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US 5,665,221 AGranted
Electrical apparatus for controlling liquid contaminants
AssigneeRx Technologies, Inc.
InventorBruce W. Owen
Life of this patent
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AssigneeRx Technologies, Inc.
InventorBruce W. Owen
Estimating the term…
A device is placed in a container containing flowing fluid to neutralize fluid contaminants and prevent their deposition on the walls of the container. The device includes a weak electrical current generator having an electric half-cell that forms an electric circuit with the earth-grounded container via the liquid and generates electrons to neutralize the charged contaminants. The generator includes one or more cupriferous tubes containing a mixture of vegetable oil, and powders of copper, zinc, manganese, cellulose and predominantly iron. Preferably, each tube contains: vegetable oil--5.0-20.0% iron powder--50.0-80.0% copper powder--2.0-10.0% zinc powder--2.0-10.0% manganese powder--2.0-10.0% cellulose powder--2.0-15.0% trace minerals--.ltoreq.0.50%. This device may be placed in the line of flow of a deep oil well to prevent deposition of paraffin and other contaminants onto the walls of the pipeline. The device is useful in all types of confined fluid systems which utilize flowing water, oil or glycol, such as pipelines, steam or hydronic boilers, cooling tower condensers, chillers, and water conditioners.
A device for treating a body of liquid flowing through a container to inhibit the precipitation of contaminants suspended in the liquid, comprising means electrically grounding the container, a weak electrical current generator having an electric half-cell, including a cupriferous tube containing a mixture of vegetable oil, and powders of copper, zinc, manganese, cellulose and predominantly iron, and means locating said tube in the path of fluid flow, said half-cell forming an electric circuit with the grounded container via the liquid and generating electrons to neutralize the charged contaminants and prevent their precipitation and deposition on the walls of the container.
A method of treating oil in a pipeline to prevent contaminants contained in the oil from depositing onto the walls of the pipe, comprising the steps of
A method of treating liquid in a liquid circulation system, having a liquid transmission pipe, to prevent contaminants contained in the liquid from depositing onto the walls of the pipe, comprising the steps of
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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No related US applications are recorded in the indexed filing history.
By electrochemical methods: for prevention or elimination of deposits
Methods or apparatus for cleaning boreholes or wells
Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00: adaptations of electric power generating means for use in boreholes
By electric means, ionisation, polarisation or magnetism: by permanent magnets
Term ended 3 Dec 2016 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
This application claims priority U.S. provisional application No. 60/007,994, filed Dec. 5, 1995.
This invention relates generally to treatment of liquids to control dissolved contaminants and, more particularly, to electrical treatment of the liquid to prevent precipitation of contaminants onto the walls of the liquid container.
Crude oil produced from underground reservoirs often contains many entrained compounds. For example, an oil well will frequently produce large quantities of water, gas, carbon dioxide, solids and crude oil. To facilitate the pumping of the oil from an underground reservoir, devices such as gas anchors are commonly used to prevent large quantities of gas from being produced with the oil. If gas is produced with the oil, gas locks can prevent the efficient operation of the pumping mechanism. In addition, gas anchors and other devices can be used to prevent solids in the production fluids from being drawn into the pumping mechanism.
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a single half-cell electric generator according to this invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of container two of the half-cells of FIG. 1 in a container suitable for use with a humidifier;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an assembly of a ten half-cells suitable for installation in a cooling tower, chiller or boiler;
This invention provides one or more electrical half-cells, which act as a low voltage, low current DC generator. The fluid in which the half-cells are placed acts as the electrolyte, while the grounded container acts as the other or negative half-cell to complete the electrical cell. This provides a continuing electro-chemical action with fluid contaminants, e.g.:
Ca.sup.++ +2e.sup.--= Ca.sup.--.
Since this action is continuing, it is one-way, and is not reversible, as is normal. However, when the half-cells are removed, the electrical cell is destroyed and this action will reverse over a period of time.