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AssigneeEnhanced Energy, Inc.
InventorsJames Michael Halek, Philip Aaron Harris, Richard Thompson, Robert Ferri, Jonathan Squires
Estimating the term…
Recovery of hydrocarbons, such as petroleum products, from a liquid or solid substrate is facilitated by the use of microwave energy to energize and separate molecular bonds between the hydrocarbons and the substrate. A radio frequency (RF) applicator delivers microwave energy to a treatment volume containing an emulsion of a hydrocarbon and a substrate. Delivering the microwave energy to the emulsion facilitates separation of the hydrocarbon and substrate molecules into layers. Hydrocarbons and other products can then be recovered from their respective layers. The treatment volume may be located either above or below ground. The RF applicator may include an antenna body with slots formed substantially parallel to one another in a substantially horizontal orientation. The RF applicator efficiently delivers microwave energy into the treatment volume. Substantially all of the power supplied to the RF applicator is radiated, with very little power reflected internally within the RF applicator.
A radio frequency (RF) applicator comprising a single antenna body having a longitudinal axis and proximal and distal ends, the antenna body being tapered in width perpendicular to the longitudinal axis such that the width decreases from the proximal to the distal end of the antenna body, a length and two outer surfaces, with each outer surface defining a group of slots of continuously varying slot width that are substantially parallel to each other, and with each group of slots being distributed along and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.