US 6,746,652 B2Granted

Production of hydrogen peroxide vapor-air mixtures

AssigneePharmaceutical Systems, Inc.

InventorsDavoud Khorzad, Robert J. Thrash, Jimmy Fisher, Thomas F. Cullen

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Abstract

Apparatus and method for producing at high efficiency vaporization a precisely controllable, continuously adjustable gas-phase flow of a vaporizable liquid (e.g., hydrogen peroxide) in a carrier gas (e.g., air) are disclosed. The gas-phase product flow can be substantially continuous, low-temperature, unsaturated with respect to the vaporized vaporizable liquid, and of substantially constant vaporized vaporizable liquid concentration as a function of time. Fine particles of the vaporizable liquid are produced and introduced into the flow of carrier gas/vapor in a vaporization plenum with a sufficient flow of carrier gas/vapor to provide a curtain of carrier gas/vapor between substantially all of the fine particles of vaporizable liquid and the inner surface of the vaporization plenum.

Claims32

Dependent claims

An apparatus that can produce at high vaporization efficiency from air and an aqueous liquid solution of hydrogen peroxide a substantially continuous flow of a low-temperature unsaturated gas-phase mixture of air and vaporized hydrogen peroxide of substantially constant hydrogen peroxide concentration as a function of time, said apparatus comprising:

(a) a vaporization plenum having an inner surface;
(b) means for breaking the aqueous liquid solution of hydrogen peroxide into fine particles and for flowing the fine particles in the vaporization plenum, the bulk flow of the fine particles flowing in the vaporization plenum being in a first direction;
(c) means for flowing the air in the vaporization plenum and for flowing at least some of the air between the inner surface of the vaporization plenum and substantially all of the fine particles to create a curtain of air between the inner surface of the vaporization plenum and substantially all of the fine particles, the bulk flow of the air in the vaporization plenum flowing in substantially the same direction as the first direction;
and
(d) means for causing substantially all of the fine particles to vaporize in the flow of the air to produce a flow of a gas-phase mixture of air and vaporized hydrogen peroxide of substantially constant hydrogen peroxide concentration as a function of time.

2 more elements

An apparatus that can produce at high vaporization efficiency from a gas or vapor comprising a first substance and a vaporizable liquid comprising a second substance a substantially continuous flow of a low-temperature unsaturated gas-phase mixture of the first substance and vaporized second substance of substantially constant second substance concentration as a function of time, said apparatus comprising:

(a) a vaporization plenum having an inner surface;
(b) means for breaking the liquid into fine particles and for flowing the fine particles in the vaporization plenum, the bulk flow of the fine particles flowing in the vaporization plenum being in a first direction;
(c) means for flowing the first substance in the vaporization plenum and for flowing at least some of the first substance between the inner surface of the vaporization plenum and substantially all of the fine particles to create a curtain of first substance between the inner surface of the vaporization plenum and substantially all of the fine particles, the bulk flow of the first substance in the vaporization plenum flowing in substantially the same direction as the first direction;
and
(d) means for causing substantially all of the fine particles to vaporize in the flow of the first substance to produce a flow of a gas-phase mixture of the first substance and vaporized second substance of substantially constant second substance concentration as a function of time.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.