Separation of multi-component fluid through ultrasonic acoustophoresis

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017173498-A9
Application number	US-201615000573-A
Country	US
Kind code	A9
Filing date	Jan 19, 2016
Priority date	Mar 15, 2012
Publication date	Jun 22, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

An acoustic standing wave is utilized to separate components from a multi-component fluid, such as oil from an oil-water mixture, in a fluid flow scheme with an acoustophoresis device. For example, the flow scheme and device allows for trapping of the oil as the oil coalesces, agglomerates, and becomes more buoyant than the water.

First claim

1 . An acoustophoresis device, comprising:
one or more device inlets at a first end of the device, the first end having a first diameter for receiving fluid flow; a contoured wall downstream of the inlet that narrows the fluid flow to a second diameter of a connecting duct; a flow chamber downstream of the connecting duct, the flow chamber having:
an inlet at a first end for receiving the fluid flow,
an outlet at a second end opposite the first end,
at least one ultrasonic transducer located on a wall of the flow chamber, the ultrasonic transducer including a piezoelectric material driven by a voltage signal to create a multi-dimensional standing wave in the flow chamber, and
a reflector located on a wall on the opposite side of the flow chamber from the at least one ultrasonic transducer;
a first device outlet located at the first end of the device and separated from the device inlet by a longitudinal sidewall; and a second device outlet located at a second end of the device downstream of the flow chamber outlet.

2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the device includes a plurality of device inlets spaced about the first end of the device, and the longitudinal sidewall is spaced apart from the contoured wall.

3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the piezoelectric material of the at least one ultrasonic transducer has a rectangular shape.

4 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the reflector has a non-planar surface.

5 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the first end of the device has a circular cross-section and the flow chamber has a rectangular cross-section.

6 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the multi-dimensional standing wave results in an acoustic radiation force having an axial force component and a lateral force component that are of the same order of magnitude.

7 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the transducer comprises:
a housing having a top end, a bottom end, and an interior volume; and a crystal at the bottom end of the housing having an exposed exterior surface and an interior surface, the crystal being able to vibrate when driven by a voltage signal.

8 . The device of claim 1 , wherein no backing layer is present within the housing of the transducer, and an air gap is present in the interior volume between the crystal and a top plate at the top end of the housing.

9 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the transducer further comprises a backing layer contacting the interior surface of the crystal, the backing layer being made of a substantially acoustically transparent material.

10 . The device of claim 9 , wherein the substantially acoustically transparent material is balsa wood, cork, and foam.

11 . The device of claim 9 , wherein the substantially acoustically transparent material has a thickness of up to 1 inch.

12 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the flow chamber further comprises a transparent window for viewing the interior of the flow chamber.

13 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the device has a length L from the at least one device inlet to a bottom of the longitudinal sidewall, and a ratio of the length L to the first diameter is less than 1.

14 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the flow chamber has a plurality of the ultrasonic transducers located on the wall of the flow chamber.

Assignees

• Flodesign Sonics Inc

Inventors

• Lipkens Bart
• Dionne Jason
• Mercado Ari
• Dutra Brian
• Presz Jr Walter M
• Kennedy Iii Thomas J
• Masi Louis

Classifications

• B01D43/00 Primary

  Separating particles from liquids, or liquids from solids, otherwise than by sedimentation or filtration (flotation processes B03D1/00; drying solid materials or objects F26B) · CPC title

• B01D17/04 Primary

  Breaking emulsions · CPC title

• C12M47/02

  Separating microorganisms from the culture medium; Concentration of biomass (separating microorganisms from their culture media C12N1/02) · CPC title

• B06B1/0644

  using a single piezoelectric element (B06B1/0688 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G10K15/02

  Synthesis of acoustic waves (synthesis of speech G10L13/00) · CPC title