Device for the treatment of a product by a pulsed electric field

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9345261-B2
Application number	US-201214002153-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2012
Priority date	Mar 11, 2011
Publication date	May 24, 2016
Grant date	May 24, 2016

Abstract

The invention relates to a device ( 1 ) for the treatment by a pulsed electric field of a product intended to circulate through this device, comprising first and second electrodes ( 4, 6 ) forming parallel plates between which a treatment zone ( 2 ), is defined, and also comprising a pulse generator ( 22 ) electrically connected to at least said first electrode ( 4 ) so as to be able to apply a pulsed electric field in the treatment zone ( 2 ), the device also comprising a product inlet conduit ( 26 ) into the treatment zone and a product outlet conduit ( 30 ).
According to the invention, the first electrode ( 4 ) is electrically connected to the pulse generator ( 22 ) through either of the two conduits ( 26, 30 ), arranged in contact with this first electrode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. Device ( 1 ) for the treatment by a pulsed electric field of a product intended to circulate through this device, this device comprising first and second electrodes ( 4 , 6 ) forming parallel plates between which a treatment zone ( 2 ) is defined, and also comprising a pulse generator ( 22 ) electrically connected to at least said first electrode ( 4 ) so as to be able to apply a pulsed electric field in the treatment zone ( 2 ) through which said product will flow, the pulsed electric field having a direction approximately orthogonal to a principal product flow direction (A) between the two electrodes, said device also comprising a product inlet conduit ( 26 ) into said treatment zone and a product outlet conduit ( 30 ) through which the product exits from the treatment zone,
characterised in that said first electrode ( 4 ) is electrically connected to the pulse generator ( 22 ), and said first electrode ( 4 ) and the pulse generator ( 22 ) are electrically connected to either the inlet conduit or the outlet conduit ( 26 , 30 ).

2. Treatment device ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , characterised in that said second electrode ( 6 ) is in contact with the other product inlet or outlet conduit ( 26 , 30 ), this conduit being used to apply a potential with a lower absolute value than the potential for said first electrode, to said second electrode.

3. Treatment device ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , characterised in that said product inlet conduit and outlet conduit ( 26 , 30 ) are oriented to be approximately orthogonal to said first and second electrodes ( 4 , 6 ).

4. Treatment device ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , characterised in that said first and second electrodes ( 4 , 6 ) are kept at a certain distance from each other by an electrically insulating seal ( 8 ) squeezed between these two electrodes.

5. Treatment device ( 1 ) according to claim 4 , characterised in that said treatment zone ( 2 ) is defined exclusively by the seal ( 8 ) and by the first and second electrodes ( 4 , 6 ).

6. Treatment device ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , characterised in that each of said first and second electrodes ( 4 , 6 ) has one edge with no sharp corner.

7. Treatment device ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , characterised in that each of the first and second electrodes ( 4 , 6 ) has a globally plane inner surface ( 16 ), facing the other electrode.

8. Treatment device ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , characterised in that each of the first and second electrodes ( 4 , 6 ) has an inner surface ( 16 ) oriented towards the other electrode, provided with a peripheral rim ( 52 ) projecting towards this other electrode, the junction between the inner edge of the peripheral rim ( 52 ) and the inner surface ( 16 ) of the electrode being rounded.

9. Treatment device ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , characterised in that each of the first and second electrodes ( 4 , 6 ) has an inner surface ( 16 ) oriented towards the other electrode, provided with a bushing ( 60 ) projecting towards this other electrode, and facing the product inlet or outlet conduit associated with this other electrode.

Assignees

• Schrive Luc
• Gandi Florent
• Commissariat Energie Atomique

Inventors

• Schrive Luc
• Gandi Florent

Classifications

• A23B70/50

  by irradiation or electric treatment, without heating · CPC title

• A23B2/60 Primary

  by treatment with electric currents without heating effect · CPC title

• A23L3/32 Primary

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• C02F1/48

  with magnetic or electric fields (C02F1/46 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A23L2/50

  Human Necessities · mapped topic