Systems and methods for disinfecting fluids

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12187628-B2
Application number	US-201917266678-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2019
Priority date	Aug 14, 2018
Publication date	Jan 7, 2025
Grant date	Jan 7, 2025

Abstract

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a system for disinfecting a fluid. The system can comprise: a cylindrically-shaped outer electrode defining an internal cavity: a center electrode positioned within the internal cavity, the center electrode extending along at least a portion of a longitudinal axis of the outer electrode: an inlet positioned proximate a first end of the outer electrode and configured to allow a fluid to pass from an area external to the internal cavity into the internal cavity; and an outlet positioned proximate a second end of the outer electrode and configured to allow the fluid to pass from the internal cavity into an area external to the internal cavity. The outer electrode and the center electrode can comprise at least one metal selected from the group consisting of copper, silver, and zinc.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a fluid flowing through an internal cavity with a hydraulic retention time;
an outer electrode comprising at least one outer electrode metal selected from the group consisting of copper, zinc, and silver, an inner surface of the outer electrode defining the internal cavity and having a first end and a second end;
a center electrode having a diameter of between 50 μm and 100 μm and an outer surface, the center electrode comprising at least one center electrode metal selected from the group consisting of copper, zinc, and silver and positioned coaxially within the internal cavity;
a voltage supply configured to:
supply a voltage of 1.5V across the outer electrode and the center electrode;
generate a non-uniform electric field distribution on a cross-sectional plane of the system; and
limit an increase of a concentration of the at least one center electrode metal to the fluid to between 150 μg/L and 250 μg/L measured at the second end of the outer electrode; and

a fluidic path having an inlet and an outlet, the fluidic path allowing the fluid to pass from an area external the first end of the outer electrode, through the internal cavity, and to an area external the second end of the outer electrode;
wherein the non-uniform electric field distribution is represented by:

E
s

=

U

s
·
ln

⁢

r

c
⁢
e
⁢
n
⁢
t
⁢
e
⁢
r

r

o
⁢
u
⁢
t
⁢
e
⁢
r

;

wherein:
E s is the magnitude of the electric field at a position on the cross-sectional plane at a distance s from the center;
U is the voltage across the outer electrode and the center electrode;
r center is the radius of the center electrode; and
r outer is the radius of the outer electrode; and

wherein the system provides for the non-uniform electric field with enhanced strength generated near the center electrode attributed to:
the coaxial arrangement of the center electrode within the outer electrode; and
a selection of the sizes of the center electrode and outer electrode, which define a gap distance defined between the outer surface of the center electrode and the inner surface of the outer electrode.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the outer electrode is a cylindrically-shaped outer electrode; and
the center electrode extends along at least a portion of a longitudinal axis of the outer electrode.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a body comprising acrylic surrounding the outer electrode.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid is water.

5. A method for disinfecting a fluid including a contaminant comprising:
providing the system of claim 1 ;
passing the fluid through the fluidic path; and
applying the voltage across the center electrode and the outer electrode.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the center electrode has a diameter of between 70 μm and 80 μm.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the fluid is water.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the outer electrode metal and the center electrode metal is copper.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the voltage supply is configured to limit the increase in the concentration of copper to the fluid to between 175 μg/L and 225 μg/L measured at the fluidic path outlet.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the center electrode has a diameter of between 70 μm and 80 μm.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the outer electrode metal or the center electrode metal is silver.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the outer electrode metal or the center electrode metal is zinc.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein E s >100 V/cm.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein E s >1000 V/cm.

15. The method of claim 5 , wherein the contaminant is bacteria; and
wherein, upon supply of the voltage, the bacteria in the fluid are transported towards the center electrode because of electrophoretic and dielectrophoretic forces.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the center electrode metal and outer electrode metal is copper; and
a copper concentration gradient presents a higher copper concentration in proximity of the center electrode than a lower copper concentration in proximity of the outer electrode.

17. A system comprising:
an outer electrode comprising an outer electrode metal, the outer electrode having an inlet, an outlet, and an inner surface defining an internal cavity;
a center electrode coaxially arranged within the internal cavity of the outer electrode, the outer electrode comprising a center electrode metal, and the center electrode having a diameter of between 50 μm and 100 μm and an outer surface;
a fluidic path configured for a fluid with a contaminant to flow therethrough, the fluidic path extending from a fluidic path inlet at the inlet of the outer electrode to a fluidic path outlet at the outlet of the outer electrode; and
a voltage supply configured to:
supply a voltage of 3V or less across the outer electrode and the center electrode; and
generate a non-uniform electric field distribution on a cross-sectional plane of the system, the non-uniform electric field distribution represented by:

E
s

=

U

s
·
ln

⁢

r

c
⁢
e
⁢
n
⁢
t
⁢
e
⁢
r

r

o
⁢
u
⁢
t
⁢
e
⁢

Assignees

• Georgia Tech Res Inst

Inventors

• Zhou Jianfeng
• Xie Xing
• Wang Ting

Classifications

• C02F2303/04

  Disinfection · CPC title

• C02F2201/003

  Coaxial constructions, e.g. a cartridge located coaxially within another · CPC title

• C02F2001/46171

  Cylindrical or tubular shaped · CPC title

• C02F2001/46133

  characterised by the material · CPC title

• C02F1/467

  by electrochemical disinfection; {by electrooxydation or by electroreduction} · CPC title