Patent ID: 11913675
Assignee: LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC
Field: Thermal processes and apparatus (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC A  F  Y | IPC F

Claim 21:
22. A method for deactivating pathogen carried in droplets on a material, comprising:
inserting the material through an opening formed by a first segment and a second segment of a sterilization device, wherein a set of electrodes of the sterilization device is divided into a first group of electrodes and a second group of electrodes, and wherein the first segment encloses the first group of electrodes and the second segment encloses the second group of electrodes to allow the material that carries the droplets to pass therethrough, wherein the set of electrodes is connected to an energy storage via a switch of the sterilization device, wherein the energy storage is configured to store electric charges, and wherein the set of electrodes are arranged in a specified geometry to have a fixed characteristic impedance that allows energy to be fed back into the energy storage;
operating the switch to establish a pulsed electric field on the set of electrodes, the operating comprising:
establishing, via the energy storage, an electric field that is higher than a threshold to the set of electrodes, and
returning the electric charges to the energy storage according to the fixed characteristic impedance of the set of electrodes; and

moving the material across the opening while operating the switch.