The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 16, 1993
Filed:
May. 23, 1991
Paul C Johnson, Sugar Land, TX (US);
David A Weingaertner, Houston, TX (US);
Shell Oil Company, Houston, TX (US);
Abstract
An in-situ thermal desorption system utilizes perforated or slotted pipe buried in the soil below the depth of contamination in the soil. The surface of the soil is covered with a layer of permeable insulation (to conserve heat and to provide a gas migration path on top of the soil) and a layer of impermeable material above the insulation. A vapor recovery/treatment system consists of a method of inducing a vacuum between the impermeable layer and the soil surface (e.g., a vacuum pump or an induced draft fan) and a treatment system for the contaminated vapor (e.g., a cold trap, carbon adsorption, or incineration). Fuel and compressed air are fed to a pressurized combustion chamber and combusted, the combustion products flow into the buried pipe and are distributed through the contaminated soil. Heat from the pressurized combustion products causes the organic contaminants within the soil to vaporize, pyrolyze, decompose, or react with oxygen. Contaminants and their by-products are swept away by the combustion products into the vapor recovery/treatment system.