Liquid purification or separation – With heater or heat exchanger
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-15
2001-09-11
Reifsnyder, David A. (Department: 1723)
Liquid purification or separation
With heater or heat exchanger
C210S198100, C210S222000, C210S223000, C210S243000, C209S012100, C209S127200, C096S001000, C096S002000, C096S003000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06287463
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains generally to devices for collecting charged particles as they exit from a plasma mass filter. More particularly, the present invention pertains to devices which can be connected to a plasma mass filter to collect and remove relatively low-mass particles as they exit the filter. The present invention is particularly, but not exclusively, useful for collecting and removing the low-mass particles that exit a plasma mass filter by first condensing the particles and then combining the condensed particles with each other to create a solid or liquid material which can be subsequently removed from the filter.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The general principles of operation for a plasma mass filter that is designed to separate low-mass particles from high-mass particles are disclosed in co-pending application Ser. No. 09/192,945 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,096,228 which was filed on Nov. 16, 1998 for an invention entitled “Plasma Mass Filter” and which is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. In short, a plasma mass filter includes a cylindrical shaped wall which surrounds a hollow chamber. A magnet is mounted on the wall to generate a magnetic field that is aligned substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the chamber. Also, an electric field is generated within the chamber which is oriented substantially perpendicular to the magnetic field. Importantly, for operation of a plasma filter, the electric field has a positive potential on the axis relative to the wall which is usually at a zero potential. When a multi-species plasma is injected into the chamber, the plasma interacts with the crossed magnetic and electric fields, resulting in the bulk rotation of the plasma about the chamber axis.
As disclosed in co-pending application entitled “Plasma Mass Filter” and referenced above, the density of the plasma inside the filter is maintained low to avoid particle collisions within the filter. In particular, the plasma density is controlled so that the ratio of each particle's cyclotron frequency (&OHgr;) to the particle's collision frequency (&ngr;) exceeds one (&OHgr;/&ngr;>1). Specifically, in response to the crossed magnetic and electric fields, each ionized or charged particle in the multi-species plasma will travel on a circular orbit in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the magnetic field lines. The size of this orbit, or orbit radius, is dependent on the mass to charge ratio of the orbiting particle. Accordingly, the plasma mass filter is designed so that high-mass particles will travel on orbits that are so large that the high-mass particles will strike and be captured by the wall surrounding the chamber. On the other hand, the low-mass particles will have orbits that are smaller than the chamber radius, and hence are confined inside the chamber so as not to strike the chamber walls. Thus, the orbiting low-mass particles drift in the direction of the magnetic field lines, and eventually exit the chamber at one end of the cylinder. The device of the present invention is a collector cup that is designed to collect and remove the low-mass particles that exit from the plasma mass filter.
In light of the above it is an object of the present invention to provide a collector cup which can be positioned in fluid communication with a plasma mass filter for the collection and removal of the low-mass particles that exit from the filter. It is another object of the present invention to provide a collector cup with features that allow for the efficient removal of material that has become deposited on the collector surface. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a collector cup which is easy to use, relatively simple to manufacture, and comparatively cost effective.
SUMMARY OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A collector cup for the collection and removal of the low-mass particles as they exit a plasma mass filter includes a cylindrical shaped wall. One end of the cylinder wall is open for attachment of the collector cup onto a cylindrical plasma mass filter (described above). The second end of the cylinder wall, opposite the plasma mass filter, is covered by a getter plate. The getter plate contains internal channels that are used to control the temperature of the getter plate surface. When attached to the filter, the collector cup is oriented so that the axis of the cup cylinder is generally parallel to the magnetic field lines that are generated within the plasma mass filter.
For the present invention, a plurality of generally circular, concentric baffles are concentrically mounted to each other and the resultant baffle assembly is attached to the cylinder wall. As so attached, the baffle assembly is positioned in a plane that is perpendicular to the cup axis and parallel to the getter plate. In the preferred embodiment, the baffles of the collector cup are positioned between the getter plate and the plasma mass filter, thereby creating an enclosed volume defined by the getter plate, the baffles and the cylinder wall. In this configuration, the collector cup is effectively positioned outside the plasma filter chamber. Importantly, the baffles contain internal cooling channels which can be used to maintain the baffle temperature below the temperature of the plasma. Also, entryways are formed between the baffles to allow molecules formed at the baffles to enter the enclosed volume of the collector cup from the plasma mass filter side of the baffles.
When the collector cup is attached to the plasma mass filter, and the filter is operated, low-mass ions and electrons drift from the filter and collide with the cooler baffles. Upon their collision with the baffles, the low-mass ions and electrons recombine to form neutral atoms. As the neutral atoms cool in the vicinity of the baffles, they vaporize into gas molecules. About half of the resulting gas that is formed at the baffles passes through the entryways and into the enclosed volume for subsequent collection. On the other hand, the remaining gas molecules that are formed at the baffles will reenter the plasma filter chamber and again dissociate into ions.
Once inside the enclosed volume of the collector cup, the gas molecules can be condensed onto the surface of the temperature controlled getter plate. After condensation onto the getter plate, the condensed molecules may then combine with each other to form larger molecules. For example, oxygen, hydrogen and sodium may condense onto the temperature controlled surface of the getter plate and subsequently combine to form a sodium hydroxide molecule. In the above example, the sodium hydroxide will be formed as a solid. This solid can be allowed to accumulate and to then be periodically removed from the getter plate surface as a liquid. This is done by heating the getter plate to the liquidus temperature of the solid. Finally, provisions are made whereby additional oxygen or sodium can be introduced into the enclosed volume from a secondary source to combine with any unreacted molecules on the getter plate surface.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3722677 (1973-03-01), Lehnert
patent: 5218179 (1993-06-01), Matossian et al.
patent: 5827424 (1998-10-01), Gillis et al.
patent: WO 97/34685 (1997-09-01), None
Archimedes Technology Group, Inc.
Nydegger & Associates
Reifsnyder David A.
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