USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Other

Han S Uhm

Woodrow W Lee

Yong Cheol Hong

Philip W Hesse

Joon Y Choe

Khanh T Nguyen

Joel D Miller

Daniel J Weidman

Ho-Jun Kang

Ralph F Schneider

This invention is directed to a sterilization method of contaminated areas with biological agents by making use of the acidic ozone water that very effectively kills spores of, thereby demonstrating the capability of sterilizing a large surface-area in a very short time and reinstating the contaminated environment as free from toxic biological agents. The effective sterilization of the acidic ozone water is due to synergic benefits derived from the combination of ozone and acidity. The acidic ozone water can also effectively kill other ordinary microbes of viruses, bacteria, and fungi, hence being applicable to agriculture, seafood and livestock industries for the preservation of various products as well as being useful in hospitals or other germ infested areas for disinfections. Particularly, the acidity and ozone in the seawater sterilize microbes effectively, demonstrating a potential for the sterilization of a large amount of seawater in a short time. After the decontamination process, the acidic ozone water disintegrates into water and oxygen without any trace of harmful materials to the environment.

Sterilization effects of acidic ozone water

The invention is directed to an apparatus made of atmospheric-pressure microwave plasma torches for elimination of toxic airborne chemical and biological warfare agents. The apparatus can purify the interior air of large volume in an isolated space such as buildings, public transportation systems, and military vehicles contaminated with chemical and biological warfare agents. The apparatus consists of several microwave plasma torches connected in series for elimination and burnout of toxic airborne warfare agents. Microwave radiation generates an atmospheric plasma torch in certain conditions. Oxidation mechanism in the torch flames eliminates the chemical and biological warfare agents.

Elimination of airborne chemical and biological warfare agents

Contaminants within the gaseous emission discharged from an incinerator are eliminated during passage in parallel through reactor chambers by chemical reaction induced during exposure to plasma generated within said chambers. The plasma is generated by corona-discharge breakdown of electric fields established about electrodes within the reactor chambers upon supply thereto of electrical pulse voltage exceeding a critical field breakdown value inversely proportional to a high chamber temperature of the gaseous emission under atmospheric pressure within the reactor chambers.

Contamination control of gaseous emissions by corona-discharge generation of plasma

The surface cleaning of various components of high-tech devices, including computers and/or semiconductors, is performed during manufacturing. This surface cleaning is performed within a reduced pressure chamber by making use of perifluorocompound industrial gases, which eventually contaminate the atmosphere. These contaminant gases are emitted with nitrogen gas, which is used in operation of a dry pump. Under certain conditions, microwave radiation generates an atmospheric plasma torch. This plasma-torch device is attached to the vacuum pump, which emits the nitrogen gas with contaminants. The oxidation mechanism in the torch flames eliminates these contaminants. Additional reaction gases are mixed with the waste gas to improve efficiency of the contaminant elimination.

Emission control for perfluorocompound gases by microwave plasma torch

A steady-state source of neutrons is produced within an electrically grounded and temperature controlled chamber confining tritium or deuterium plasma at a predetermined density to effect implantation of ions in the surface of a palladium target rod coated with diffusion barrier material and immersed in such plasma. The rod is enriched with a high concentration of deuterium atoms after a prolonged plasma ion implantation. Collision of the deuterium atoms in the target by impinging ions of the plasma initiates fusion reactions causing emission of neutrons during negative voltage pulses applied to the rod through a high power modulator. The neutrons are so generated at a relatively high dose rate under optimized process conditions.

Steady-state, high dose neutron generation and concentration apparatus

Isotopic hydrogen enrichment in a soluble metal is achieved through temperature gradient effects by applying a heat source and a heat sink to two spaced regions of the metal within which isotopic hydrogen atoms are absorbed and enclosed by a diffusion-barrier material. The temperature gradient so created forces the atoms of hydrogen in the hot region to migrate into the cold region, resulting in higher isotopic hydrogen density in the cold region. Discharge of the absorbed isotopic hydrogen is prevented effectively by the diffusion-barrier material.

Concentration of isotopic hydrogen by temperature gradient effect in

The burning of material, including fuel and/or waste products, is performed ithin an incineration chamber heated above room-temperature while being supplied with high-power microwave radiation under conditions generating a plasma through which oxidation is enhanced to eliminate contaminants from the gaseous emission discharged from the incineration chamber.

Contamination control of emission discharge

Nonlinear current modulation of a relativistic electron beam is achieved by ts propagation without interruption through a resistive wall type of drift tube assembly within a klystron amplifier. Maximized beam current modulation is thereby attained for a beam propagation distance within a shortened drift tube.

Resistive wall klystron amplifier having grounded drift tube

Resistive wall klystron amplifier

A weakly ionized plasma is generated by continuous high-power microwave win a dielectric cavity positioned in a slow waveguide. Contaminated air under atmospheric pressure is exposed to the plasma within the waveguide cavity for a limited saturation time controlled by inflow at a regulated flow rate. During such limited saturation time, the contaminated air is purified by sequential ionization and recombination under an electron temperature resulting in a microwave discharge plasma dominated by atomic oxygen at a relatively high saturation density level together with atomic nitrogen at a relatively low density level.

Large scale purification of contaminated air

Signal antennae are mounted on the casing wall between forward nose and r tail ends of an aerospace launched vehicle for radio communication through a radiation conducting sheath of plasma formed thereon by atmospheric ionization during descent of the vehicle along a non-gliding reentry path. The reentry path is maintained by vehicle guidance at a steep angle in response to data transmitted to the antennae through the radiation conducting sheath having a plasma content minimized by cooling which is thereby maintained in complete surrounding relation to the vehicle and modulated to enhance data transmission during the entire duration of vehicle descent.

Communication with reentry vehicle through modulated plasma

Fast neutrons from a moving source are thermalized by travel through water to a soil embedded body of nitrogen-rich material causing emission of gamma rays therefrom. Emitted gamma rays are detected at a location adjacent the neutron source for measurement of radiation energy from which location of nitrogen-rich materials in the soil is mapped, based on a predetermined signature energy level of the measured radiation.

Detection of buried nitrogen rich materials

A body of dense plasma is established within a short drift tube of a klysn amplifier between input and output resonator cavities thereof to support current modulation of microwave energy by interaction with an electron beam propagated through the drift tube. The plasma is confined to a column radially spaced from the electron beam for two-stream interaction enabling enhancement of current modulation under simultaneous high-power and high frequency operation.

Growing community of inventors

Potomac, MD, United States of America

Han S Uhm