Commodity fumigation process and apparatus
OwnerKenneth D. Leitner, Arthur W. R. Terryinventors
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Abstract
Processes and devices for producing a heated non-flammable gaseous fumigant for commodity fumigation use by application of a carrier gas, such as carbon dioxide (102), to a heater (103) either prior or subsequent to mixing the gas with a toxic agent gas, such as methyl bromide (213), such as by means of a mixer (214) and applying the mixture of gasses as a commodity fumigant to eradicate target peats infesting a commodity stored within an enclosed volume (106). In the preferred embodiment, the gaseous carbon dioxide is formed by flashing liquid carbon dioxide (614) directly to the gaseous state in a heater (630) prior to being mixed with methyl bromide (654) in a mixer (648) and applying the mixture of gases as a fumigant to a commodity held within an enclosure (668).
Claims12
In a process for fumigating a commodity contained within an enclosed space, the steps of:
- providing a reservoir of a non-flammable cryogenic liquid;
- continuously maintaining said cryogenic liquid at a pressure of less than 500 pounds per square inch;
- providing a flow of cryogenic liquid from said reservoir;
- heating said flow of cryogenic liquid to a temperature such that the cryogenic liquid flashes directly into its gaseous state to provide a flow of heated non-flammable gas;
- applying the flowing mixture of heated gas to the space to be fumigated;
- providing a source of a toxic agent;
- providing a flow of said toxic agent from said source;
- and
- mixing the toxic agent with the flow of heated gas to produce a fumigant by introducing the toxic agent into the flow of heated gas before the heated gas enters the space.
Apparatus for producing a gaseous fumigant for use as a commodity or soil fumigant comprising:
- first storage means for storing carbon dioxide in a liquid phase at a first pressure which is always less than 500 pounds per square inch;
- second storage means for storing a toxic agent at a second pressure;
- a heater having an inlet and an outlet and operable to flash liquid phase carbon dioxide applied to said inlet directly into gaseous carbon dioxide;
- fluid passage means connected between said first storage means and said heater and selectively operable to apply a selectable quantity of said liquid carbon dioxide to the heater inlet as a liquid;
- mixing means having an outlet, a first mixer inlet for receiving the heated gaseous carbon dioxide from said heater and a second mixer inlet located downstream from said first inlet for receiving toxic agent from said second storage means, said mixing means being operable to mix said heated gaseous carbon dioxide from said heater and said toxic agent when applied to said second inlet to form a heated gaseous mixture thereof and to apply said heated gaseous mixture to said mixing means outlet;
- second fluid transfer means comprised by fluid conduit open along its length and operable to transfer the gaseous carbon dioxide passing from said heater outlet to said mixing means first inlet;
- third fluid transfer means selectively operable to transfer a selectable quantity of said toxic agent from said second storage means to said mixing means second inlet;
- and
- fumigant transfer means comprising a fluid conduit open along its length and having an inlet connected to said mixing means outlet and an outlet remote therefrom and operable to transfer the heated gaseous mixture passing from said mixing means outlet to the fumigant transfer means outlet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.