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US 7,384,009 B2Granted
Virtual electrode mineral particle disintegrator
AssigneeTetra Corporation
InventorWilliam M. Moeny
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention provides for a method and apparatus for breaking mineral particles comprising suspending the particles in a liquid flowing in a column, the liquid comprising a dielectric constant higher than the particles and wherein an electric voltage pulse is sent to electrodes to pass an electric field in the mineral particles with sufficient stress to fracture the mineral particles.
Claims22
A method for comminuting or breaking particles comprising:
- suspending the particles in a liquid flowing in a column, the liquid comprising electric properties different than electric properties of the particles;
- disposing a plurality of electrodes in the liquid;
- sending an electric voltage pulse to the electrodes wherein the pulse is tuned to electrical characteristics of the column and liquid to provide a voltage sufficient to allocate an electric field internal to the particles that exceeds a dielectric strength of the particles without exceeding the dielectric strength of the fluid, the resulting loss of dielectric strength in the particles causing the particles to conduct, thus removing their contribution to the insulation between the electrodes, and causing the electric fields in the fluid to exceed the dielectric strength of the fluid causing the fluid to conduct;
- and
- passing sufficient current through the particles and the fluid to comminute or break the particles, the current being of a power below that which causes shock waves in the fluid.
2 more elements
An apparatus for breaking particles comprising:
- a column;
- a liquid flowing in said column within which the particles are suspended, said liquid comprising electric properties different than electric properties of the particles;
- a plurality of electrodes disposed in said liquid;
- a pulsed power source for sending an electric voltage pulse to said electrodes wherein said pulse is tuned to electrical characteristics of said column and said liquid to provide a voltage sufficient to allocate an electric field internal to the particles that exceeds a dielectric strength of the particles without exceeding a dielectric strength of the fluid, the resulting loss of dielectric strength in the particles causing the particles to conduct, thus removing a contribution to insulation between the electrodes and causing the electric fields in the fluid to exceed the dielectric strength of the fluid, causing both the fluid and the particles to conduct;
- and
- a current passing through the particles and the fluid, said current being of a power below that required to cause shock waves in the fluid.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.