Claims
- 1. An apparatus for thermal desorption of contaminants from contaminated material, the apparatus comprising:a plurality of first insulated boxes, each first insulated box defining a volume effective for holding contaminated material, and each first insulated box defining an opening at the top of the first insulated box; a plurality of tops effective to fit on the opening at the top of the first insulated boxes and each top defining a pattern of heater orifices; a plurality of heaters, the heaters being insertable into the volumes for holding contaminated material, through the heater orifices defined by the tops; a vapor extraction system effective to remove vapors from within the volumes for holding contaminated material; and a second insulated box, the second insulated box effective to hold at least one of the first insulated boxes and effective to reduce heat loss from the first insulated box when the first insulated box is at an elevated temperature.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the heaters comprise at least seven heaters being inserted into the volumes for holding contaminated materials through each top.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second insulated box further comprises interfaces for vapor extraction, power supply to the heaters and controls.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tops comprises a plurality of clevis pins effective to mate with holes provided in the first boxes to align the tops with the first insulated boxes.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the heaters comprise a hollow pointed conduit pushed into contaminated material through the heater orifices, and a heater element placed into the hollow pointed conduit after the hollow conduit is pushed into contaminated material.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first insulated boxes have a depth of at least 90% of the smaller of the first insulated boxes width or length.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the width of the first insulated box is between about 90% and 120% of the length of the first insulated box.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the depth of the first insulated box is between about two and about two and one half meters.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the second insulated box holds two of the first insulated boxes.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the first insulated box is tapered from a larger top to a smaller bottom so that a plurality of the first insulated boxes are stackable.
Parent Case Info
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/076,278 filed Feb. 27, 1998, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
US Referenced Citations (13)
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60/076278 |
Feb 1998 |
US |