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

Claim 0:
1. An apparatus for deactivating pathogens carried in droplets, comprising:
a power source;
an energy storage coupled to the power source and configured to store electric charges;
a set of electrodes arranged in a specified geometry to have a fixed characteristic impedance that allows energy to be fed back into the energy storage; and
a switch positioned between the energy storage and the set of electrodes, wherein the switch is configured to establish a pulsed electric field on the set of electrodes for deactivating the pathogens carried in droplets,
wherein the energy storage is configured to supply the electric charges to the set of electrodes such that the pulsed electric field established on the set of electrodes is higher than a threshold, and
wherein the set of electrodes is configured to return the electric charges to the energy storage according to the fixed characteristic impedance,
wherein the set of electrodes is divided into a first group of electrodes and a second group of electrodes, the apparatus further comprising:
a first segment that encloses the first group of electrodes; and
a second segment that encloses the second group of electrodes, wherein the first segment and the second segment form an opening to allow a material that carries the droplets to pass therethrough.