Other

Covofinish Co., Inc.

George Hradil

Edward Frank Hradil

A vessel for contacting a plurality of objects with a fluid. An upwardly directed stream of fluid and a portion of the objects are confined in a conduit such that the fluid stream causes the objects to flow upward from a moving bed thereof to a disengaging position from where they fall onto a distribution shield and move downward to a feed position. The vessel may be used for treating electrically conductive objects wherein the fluid is an electrolyte, an electrode is positioned to contact the moving bed, and a counterelectrode is positioned in spaced relation to the moving bed. The vessel may be fixed or portable.

Spouted bed apparatus for contacting objects with a fluid

A water purification system and method suitable for use in swimming pools, spas, hot tubs, water storage tanks, wells and water cooling towers employs a galvanic cell having a silver or copper or zinc anode electrically connected to a cathode made from a metal of still higher electrochemical potential, normally a platinum group metal and preferably palladium. A galvanic cell of some tens of square centimeters in size and some hundreds of grams in weight liberates sufficient silver or copper ions so as to treat a multi-thousand liter body of water, such as a swimming pool, for, typically under normal contamination, some months until the anode is consumed. Copper and/or silver ions liberated from the galvanic cell suppress bacterial, fungal and/or algae growth, thus, significantly reducing the amount of chlorine, bromine or other chemicals needed to maintain water quality. The invention operates on the current generated by the galvanic action between the dissimilar metals of the anode and cathode, and does not require external electrical power.

Apparatus and method for purifying water with an immersed galvanic cell

A vessel for contacting a plurality of objects with a fluid and including at least one bottom wall inclined downwardly from at least one sidewall to an inlet for providing an upwardly directed stream of fluid, and a distribution shield arranged in spaced relation to the bottom wall. The fluid stream causes the objects to flow upward from a moving bed thereof to a disengaging position. The distribution shield has an upper surface inclined downwardly and extending away from the vicinity of the object disengaging position to a return position such that disengaged objects fall on the upper surface of the distribution shield and move downward thereon to the return position from which they fall onto an upper portion of the inclined bottom wall and move downward thereon to a feed position. The vessel may be used for treating objects that are at least partially electrically conductive, wherein the fluid is a liquid electrolyte and the apparatus further includes an electrode positioned to contact the moving bed and a counterelectrode positioned in spaced relation to the moving bed. The vessel may be fixed or portable.

Technetium is separated from radio-contaminated metal in a three-step process. The contaminated metal is dissolved in an acid solution; the technetium, present in the resultant solution as pertechnetate ions, is quantitatively reduced to its metallic state through a metal displacement (cementation) reaction with a base metal of lower reduction potential; and the desired metal is electrolytically recovered from the solution, substantially free from technetium contamination.

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Providence, RI, United States of America

George Hradil