Patent Application
20120152722
The invention relates to a method of inducing chemical reactions utilizing intense X-radiation to break the existing molecular bonds of a plurality of chemical reactants and controlling the recombination or recombinations of the resulting ions.
It is widely recognized that many methods of inducing chemical reactions are energy “inefficient” or in some cases are incapable of creating a desired chemical compound. Typical chemical processes create reactive states by use of various combinations of positive pressure (positive or negative), temperature, and motion. The purpose of this is to selectively break molecular bonds and allow chemicals to recombine into different, preferential molecular structures. These techniques are predominantly the use of one or more of:
Accordingly, it would be desirable to be able to eliminate or reduce the amount of either or both of the pressure and temperature components of chemical processing regimes as a means of reducing capital cost and increasing efficiency of inducing chemical reactions.
In one preferred example, a method for inducing chemical reactions using, X-ray radiation comprises generating an irradiation volume within the interior of a reaction vessel by introducing X-ray radiation into the volume. Two or more reactants are introduced into the irradiation volume. With respect to the two or more reactants and any subsequently created intermediate reactant or reactants, the aggregate extent to which the foregoing reactants are to be ionized to any degree is selectively controlled, and the average degree of ionization in the irradiation volume, from partial to total, of that portion of the foregoing reactants which is to be ionized is selectively controlled, through control of the fluence and energy of the X-ray radiation, to thereby induce selective reactions of reactants to occur in the irradiation volume.
Beneficially, the foregoing method eliminates or reduces the amount of either or both of the pressure and temperature components of chemical processing regimes so as to reduce capital cost and increase efficiency of inducing chemical reactions.
In a preferred example of another aspect of the invention, an X-ray shielded pipe assembly can be used for introducing one or more reactants into a reaction processing vessel having a main volume. The pipe assembly includes a main X-ray shielded path and a plurality of X-ray shielded injector paths extending outwardly from the main shielded path: The main shielded path includes an inner pipe surrounded by an outer pipe; and an intermediate shield material contained in a volume between the inner pipe and the outer pipe, for shielding the one or more other reactants against X-radiation prior to a step of X-ray irradiation of contents of the main volume, wherein a feedstock reactant reacts with the one or more other reactants in the main volume. Each shielded injector path comprises an injector aperture insert having an aperture for delivery of the one or more other reactants into the main volume and being sealingly connected between the inner and the outer pipes, which are respectively provided with openings that allow some of the one or more other reactants to flow from the inner pipe through the injector pipe and into the main volume.
Beneficially, the foregoing X-ray shielded pipe assembly prevents premature irradiation of reactant, prior to being injected into the main volume
Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the following drawings, In in which like reference numbers refer to like parts:
Disclosed herein is a general method of inducing chemical reactions using an intense, pulsed X-ray source such as the X-ray source used in the Flash X-ray Irradiator (hereinafter, “FXI”) disclosed in Patent Publication No. US 2009/0285362 A1, dated Nov. 19, 2009 and in WO 2009/140697 A1, dated Nov. 19, 2009 (hereinafter, “FXI patent publication”). The FXI patent publication is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. In the context of generating X-rays, the word “pulse” connotes an event of predetermined time duration, typically less than one second. In one example, involving total ionization of reactants, the pulsed X-ray source creates a reactive environment by dissociating all molecular bonds in an influent stream of material to be reacted using high energy X-rays up to 1.2 MeV in energy. This causes the material to become highly ionized. Through the introduction of reactant chemicals into the reactive environment, desirable reactions are selectively caused with the ionized material. Ionization of the material to be reacted using high energy X-rays can involve total or partial ionization of the material.
The term “ionize” as used throughout the specification includes “total” ionization as well as “partial” ionization. The term “total” ionization connotes the removal of all electrons from an atom or molecule, whereas the term “partial” ionization refers to removal of fewer than all electrons from an atom or molecule.
The reactant chemicals can either be added prior to entering the irradiation volume, or can be introduced within the irradiation volume itself. One use for the claimed method is to solve the problem of metals in industrial waste discharges by converting them to innocuous compounds. As an example, a feedstock containing hexavalent chromium can be reacted with oxygen to form chromium dioxide, which is inert and would precipitate out from the solution.
RCP 11 in
RCP 11 requires a high voltage power supply 38 that can handle capacitor charging to supply the cathode 46, which is a massive current sink, and that provides a charging current at a level sufficient to achieve the desired repetition rate of the RCP 11. Therefore, such a power supply 38 must have a large, low-inductance capacitor energy storage means, and a pulse forming means, and must be able to produce a required operating voltage, which can range up to approximately 1.22 million volts. Suitable power supplies will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, from such publications as the FXI publication. The term “approximately” as used in the specification takes into account minor experimental deviations as will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art.
A further objective of the claimed method extends beyond the type of remediation applications contemplated by the above-cited FXI publication, and into the realm of primary chemical manufacturing. Thus, the claimed method can be used for manufacturing various chemical compounds. Beneficially, the use of X-radiation to create a reactive state is more energy efficient in many processes than existing processes.
X-rays at 1.22 MeV energy are at a preferred maximum value, where 1.22 MeV is approximately 1.22 million electron volts. The term “approximately” takes into account minor experimental deviations as will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. If energy substantially above that value is used, specifically above 1.22 MeV, it is likely that the material being irradiated will become permanently radioactive. This is undesirable in most cases unless one is specifically trying to create radioactive materials. Lesser values can be successfully used. The 1.22 MeV value is substantially higher than the maximum bonding energy, which is 115.6 KeV in the case of Uranium, the naturally occurring element with the highest atomic weight.
In one example, the claimed method can also be used to combine or transmute transuranic elements by using X-rays with an energy substantially in excess of 1.22 MeV.
With reference to
System 10 introduces two or more reactants into the irradiation volume 18, including a feedstock reactant 20 and one or more other reactants, which are numbered 22a and 22b (shown as dashed boxes), although the number of other reactants is not limited to two. In one example involving total ionization of reactants, system 10 uses the mentioned X-rays 17 to ionize all reactants and any subsequently created intermediate reactant or reactants in the irradiation volume 18, to thereby induce selective reactions to occur.
Preferably, system 10 and other systems employing the claimed invention possess the ability to selectively control the degree of ionization within the irradiation volume 18, from partial to total, of the feedstock reactant 20, other reactant or reactants such as 22a and 22b, and any subsequently created intermediate reactant or reactants, through control of the fluence and energy of X-ray rays 17, to thereby induce selective reactions to occur in the irradiation volume. Size considerations for the RCP 11 are described below.
As used herein, all chemicals including a feedstock are referred to as “reactants.” A “feedstock” is the predominant or starting chemical, or reactant, being fed into an irradiation volume as is commonly understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art. The terms “feedstock” and “feedstock reactant” are interchangeable terms and are synonymous. The term “reactant” also connotes the inclusion of non-reactive solvents, diluents, or carriers, etc., as is customary in the art. One or more catalysts 127 (
Radiation shielding of the external surfaces of RCP 11 has been omitted for clarity in
In order to allow for concurrent irradiation and mixing, system 10 of
In
The purpose of the apertures in the injection pipe assembly 24 is to effect injection of a reactant material into the feedstock stream flowing through the cylindrical RCP 11. There is an end cap 66b (
The radiation-shielded injector pipe assembly 24 can be fed with reactants from one end as shown in
The apertures of injector pipe assembly 24 are preferably oriented so as to produce the maximum amount of turbulent mixing in the irradiation volume 18. There are many allowable orientations for these apertures. The choice of orientation is determined by the specific reactant being injected and the specific feedstock 20 being injected into. It is desirable to have the injector pipe assembly 24 physically located so that the injection process starts upstream of the irradiation volume 18 in order to provide the correct mixture of chemicals at the onset of irradiation. The distribution of injection apertures can be tailored to have a higher rate of injection towards the input side of the irradiation volume 18 and a diminishing number of apertures further down the volume.
Pre-mixing of reactants 20 and 22b, at a time prior to introduction into the irradiation volume 18, is appropriate when these reactants do not normally mutually react, unless they are ionized as would occur in irradiation volume 18, or are subjected to any or all of non-standard temperature, pressure, and catalytic conditions. This approach allows a simpler and lower-cost RCP 11 as a result of eliminating radiation-shielded pipe assembly 24.
In cases where it is desirable to mix the reactants 20 and 22b, a mixing valve 32b is used to combine the reactants at an appropriate ratio, as will readily be apparent to a person of ordinary skill. The instantaneous ratio is determined by use of data from flowmeters 30b and 30c, which is fed to host computer 34 where it is compared to desired process conditions programmed by the system operator. Host computer 34 performs a calculation on this data, which is then used to generate an output signal on control line 36b to control mixing valve 32b.
Any given molecule of the individual reactants 20, 22a or 22b, or their combined product which forms the output flow 40, will be irradiated more than once during the passage through the RCP 11. With reference to the combined product which forms the output flow 40, it is not deleterious to the chemistry of the combined product that it can be irradiated more than once or over an extended period of time.
A person of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that both concurrent mixing and pre-mixing can advantageously used with the RCP 11 when circumstances require.
As is the case with most chemical process reactions, it is essential that the proper ratio between the feedstock reactant 20 and other reactant(s) 22a and 22b be maintained. If a dynamic means of controlling the mixture ratio is desired, it is preferable to include a feedback-based control system that provides at least two functions:
A further level of control over the process can be realized by measurement of the process output chemistry. This step assures that the output flow 40, shown in
In order to assure measurement of the exact amount of feedstock reactant 20 and any other reactant(s) 22a and 22b, instrumentation techniques such as the use of mass flow meters, which are the most accurate, and conventional flowmeters such as those shown in
There is a flowmeter 30a for reactant 22a, a flowmeter 30b for reactant 22b, a flowmeter 30c for feedstock reactant 20, and a flowmeter 30d that measures the output flow 40. Each of the flowmeters includes an associated valve such as 32a and 32b, shown in
The flowmeters 30a-30d are capable of providing dynamic data to allow for adjustment of the process in real time, to meet the requirements of dynamically changing flow rates of the reactants 20, 22a and 22b.
Some reactions have the potential to produce undesirable byproducts if the foregoing mixture ratio is not correct. Since these byproducts can be toxic, explosive, or dangerous in other ways, a preferred embodiment of the claimed method includes a means for measurement of the output to determine if any undesirable byproducts have been formed. The preferred means of performing this measurement is by use of a chemical sensor 42, such as spectroscope or chromatograph. Many forms of spectrographic or chromatographic instruments can be used with the claimed method. The preferred technique is the use of a mass spectroscope to generate a full chemical analysis which includes display of the amount of undesirable byproduct(s) present. This chemical analysis data is used by the host computer 34 in addition to the data from flowmeters 30a-30d as described above, to more precisely adjust the balance of the ratio of the feedstock reactant 20 to the other reactant(s) 22a and 22b. As will be routine to those of ordinary skill in the art, other real-time techniques, or variations in the feedback system, for determining the chemistry of the output flow 40 can be used.
The benefits of the foregoing version of the feedback-based control system, including chemical sensor 42, include a redundant capability for controlling the reaction. This approach damps the correction signals found on control lines 36a and 36b to minimize any possible overswing in the mixture ratio, thus assuring a consistent and continuous chemistry of the output flow 40. Additionally, the control system must prevent control-loop-generated overswings in control signals on control lines 36a and 36b to avoid potentially catastrophic release of unwanted byproducts.
With reference to
When exposed to the radiation, if “total” ionization occurs, all the molecular bonds of the reactant chemicals are broken, and all the constituent atoms totally ionized, due to the energy of the photons preferably being substantially higher than the energy of the molecular bonds on any element on the periodic table. In this example, free atoms are totally or partially ionized by this irradiation process. The element with the highest naturally occurring atomic number, is Uranium, with a maximum bonding energy of 115.6 KeV. By using X-rays with energies up to one million electron volts (MeV), any collision will break any bond, reducing the energy of the X-ray photon by an amount corresponding to the energy required to break a bond. As the energy of the resulting X-ray photon is substantially higher than the energy of any atomic or molecular bonds of naturally occurring elements, there will still be a substantial amount of energy available for-secondary bond-breaking activities. The RCP 11 (
When electrons strike the anode, they create a region of Bremsstrahlung X-radiation. Bremsstrahlung is German for “braking radiation” and is created when electrons with a potential in excess of approximately 23 KiloVolts are suddenly stopped or decelerated, in this case by striking the anode. There are also a large number of secondary electrons present in the irradiation volume. The inner hollow volume of the anode of the RCP 11, referred to herein as the “irradiation volume 18,” contains the reactants to be reacted.
The Bremsstrahlung photons strike atoms of material in the inner volume of the anode, or irradiation volume, and, as a result of their being at significantly higher energy than the K-shell ionization potential of the atom, they ionize all atoms present. In some cases, total ionization is accomplished. In other cases, where it is so desired, “partial” ionization can be controllably induced. Not only does the first strike of an atom by an X-ray photon cause ionization, but consequently released photons colliding with not-yet-ionized atoms also cause ionization so long as their energy level is sufficient. The resulting electron repopulation cascade causes the release of photons as each electron shell of the atom is filled. The surplus of electrons ensures that this process occurs very rapidly. As the photon's energy is substantially higher than the K-shell binding energy, the foregoing process is, repeated.
The X-ray photon gives off a precise amount of energy, which allows determination of the number of possible ionization events due to a single Bremsstrahlung X-ray photon. There can be many ionization events, until eventually the photon's energy is too low to effect total ionization, where “partial” ionization can suffice in certain chemical reactions. Another possible sequence of events is that the photon collides with the inner surface of the anode wall. If the X-ray photon has sufficient energy, this collision will also result in the release of Bremsstrahlung and secondary electrons. If either the Bremsstrahlung or secondary electron is of higher energy, than the K-shell binding energy of the atom in the irradiation volume with which they collide, total ionization will occur.
These processes can continue until the Bremsstrahlung photon energy drops to a value below which it can no longer ionize atoms in the anode inner volume. The photon energy can drop to as low as 1.8 eV and still be effective if the atom it collides with is hydrogen.
In some circumstances, it is not desirable to totally ionize the feedstock reactants and other reactants and partial ionization can be employed to elicit certain specific reactions using the aforementioned method. Partial ionization by selective application of X-radiation of a known fluence and energy can be used, by application of the teachings of this method, to either lower or raise the molecular weights, and controllably adjust the lengths, of the molecular chains, by the appropriate choice of X-ray beam fluence and energy, coupled with considerations for irradiation volume and throughput as will be apparent to the person of ordinary skill in these arts.
Depending on the requirements of the desired process, a person of ordinary skill can selectively induce either “partial” or “total” ionization of the feedstock reactants and one or more other reactants. In some chemical reactions, it can be appropriate to only allow for “partial” ionization. In other reactions, “total” ionization may be required.
The claimed method also allows for partial polymerization of the reactants. This can be desirable to enable control over the degree of polymerization by initiating polymerization by using the claimed method and then terminating polymerization by selectively controlling the voltage, current, and waveform pulse characteristics to achieve the desired x-ray energy spectral and flux. Thus, the claimed method allows for a greater degree of control in the process of partial polymerization than previously known methods.
Partial polymerization can be particularly desired in applications where greater viscosity is desired, such as with coating agents. In one example, reactive monomers can combine to form a resulting end product, in which a portion of the end product is polymerized, while other portions remain unpolymerized.
The claimed method provides a means to reduce the molecular weight of polymers by irradiation, principally with X-rays from the pulsed X-ray source. Examples of this include the use of the claimed method to treat the hydrocarbon molecules present in tar sands so as to reduce their molecular weight via chain scission. The decline in molecular weight, and therefore molecular chain length, reduces viscosity and enables vast improvements in ease of separations. The claimed method can be preferably used to, either or both, inject reactants, or place catalysts in the irradiation volume 18, that will determine the scission point of a molecular chain or impart other desirable characteristics to the end product. It is not necessary to uniformly reduce molecular weight since low molecular weight fractions tend to plasticize and the remaining high molecular weight fractions rigidize the polymer. The foregoing combination of properties that arise as a result of the distribution of molecular weights is favorable and improves the quality of the resulting end product.
Selective X-ray irradiation uses the random nature of a chain scission reaction in order to produce a broad range of molecular weights from a group of polymers consisting of similar-sized molecular chains. This broadening of the range of molecular weight increases the ease of processing such polymers into finished products while maintaining most of their desirable physical properties. An example of the value of using the claimed method's ability to reduce molecular weight is in expanding the range of useful catalysts used to produce polymers. Many catalysts that are desirable for their speed of polymerization and high efficiency are not useful because they cannot be controlled and produce polymers which are too high in molecular weight in order to be useful. A subsequent treatment by irradiation with the claimed method or another irradiation source of comparable fluence and energy can reduce the molecular weight to the desired level.
The method can be used to partially ionize the reactants, either to ultimately reduce the molecular weight of the reactants or to controllably increase the molecular length/weight of the reactants. In one example, two reactants can be partially ionized such that they recombine to form a resulting end product with a lower molecular weight than the combined molecular weight of the reactants. Alternatively, two reactants are partially ionized such that they recombine to form a resulting end product with a controllably higher molecular length/weight than either one of the reactants or a combination of the reactants. In this connection, the reactants again refer to a feedstock reactant and one or more other reactants.
The claimed method can be advantageously used to selectively reduce the molecular weight of one or more chemical substances, either temporarily, as an intermediate step, or permanently.
For example, petroleum can have a high molecular density. It is common practice to continuously heat petroleum in order to lower its viscosity, which is an expensive and inefficient means of reducing the viscosity of such products. Once the continuous heating is stopped, the petroleum becomes highly viscous. By contrast, the claimed method can selectively reduce the molecular weight (and viscosity) of a petroleum substance, such that the petroleum substance is permanently changed to one of a selectably lower molecular weight.
Where total ionization is not required, the X-ray irradiation beam energy can be reduced in energy and fluency to allow partial ionization with the intent of achieving specific, selected partially-ionized states. For achieving such partial ionization states, in one example, it may be necessary to reduce the diameter of the irradiation volume 18 so that substantially all of feedstock reactant and other reactants are ionized to the desired state. In this circumstance, it may be desirable to increase the length of the irradiation volume 18.
With regard to the foregoing discussion on reduction of diameter of the irradiation volume 18, it should be realized that, in the case of a totally ionized irradiation volume 18, the energy of the X-ray irradiation (in electron volts [eV]) is governed by the volume and average atomic number of the feedstock reactant and other reactants. If this energy is not high enough, the X-rays will not have sufficient power to propagate to, and pass, the axial center of the irradiation volume 18.
Recognizing this problem of delivering exact amounts of power to specific areas within the irradiation volume, and, in cases where only a fraction of the reactant(s) is desired to be, ionized, it then becomes necessary to adjust the diameter of the irradiation volume 18 to assure that sufficient energy reaches the axial center but does not reach too high of a value such that ionization beyond the desired level occurs. Such values can be readily realized by a person of ordinary skill in the art.
Similarly, where ionization of all the reactants is desired, if the energy of the X-ray photons is too low, the X-rays will not propagate to the axial center of the irradiation volume 18, and some portion of the feedstock reactant and other reactants will not be ionized sufficiently to achieve the desired reaction. The present specification teaches how to control the reaction to a point where desired selected molecular states can be reliability achieved at higher efficiencies and with lower environmental burdens than with prior art technologies.
Polymers such as low density polyethylene (LDPE) have repeated chains or structures of the same monomer unit, while other polymers have mixed chains of more than one monomer unit. In one example, using the claimed method allows for polymers to be selectively partially polymerized, in order to increase elasticity and flexibility of rigid polymers such as LDPE (low-density polyethylene), without the need for using additives such as plasticizers. Other applications for using the claimed method in a partial polymerization mode will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.
It is well known that polymerization reactions in the presence of a catalyst will always run to the maximum extent of polymerization possible. This is a significant limiting factor in the prior art. The claimed method allows production of molecular chains of controllable intermediate length molecules. This is a distinct advantage over conventional catalyzed reactions, such as in polymerization.
The claimed method is also capable of increasing molecular weight using techniques somewhat similar to conventional irradiation polymerization, but taking advantage of the increased efficiency of the claimed method.
Whereas the RCP 11 (
In order to accommodate various irradiation schemes the X-ray source of RCP 11 can be:
Reactant chemicals (i.e., reactants) can be introduced: either before the material(s) to be reacted enters the irradiation volume, or can be introduced in the irradiation volume itself, or both of these steps. This is determined based on the nature of the chemical reactions and the reactants used for the chemical reaction to take place.
The material(s) to be reacted can be any one or combination of:
Processing can take place at various pressures, such as:
Processing can take place at various temperatures, such as:
Following the reactive process, separation of the resulting products can be required. In some cases, precipitates will form.
The claimed method can be advantageously used in conjunction with either one or both of catalysts and controlled atmospheres in addition to the process conditions described above.
The radiation level for the reactive process should be between 1.8 electron Volts (eV) and 1.22 million eV. It is recognized that Uranium has the highest naturally occurring bond at 115.6 KeV. However, lower energy bonds exist. The bond energy for Hydrogen is 1.892 eV. The preferred, maximum operating voltage for the claimed method is set at approximately 1.22 million electron Volts (MeV). The reason for this is that at a slightly higher energy, 1.22 MeV, the pair-production threshold is crossed and materials can become radioactive. This is generally undesirable, except in some situations, such as transmutation of existing radioactive materials and radioactive waste. The structure of the RCP can be manufactured for operation at voltage up to and in excess of 10 million Volts if required.
An exemplary reaction involves a waste stream that contains a substantial amount of sodium in the form of sodium sulfate diluted with water. Release of this material into the environment is usually illegal, so it is desirable to conduct a reaction to convert the sodium sulfate into a form more suitable for one or both of disposal and discharge. If sodium sulfate is totally ionized, a potential problem is that it will liberate free sodium in the presence of water, thus potentially causing an explosive reaction, depending on the various concentrations.
However, in one example, the claimed method resolves this problem by providing a safe means of decomposing the sodium sulfate in an economical fashion. In this example, ionizing radiation at an energy level up to slightly less than 1.22 MeV is provided. This is several orders of magnitude higher than is required to totally ionize sodium sulfate. The amount of beam current required is determined by the dimensions of the irradiation volume and the throughput rate through the irradiation volume 18. The minimum beam current is determined by the number of molecules present in the irradiation volume 18 of the RCP 11 at any given instant.
Traditionally, in chemical reactions, any one or combination of temperature, pressure, catalysts and consumable reactants are used to induce or increase the reactivity rate of such reactions. In the case of the claimed method, temperature is irrelevant for the following reason. As a measure of energy, electron volts directly equate to temperature. A one MeV photon carries a temperature equivalent of over 1 billion degrees C. Since this energy level is so far in excess of any temperature that can be achieved by conventional heating techniques, as normally used in the chemical industry, temperature ceases to be a factor in increasing or decreasing reaction rates when viewed in light of the claimed method. Experiments conducted by the present inventor have shown that, in this type of system, over the pressure range of 10−2 Torr (1.33 Pascals) to 100 psig (619,000 Pascals), no significant change in reactivity rate was observed.
In the exemplary reaction, in the irradiation volume 18 of the RCP 11, the X-ray radiation first breaks down the sodium sulfate into sodium, sulfur and oxygen, and simultaneously breaks down the water into hydrogen and oxygen. With the addition of chlorine, this mix will recombine into dilute sulfuric acid, sodium chloride, and water as follows:
2Na2SO4+4Cl+2H2O>2H2SO4+4NaCl
In this reaction, the sodium chloride (NaCl) will combine with water (H2O) and amounts above the saturation level will form a precipitate. It is important to note that this reaction will not take place if one were to just mix chlorine into the sodium sulfate. But, in the presence of sufficiently high energy radiation, where the constituents of this reaction will totally ionize when desired and then recombine, they will do so at their preferred lowest energy state.
By controlling the amount of chlorine injected into this reaction, it is possible to reach a balance where all the sodium is bound to a corresponding molar amount of chlorine. Excess chlorine is not desirable as it would vent as it as a toxic gas, while an insufficient amount of chlorine would result in losing control of the sodium bonding process. The production of a sodium chloride precipitate is therefore preferable.
In the foregoing example, the amount of chlorine injected can be controlled using the feedback-based control system described above, which would include a chemical sensor 42 such as a spectroscope or chromatograph capable of detecting the presence of free chlorine gas. The presence of free chlorine gas would indicate that too much chlorine has been injected. This would cause the feedback processor to reduce the level of chlorine injection to just below the point at which free chlorine is liberated. This represents the optimal injection ratio of chlorine into the sodium sulfate solution.
In the foregoing example, the end products of the reaction are sulfuric acid and sodium chloride, which is common table salt. The sulfuric acid is immediately diluted by the excess quantities of water present in the waste stream. If its concentration should rise to an unacceptable level, the solution can be buffered or neutralized to reduce the ph to neutral. The sodium chloride will mix with free water until it forms a saturated solution, at which point the sodium chloride will precipitate out of the solution.
It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that this process can easily be applied to many other chemical reactions and the reaction given here is merely exemplary.
More complex reactions, including those that have intermediates, are accommodated with equal ease by the claimed method. The time scale in which these chemical reactions occur is substantially shorter than an X-ray irradiating pulse, thus allowing multiple reactions to occur sequentially within the duration of such pulse.
Such an electron gun can achieve a theoretical maximum current density of approximately 80,000 Amps/cm2 in the pulse mode, which ultimately allows high levels of irradiation due to the high fluence created by the large amount of electrons used to create the X-ray beam. In practical applications, the cathode 46 is never loaded to its theoretical maximum, but rather to some lesser value. For instance, the RCP 11 can achieve high X-ray photon energies of typically 0.1-5 MeV, and a high beam current that can typically range from KiloAmps to many MegaAmps. The system can operate at lower current levels, which are dependent on the fluence requirements of the specific reaction.
Referring to
Cathode voltage is supplied through cathode electrically insulated vacuum feedthrough 52, and grid voltage is supplied through grid electrically insulated vacuum feedthrough 54. Both feedthroughs 52 and 54 are electrically insulated and high vacuum sealed, and penetrate the biological radiation shield 56 and housing 58.
There are several critical conditions that must be met when designing a grid for an RCP 11. They are:
It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that other radiation sources can be used instead of a cold cathode field emission X-ray source. An alternative to using an RCP 11 configured as a cold cathode field emission X-ray source is to use a plurality of conventional X-ray sources to replace the aforementioned cold cathode field emission X-ray source. It is also possible to use a nuclear radioisotope source.
Referring again to
When considering shield design for the radiation-shielded injector pipe 24, it is desirable to consider the X-ray attenuation provided by the inner and outer pipe walls 60a and 60b, although in many cases, their contribution to the overall shielding can be minimal.
As shown in
The purpose of the dual-threaded injector aperture insert 26 is to simultaneously create seals with both pipes 60a and 60b by jamming the respective male threads 62a and 62b of the injector aperture insert 26 into the corresponding female threads 63a and 63b of the inner and outer pipes 60a and 60b. Tapered threads are preferable in that the seal they achieve is comparable to the seal that is achieved with conventional tapered pipe thread seals (e.g., U.S. National Pipe Thread [NPT]), as commonly used in plumbing and other systems. In manufacturing the injector aperture insert, it is important to control the start point of the threading operations for all threads involved. This is to ensure that an optimal seal can be obtained.
As best shown in
Referring to
In
Once the inner 60a and outer 60b pipes are connected by the injector aperture inserts 26, the next step in fabricating the radiation-shielded injector pipe assembly 24 is adding the X-ray radiation shield material 61. The resulting assembly is oriented vertically and molten shield material is slowly poured into the interstitial space between the pipes 60a and 60b, filling such interstitial space completely. During this process, it is desirable to use secondary heating of the pipes and injector aperture inserts to ensure that the molten shield material stays molten until the interstitial space is filled completely. It is further desirable to apply a low vacuum to the interstitial space to ensure that there are no bubbles or voids in the shield material 61, as is commonly done in critical casting processes. Vibration can also be advantageously used to ensure that there are no voids in the shield material 61.
The resulting assembly 24 is finished with the addition of an end cap 70 (
The completed radiation shielded injector assembly 24 is preferably spot-welded to the inner wall of the RCP anode 50 (
The size and location of the injector aperture inserts 26 is determined by the desired injection pattern. For instance, it can be desirable to compensate for decreasing pressure within the inner pipe 60a as the distance within the pipe extends from an inlet. Such compensation would assure a more uniform injection of reactant from each unit length of the pipe. Compensation can take the form of an increasingly larger aggregate area provided by outlet injector inserts 26 along the length of the pipe assembly 24. For instance, the number of outlet injector inserts 26 per unit length along the pipe assembly 24 can be increased or respective sizes of the outlet injector inserts 26 along the pipe assembly 24 can be increased, or both. Alternatively, or in addition to the foregoing techniques, a pipe assembly 24 could input reactant at both of its ends to compensate for decreasing pressure within the inner pipe 60a. This would preferably necessitate the use of a 2-port splitter (not shown) in the reactant 22a supply line to enable a single flowmeter 30a.
Referring back to
The foregoing pulse-width relationships prevent premature dissociation of the injected reactant 22a. The preferred embodiment uses non-overlapping pulses of reactant and X-radiation as shown in
In the X-ray irradiation pulses as just described, the X-ray irradiation can be supplied as bursts of X-ray pulses rather than a single pulse. This is done to increase the electrical efficiency of the RCP 11.
In some circumstances, particularly where partial ionization is used, the radiation-shielded injector pipe 24 can be modified to be a single, solid-walled pipe 24a as shown in
When a single-walled injector pipe 24a is chosen, the injector aperture inserts 26 of pipe assembly 24 are no longer required.
As shown in
Referring to
The recirculation loop 106 also contains a blow-down valve 114, which preferably is physically located directly adjacent to output flow withdrawal valve 108. The purpose of the foregoing blow-down valve 114 is to allow the output flow reinjection loop 102 to be cleared of any contents. This is accomplished by closing the output flow withdrawal valve 108, opening the blow-down valve 114, injecting a suitable compressed gas via inlet port 114a to blow any contents out of the output flow reinjection loop 102, and finally closing the output flow reinjection valve 110 to complete the blow-down cycle. The compressed gas used for blow-down is chosen to be non-reactive with any chemicals present in reinjection loop 106. The entire blow-down cycle is controlled by host computer 34, and typically occurs at the completion of a processing sequence.
The RCP 11 can also be used as a batch processing device, in contrast with the flow-through version described above by preferably vertically orienting an RCP 11 to achieve the orientation shown at 116 in
It is preferable to have the inlet end of the radiation-shielded injector pipe assembly 24 at the bottom of the resulting reaction vessel as shown in
The RCP 116 includes an inlet section 123, an irradiation volume 124, and an outlet section 125. One or more other reactants, such as reactant 22a enter through the injector pipe assembly 24 at reference numeral 130.
The batch processing RCP 116 can optionally be configured with a wash-down system (not shown) to allow cleaning the interior surfaces between batches. This is particularly important if more than one process is run on the same piece of equipment.
This issue of delivering energy very quickly is addressed in the RCP 11 of
It should be noted that the cathode-grid interelectrode space is a capacitor by itself and stores a considerable amount of energy. A three-inch (75 mm) diameter structure as formed by the juxtaposition of the cathode 46 and the grid 48 stores approximately 200 picofarads per foot (30.48 cm). A two foot (61 cm) diameter device would store 1.6 nanofarads per foot (30.48 cm) if operated at 500,000 Volts and would store approximately 4 Kilojoules per foot in the cathode-grid interelectrode space. The energy is determined by the well-known equation:
J=CV
2/2
As will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art from the present specification, appropriate external biological radiation shielding 56 (
It will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art that biological radiation shielding 56 is required around the entire exterior of the RCP 11 (
In general practice, radiation shielding is not limited to lead. A wide range of materials are used as radiation shielding and standard practices regarding the selection of a shield material can be used. If lead is chosen as shield material, in order to be compliant with various international regulations regarding the use of this material, it must be encapsulated within an impervious enclosure to keep it out of contact with the ambient environment. Materials such as fiberglass and aluminum are suitable materials for this application. Because such encapsulation materials are located outside the shield, they do not deteriorate as a result of radiation exposure. In some cases, where space is not a consideration, shield materials such as concretes and cements can be used. This is most useful for very large systems as would be used in industrial and municipal applications.
While the pulse mode of operation for the X-ray source of the RCP 11 is preferred, the X-ray source can be operated in the continuous mode by de-rating the cathode current loading. In the pulse mode, the cathode 46 can be operated at current loading up to about 75,000 Amps/cm2. In the continuous mode, the cathode current loading should be limited to no more than about 400 Amps/cm2. Here, the term “current loading” refers to a practical maximum cathode current loading, rather than the theoretical maximum loading of the cathode. It is also noted that the same system can be run in either mode by changing the power supply output current.
The reactants can assist in cooling the anode 50 of the X-ray generation apparatus in either mode.
The claimed method can be used in many applications, including but not limited to:
A unique characteristic of the claimed method is its universality. It can be used on combinations of solids, liquids, gasses and plasmas with virtually no modifications. Only the ancillary material handling equipment, pumps and the like are different and specific to the state of the material being processed. These units can be made small, with internal bores of substantially less than an inch (25.4 mm) on one hand and over 10 feet (3 meters) in internal diameter on the other hand. The nominally stainless steel construction (although other materials can be used), allows for a high-strength robust device that is well-suited to industrial environments.
The following list of drawing reference numbers are provided for the convenience of the reader.
11. Reaction-Inducing Chemical Processor (RCP) for continuous processing mode
While the invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments by way of illustration, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. Such a skilled person will realize that, whereas chemical reactions may require total or partial ionization of reactants, some percentage of what is called “reactant” herein need not be reacted, as may likely happen at the initial start-up of the process. It is, therefore, to be understood that, the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true scope and spirit of the invention.
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/360,789, filed on Jul. 1, 2010, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61360789 | Jul 2010 | US |
