초록 ▼

Particulate material suspended in a fluid is separated and recycled by means of an ultrasonic resonance wave. In a preferred embodiment, the ultrasonic resonance field is generated within a multilayered composite resonator system including a transducer, the suspension and a mirror parallel to each o

Particulate material suspended in a fluid is separated and recycled by means of an ultrasonic resonance wave. In a preferred embodiment, the ultrasonic resonance field is generated within a multilayered composite resonator system including a transducer, the suspension and a mirror parallel to each other. Dimensions and frequencies resonant to the whole system but not exciting Eigen-frequencies of transducer and mirror itself are chosen so that thermal dissipation is minimized. Criteria for flow direction and flow rate are defined in order to maintain a high-quality factor of the composite resonator and to achieve a high-separation efficiency. Generally, the process is suitable for all kinds of particles (solid, liquid or gaseous disperse phases) especially for hydrosols (particles in water) and for separation of biological particles such as mammalian, bacterial and plant cells or aggregates. Specialized applications in biotechnology are described including an acoustic filter for mammalian cell bioreactors or the selective retention of viable cells relative to non-viable cells.

대표청구항 ▼

A method of separating particles from a liquid comprising: generating an acoustic standing wave in an acoustic resonation chamber; and drawing the liquid containing the particles through the acoustic resonation chamber at a selected flow rate, the flow rate of liquid through the acoustic resonation

A method of separating particles from a liquid comprising: generating an acoustic standing wave in an acoustic resonation chamber; and drawing the liquid containing the particles through the acoustic resonation chamber at a selected flow rate, the flow rate of liquid through the acoustic resonation chamber being a value selected such that the phase shift change in acoustic standing wave in the liquid is less than one-half of p