Amarante Technologies, Inc.

Saian Corporation

Recarbon Corp.

Noritsu Koki Co., Ltd.

Noxilizer, Inc.

Sang Hun Lee

Toru Tanibata

Orion Weihe

Jay Joongsoo Kim

Shigeru Masuda

Ryuichi Iwasaki

Masaaki Mike

Jae-Mo Koo

Hirofumi Hayashi

Hidetaka Matsuuchi

Tomoyuki Hirose

Joongsoo Kim

Andrew Way

Togo Kinoshita

Hirofumi Mankawa

Kazuhiro Kimura

A plasma generating system is provided. The plasma generating system includes: a pair of electrodes having distal ends; an electrode holder holding the pair of electrodes; a gate having a surface on which the electrode holder is slidably mounted and adapted to be controlled by sliding the electrode holder on the surface; and a resilient member secured to the gate and adapted to generate a force to close the opening. The distal ends are adapted to move into an opening of the gate as the electrode holder slides along a direction on the surface and adapted to generate an electric arc to thereby ignite plasma in a gas.

Plasma generating system having movable electrodes

A microwave resonant cavity is provided. The microwave resonant cavity includes: a sidewall having a generally cylindrical hollow shape; a gas flow tube disposed inside the sidewall and having a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the sidewall; a plurality of microwave waveguides, each microwave waveguide having a longitudinal axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the sidewall and having a distal end secured to the sidewall and aligned with a corresponding one of a plurality of holes formed on the sidewall; a top plate secured to one end of the sidewall; and a sliding short circuit having: a disk slidably mounted between the sidewall and the gas flow tube; and at least one bar disposed inside the sidewall and arranged parallel to the longitudinal axis of the sidewall.

Microwave resonant cavity

By focusing on the fact that nitrogen dioxide exhibits an increased sterilizing effect among other sterilant gases including nitrogen oxide, the present invention is made to provide a sterilization method which may be suitably used for sterilizing items to be sterilized such as medical instruments which require increased reliability by using a high concentration NOgas of 5,000 ppm or above, for example. An inside of a sterilizing chamber containing an item to be sterilized is humidified, and a concentration of NOin the sterilizing chamber is made to be from 9 to 100 mg/L by filling a high concentration NOgas.

Sterilization method

A gas conversion system using microwave plasma is provided. The system includes: a microwave waveguide; a gas flow tube passing through a microwave waveguide and configured to transmit microwaves therethrough; a temperature controlling means for controlling a temperature of the microwave waveguide; a temperature sensor disposed near the gas flow tube and configured to measure a temperature of gas flow tube or microwave waveguide; an igniter located near the gas flow tube and configured to ignite a plasma inside the gas flow tube so that the plasma converts a gas flowing through the gas flow tube during operation; and a plasma detector located near the gas flow tube and configured to monitor the plasma.

Gas conversion system

A high concentration NOgas generating system including a circulating path configured by connecting a chamber, a plasma generator, and a circulating means, wherein NOis generated by circulating a gas mixture including nitrogen and oxygen in the circulating path is provided. The high concentration NOgas generating system provides a high concentration NOgenerating system and the high concentration NOgenerating method using the generating system by which NOof high concentration (approximately 500 ppm or above) required for a high level of sterilization process in such as sterilization of medical instruments can be simply and selectively obtained. In addition, since indoor air is used as an ingredient, the management of ingredients is simple and highly safe, and the high concentration of NOcan be simply and selectively prepared on demand.

[object Object]

A plasma generator is provided which includes: a microwave generation portion which generates a microwave; a wave guide for propagating the microwave; a plurality of plasma generation nozzles which are attached to the wave guide so as to be apart from each other in the direction where the microwave is propagated, receive the microwave, and generate and emit a plasmatic gas based on the energy of this microwave; and a plurality of stabs which correspond to a part or the whole part of the plasma generation nozzles and are each disposed in the wave guide so as to lie in a rear position a predetermined distance apart from each other in the direction where the microwave is propagated.

Plasma generator and work processing apparatus provided with the same

Systems and methods for generating microwave plasma are disclosed. The present invention provides a microwave plasma nozzle () that includes a gas flow tube (), and a rod-shaped conductor () that is disposed in the gas flow tube () and has a tip () near the outlet of the gas flow tube (). A portion () of the rod-shaped conductor () extends into a microwave cavity () to receive microwaves passing in the cavity (). These received microwaves are focused at the tip () to heat the gas into plasma. The microwave plasma nozzle () also includes a vortex guide () between the rod-shaped conductor () and the gas flow tube () imparting a helical shaped flow direction to the gas flowing through the tube (). The microwave plasma nozzle () further includes a shielding mechanism () for reducing a microwave power loss through the gas flow tube ().

Microwave plasma nozzle with enhanced plume stability and heating efficiency

The present invention provides a plasma generating system that includes: a microwave generator for generating microwave energy; a power supply connected to the microwave generator for providing power thereto; a microwave cavity; a waveguide operatively connected to the microwave cavity for transmitting microwave energy thereto; an isolator for dissipating microwave energy reflected from the microwave cavity; and at least one nozzle coupled to the microwave cavity. The nozzle includes: a housing having a generally cylindrical space formed therein, the space forming a gas flow passageway; a rod-shaped conductor disposed in the space and operative to transmit microwave energy along a surface thereof so that the microwave energy excites gas flowing through the space; and an impedance controlling structure which adjusts the impedance of the nozzle.

Plasma generating nozzle having impedance control mechanism

Microwave plasma nozzle array systems and methods for configuring the microwave plasma nozzle arrays are disclosed. The microwaves are transmitted to a microwave cavity in a specific manner and form an interference pattern that includes high-energy regions within the microwave cavity. The high-energy regions are controlled by the phases and the wavelengths of the microwaves. A plurality of nozzle elements is provided in the array. Each of the nozzle elements has a portion partially disposed in the microwave cavity and receives a gas for passing therethrough. The nozzle elements receive microwave energy from one of the high-energy regions. Each of the nozzle elements include a rod-shaped conductor having a tip that focuses the microwaves and a plasma is then generated using the received gas.

Plasma nozzle array for providing uniform scalable microwave plasma generation

Portable microwave plasma systems including supply lines for providing microwaves and gas flow are disclosed. The supply line includes at least one gas line or conduit and a microwave coaxial cable. A portable microwave plasma system includes a microwave source, a waveguide-to-coax adapter and a waveguide that interconnects the microwave source with the waveguide-to-coax adapter, a portable discharge unit and the supply line. The portable discharge unit includes a gas flow tube coupled to the supply line to receive gas flow and a rod-shaped conductor that is axially disposed in the gas flow tube and has an end configured to receive microwaves from the microwave coaxial cable and a tapered tip positioned adjacent the outlet portion of the gas flow tube. The tapered tip is configured to focus microwave traveling through the rod-shaped conductor and generate plasma from the gas flow.

Portable microwave plasma systems including a supply line for gas and microwaves

A portable microwave plasma discharge unit receives microwaves and a gas flow via a supply line. The portable microwave plasma discharge unit generates plasma from the gas flow and the received microwaves. The portable microwave plasma discharge unit includes a gas flow tube made of a conducting and/or dielectric material and a rod-shaped conductor that is axially disposed in the gas flow tube. The rod-shaped conductor has an end configured to contact a microwave supply conductor of the supply line to receive microwaves and a tapered tip positioned adjacent the outlet portion of the gas flow tube. The tapered tip is configured to focus the microwaves received from the microwave supply conductor to generate plasma from the gas flow.

Portable microwave plasma discharge unit

Systems and methods for generating relatively cool microwave plasma. The present invention provides a microwave plasma nozzle that includes a gas flow tube through which a gas flows, and a rod-shaped conductor that is disposed in the gas flow tube and has a tapered tip near the outlet of the gas flow tube. A portion of the rod-shaped conductor extends into a microwave cavity to receive microwaves passing in the cavity. These received microwaves are focused at the tapered tip to heat the gas into plasma. The microwave plasma nozzle also includes a vortex guide between the rod-shaped conductor and the gas flow tube imparting a helical shaped flow direction around the rod-shaped conductor to the gas flowing through the tube. The microwave plasma nozzle further includes a mechanism for electronically exciting the gas and a shielding mechanism for reducing a microwave power loss through the gas flow tube.

Growing community of inventors

San Ramon, CA, United States of America

Sang Hun Lee