Patent ID: 6783687
Filing Date: 2004-08-31
Classification: C02F,C22B,Y02A,Y02P

Abstract:
An apparatus for separating ions from a fluid stream comprising one or more ionized salts, the apparatus comprising:an electrically non-conductive and non-magnetic fluid conduit defining a fluid path for a fluid stream flowing therethrough, wherein the conduit defines an influent path, a processing zone, a low-ion effluent path downstream of the processing zone, a cation effluent path downstream of the processing zone, and an anion effluent path downstream of the processing zone, and wherein the fluid path in the processing zone has a flow vector; a magnetic field generator adapted to establish a magnetic field across the processing zone of the conduit so that the flux lines of the generated magnetic field are generally perpendicular to the flow vector of the fluid path in the processing zone; and an electrostatic field generator adapted to establish a generally linear electrostatic field across the processing zone, the electrostatic field having a vector perpendicular to the flow vector of the fluid path in the processing zone and to the flux lines of the magnetic field.