Electrical generator or motor structure – Non-dynamoelectric – Piezoelectric elements and devices
Patent
1993-07-19
1995-01-24
Dougherty, Thomas M.
Electrical generator or motor structure
Non-dynamoelectric
Piezoelectric elements and devices
310323, H01L 4108
Patent
active
053845080
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention concerns a modular unit for a tubular ultrasonic reactor and various applications said unit in the form of multireactors adapted to various specific applications.
In the current state of the art various ultrasonic devices are known for treating liquids. These are mainly devices derived from the technology of ultrasonic cleaning and usually in the form of thin metal tanks with a plurality of emitters fixed to the bottom.
Vibrating the bottom of the tank induces cavitation in the liquid it contains, the intensity of such cavitation decreasing in the direction away from the source, i.e. the bottom of the tank.
Another known technique uses two diaphragms in opposition. Just as in the aforementioned cleaning technology, a number of emitters are disposed on two metal plates facing each other with a distance of between 1.5 and 4 mm, called the coupling distance, between them. The liquid to be treated is passed between the two emitter plates.
Another configuration uses a plurality of emitters fixed to the periphery of a metal tube. This configuration can be used to treat a liquid in motion but has the drawbacks of requiring a large number of emitters, of being unable to achieve amplitudes exceeding those routinely achieved by the cleaning technology and of requiring replacement of the entire system in the event of wear of the treatment tube in contact with the treated product.
All the known techniques are in fact equivalent to ultrasonic cleaning techniques in which emitters are fixed directly to metal diaphragms, tubes or tank bottoms.
Finally, there are ultrasonic probes for use in laboratory experiments of which well known examples are the Sonifier (BRANSON) and Vibracell (SONIC'S and MATERIALS). This type of equipment can treat small volumes or low flowrates.
An object of the present invention is to propose a tubular ultrasonic reactor using the principle of mechanical resonance to propagate ultrasonic vibration for treating fluid passing through said reactor coherently from a small number of emitters.
According to the present invention, this objective has been achieved by developing a modular reactor unit characterized in that it comprises a tubular metal body with a cylindrical inside surface and a circular transverse cross-section open at feed and discharge ends, in that the outside surface of said tubular metal body has, near the nodal zone, a radially projecting collar coaxial with said tube, and in that at least one ultrasonic converter is disposed radially and fastened to said collar at its periphery, the frequency of said converter being equal to the vibration frequency of said collar and to the longitudinal vibration frequency of said tubular metal body.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will emerge from the following detailed description given with reference to the appended drawings showing a number of specific embodiments, in which drawings:
FIG. 1A is a view in cross-section of one modular reactor unit in accordance with the invention,
FIG. 1B shows an end view of the modular reactor unit from FIG. 1A,
FIG. 2 shows an in-line multireactor comprising a plurality of modular reactor units in accordance with the invention associated with a single converter,
FIG. 3 shows an in-line multireactor comprising a plurality of modular reactor units associated with three separate converters,
FIG. 4 shows an in-line multireactor comprising a single modular unit with the tubular part of said reactor extended asymmetrically,
FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of an in-line multireactor combining various modular units with a plurality of converters, and
FIGS. 6A and 6B show a modular unit whose collar is attached to the tubular metal body, by means of a force fit, for example,
FIG. 7 shows a modular unit employing an interior tubular member coupled to said unit in the vicinity of longitudinal maximum amplitude regions (stress nodes).
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, which are respectively a side view and an end view of the modular reactor unit 10 in accordance with the invention,
REFERENCES:
patent: 4069433 (1978-01-01), McShane
patent: 4074152 (1978-02-01), Asai et al.
patent: 4392380 (1983-07-01), Caines
patent: 4433916 (1984-02-01), Hall
patent: 4808084 (1989-02-01), Tsubouchi et al.
Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 20 (1981), Supplement 20-3, pp. 169-172.
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