.
Claims13
Apparatus for heating an electrically conductive flowable medium, comprising pipe means through which the medium can be arranged to flow, said pipe means having an internal surface of a material having an electrical conductivity no greater than that of the medium,
- at least two electrodes at spaced locations along the pipe means and having respective electrode surfaces exposed to medium flowing in the pipe means,
- and supply means for applying an alternating electrical supply across said electrodes so that alternating current can flow in the medium between the electrodes,
- each lectrode being located and arranged in the pipe means such that, in use, substantially all the current flows between the medium and a predetermined surface portion only of the exposed electrode surface, said predetermined surface portion being smoothly curved without sharp edges to avoid current density distortions over the surface portion, said predetermined surface portion being entirely within the edges of the exposed surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.