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US 6,270,643 B1Granted
Method of effecting fluid flow in porous materials
AssigneeHarden Technologies Limited
InventorJorn Inge Finnebraaten
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AssigneeHarden Technologies Limited
InventorJorn Inge Finnebraaten
Estimating the term…
A method of effecting fluid movement in porous materials (e.g. metal reinforced concrete or porous geological media) by means of electroosmosis. The method comprises applying a sequence of voltage pulses between spaced apart electrodes (4, 5) having a region of porous material (1) therebetween. Each voltage pulse comprises a first portion in which an electroosmotically active first potential difference is applied between the electrodes (4, 5) to effect fluid movement in the region of porous material (1), and a second portion in which a second potential difference of opposite polarity is applied. In the case of metal reinforced concrete an additional voltage is applied to the metal reinforcement (2) in order to make the voltage of the metal reinforcement (2) negative with respect to the porous material (1) for at least part of the sequence of voltage pulses. The method is used for controlling humidity in metal reinforced concrete, treatment of water, irrigation, oil displacement in oil-/water-bearing strata.
A method of effecting fluid movement in metal reinforced porous materials, the method comprising applying a sequence of voltage pulses between spaced apart first and second electrodes having a region of the porous material therebetween, each said voltage pulse comprising a first portion in which an electoosmotically active first potential difference is applied between said first and second electrodes to effect fluid movement in said region of porous material, and a second portion in which a second potential difference of opposite polarity to said first potential difference is applied between said first and second electrodes;
A method of effecting fluid movement in porous geological media, the method comprising applying a sequence of voltage pulses between spaced apart first and second electrodes having a region of porous geological medium therebetween, said each voltage pulse comprising a first portion in which an electroosmotically active first potential difference is applied between said first and second electrodes to effect fluid movement in said region of porous geological medium, and a second portion in which a second potential difference of opposite polarity to said first potential difference is applied between said first and second electrodes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.