Method and device for magnetically removing charged particles from a body of liquid

A body of liquid containing charged particles is caused to flow in a stream. High level turbulence in the stream is preferably removed by a baffle in the path of the stream. The stream is then subjected to a magnetic field rotating normal to the general flux of the stream that is of sufficient strength to cause a substantial portion of the charged particles in the stream to move in respective convoluted paths generally centered around the axis of the field's rotation. Immediately downstream from the rotating magnetic field is a second magnetic field having lines of force generally parallel to the general flux of the stream. The second magnetic field is of sufficient strength to cause the rotating charged particles to move in a spiral motion toward the flux axis of the stream. The length of this second magnetic field is sufficient, in light of the flow rate of the liquid, to allow a substantial portion of the spiraling charged particles to enter a sub-stream at the core of the stream. An outlet also at the core of the stream drains or otherwise removes the sub-stream from the stream.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates in general to devices and methods for desalinizing 
water that take advantage of the fact that sodium chloride dissolved in 
water separates into anions and cations, and in particular to devices and 
methods, if any, that employ rotating and focusing magnetic fields. 
In many areas of the world, population growth, weather conditions, or both 
create a need for a method of extracting fresh water from salt water. 
Although methods exist for such extraction, they are costly and 
inefficient. This invention discloses a method that is both cheaper and 
more efficient than those methods already employed. 
The main impurity that must be removed from salt water to make it fresh is 
sodium chloride. Sodium chloride dissolved in water is known to separate 
into ion forms of its constituent atoms, sodium and chlorine, the sodium 
atom retaining a net positive charge (an anion) and the chlorine atom 
retaining a net negative charge (a cation). Because of these electric 
charges, there are conventional methods for desalinating water that employ 
an electrical potential to attract the ions to a place where they can be 
separated from the water. 
For example, Meyers U.S. Pat. No. 3,274,095 presents a means for 
transferring ions using an anode and cathode, both in separate solutions 
with a cation exchange mat therebetween. It requires a two step process to 
convert salt water to pure water. 
One disadvantage of the methods and apparatuses above is that each produces 
at least two types of waste as well as pure water. Another disadvantage is 
that the energy required to separate the salt from the water is relatively 
high. Further disadvantages exist in that some of the methods and 
apparatuses require periodic replacement of the elements used to extract 
the salt, while the others utilize components, such as ion exchange beads 
and membranes, that are too complicated, expensive, and impractical for 
large scale applications. 
Other advantages and attributes are disclosed expressly or implicitly in 
the text hereinafter. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An object of the present invention is to provide a means for removing free 
moving charged particles from a liquid, such as water, without the need 
for filters, membranes and exchange beads, and without the need to convert 
the liquid to a gaseous form. 
A further object of the present invention is to provide a means for 
removing dissolved salts, such as sodium chloride, and other contaminants 
that are also present in the form of free moving ions or other charged 
particles, from water such as seawater without the need for filters, 
membranes and exchange beads, and without the need to convert the water to 
a gaseous form. 
A further object of the present invention is to provide a means for 
removing sodium chloride from water, such as seawater, in order to render 
the water suitable for human consumption. 
These and other objects are achieved by a device for removing ions from a 
body of water comprising means for causing the water to flow in a stream, 
means for focusing a substantial portion of the charged particles in the 
stream into a sub-stream, and means immediately downstream from the 
focusing means for removing the sub-stream from the stream. The charged 
particle focusing means can comprise: (a) means for collimating the 
stream, (b) means for permeating a first length of the collimated stream 
with a first magnetic field that rotates normal to a general flux of the 
collimated stream, the axis of rotation being generally the collimation 
axis of the stream, the first magnetic field being of sufficient strength 
to cause a substantial portion of the charged particles in the collimated 
stream to move in respective convoluted paths generally centered around 
said axis of rotation, and (c) means for permeating a second length of the 
collimated stream immediately following the first length with a second 
magnetic field having lines of force generally parallel to the general 
flux of the collimated stream, the second magnetic field being of 
sufficient strength to cause the convoluting charged particles to move in 
a spiral motion toward said collimation axis of the stream, the second 
length being sufficient to allow a substantial portion of the spiralling 
charged particles to enter a sub-stream at the core of the collimated 
stream before reaching the end of the second length, the means for 
removing the sub-stream from the stream being disposed at the end of the 
second length.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
This invention takes advantage of the forces exerted on charged particles 
moving through a magnetic field. It is well known that the motion of a 
charged particle moving through a magnetic field is effected by the field. 
The field exerts force on the particle tending to alter the particle's 
direction of movement. Change to the particle's path is minimal if the 
direction of the particle when entering the field is parallel to the 
magnetic field's lines of force, whereas maximum change in the particle's 
direction of movement occurs when the particle's direction of travel when 
entering the field is perpendicular to the field's lines of force. It is 
also well known that salts such as sodium chloride (NaCl) separate into 
free moving ionized particles when dissolved in water. Sodium chloride 
separates into a positively charged sodium ion and a negatively charged 
chlorine ion. While the discussion below will primarily be focused on the 
removal of sodium chloride from water, it should be noted that this 
invention can also be used to remove other substances that are dissolved 
in water or other liquids in the form of positively or negatively charged 
particles. 
Referring to FIG. 1, the system is illustrated to have a length a section 
of cylindrical conduit 2 in which the separation of charged particles from 
water 4 takes place. Preferably the conduit is circular in cross-section. 
A stream of unprocessed water enters the conduit via an inlet 6 and exits 
the conduit via an outlet 8. The stream of unprocessed water is drawn from 
a body of water (not shown) by conventional means, such as a pump, and the 
processed water from the outlet 8 goes to a reservoir or is otherwise 
used. Since the stream of water entering inlet 6 will typically come from 
a pump which injects turbulence in the stream of water, the turbulence is 
significantly reduced or entirely eliminated by an inlet baffle plate 10. 
It is important to remove the turbulence because high level turbulence in 
the stream of water flowing through the conduit 2 can adversely effect the 
manipulation of the movement of charged particles in the water as 
described herein. The inlet baffle plate is disposed in the conduit 
proximate the inlet. 
As illustrated in FIG. 2 the inlet baffle plate 8 is a disc equal in 
diameter to the inner diameter of the conduit and is in a plane normal to 
the conduit. The disc defines a plurality of holes 12 thorough which the 
water passes. The inlet baffle collimates the stream and constricts the 
flow of water to flux lines generally parallel to the conduit. Any 
significant turbulence in the stream of water is thereby eliminated. The 
number and size of the holes in the disc are adapted to minimize impedance 
to water flow. 
Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 4, downstream from the inlet baffle the 
stream is permeated by a rotating magnetic field produced by a polyphase 
alternating electric current through a plurality of electromagnetic poles 
14 radially oriented with respect to, and uniformly distributed around, 
the longitudinal axis of the conduit in a plane normal to said axis. The 
windings of the poles are in a circuit that is energized by the secondary 
of a transformer generally designated 16. The primary of the transformer 
is energized by a first single-phase alternating current AC2. 
As illustrated, there are four electromagnetic poles, P1, P2, P3, and P4, 
physically distributed around the conduit 90.degree. apart. A first series 
circuit comprising a pair of oppositely disposed, serially connected 
poles, P3 and P4, is connected in parallel to the secondary of the 
transformer 16 and the current through this series circuit lags the 
secondary voltage by approximately 90.degree.. Also connected in parallel 
with the secondary is a second series circuit comprising a second pair of 
oppositely disposed, serially connected poles, P1 and P2, and a 
phase-shifting circuit comprising a resistor R and a capacitor C. The 
resister R is of such magnitude that currents through the first and second 
series circuits are 90.degree. out of phase. Each pole taken in sequence 
around the conduit receives current progressively shifted in phase from 
the phase of an immediately preceding pole, the phase shifts being 
uniformly 90.degree.. In this way the single-phase alternating energy 
originating at the secondary of the transformer 16 provides polyphase 
energization to the poles, energization that is distributed to the poles 
sequentially in uniform phase increments. The interactions of the magnetic 
fields produced by all four poles combine to produce a composite rotating 
magnetic field vector that is the vector product of all the fields 
produced by the poles. 
FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate such a polyphase relationship between the poles. 
At phase "A" a composite magnetic field vector V (illustrated by the 
center and large arrow of three arrows), which is the vector product of 
the magnetic field vectors produced by P1 and P2 (illustrated by the two 
smaller arrows on either side of V) is in line with poles P1 and P2 and 
pointing toward P1. At phase "B" the composite magnetic field vector V is 
in line with poles P3 and P4 and pointing toward P4. At phase "C" the 
composite magnetic field vector is again in line with poles P1 and P2 but 
now pointing toward P2. At phase "D" the composite magnetic field vector 
is again in line with poles P3 and P4 but is now pointing toward P3. Thus 
in this example the composite magnetic field vector is rotating clockwise. 
It is well known that a charged particle in a magnetic field experiences a 
force only if the particle has a component of velocity at right angles to 
the field's lines of force, and that if the initial velocity vector of a 
charged particle in a uniform magnetic field is not perpendicular nor 
parallel to the field's lines of force, the particle will move in a helix 
pattern. As the stream flows unimpeded through the rotating magnetic 
field, all or a substantial portion of the charged particles in the stream 
are imparted with velocity components generally normal to the direction of 
flow and the particles are influenced to move in respective convoluted 
paths. The rotating magnetic field assures that charged particles entering 
a second and subsequent magnetic field that is generally parallel to the 
general flux of the stream will have velocity vectors that intersect the 
second field's lines of force at angles, preferably 45.degree., and 
therefore will have maximum force exerted on them by the parallel field. 
Referring again to FIG. 1, immediately down stream from the means for 
producing the rotating magnetic field is another electromagnetic device in 
the form of a solenoid 32 having one or more levels of windings wrapped 
around the conduit over a length. The solenoid is energized via the 
secondary of a second transformer generally designated 20 the primary of 
which is energized by a second alternating electric current source, AC1. 
The alternating current induced into the secondary is rectified by a 
rectifier 22 so that the energization of the solenoid is essentially a 
direct current. When energized the solenoid produces essentially a 
constant magnetic field having a composite vector along the axis of the 
conduit with the lines of force in the core of the solenoid being 
generally parallel to the direction of stream flow. As the charged 
particles flow past the rotating magnetic field and enter this generally 
parallel field having velocity components at angles to the lines of force, 
the charged particles will be compelled to move in a spiral pattern toward 
the axis of the conduit forming a core sub-stream containing substantially 
all the charged particles. 
Referring again the FIG. 1, immediately downstream from the solenoid is an 
outlet 24 centered in the conduit having a diameter large enough for the 
sub-stream to pass through to a drain 26. The outlet and drain remove that 
portion of the effluent containing the focused concentrations of ions. 
Salt equals approximately 3.5% of the volume of the seawater. For example, 
in an installation processing 100,000,000 gallons of seawater per day, the 
salt output would be 3,500,000 gallons per day in the brine in the slurry 
drain. The brine can be drained or pumped back into the ocean from whence 
it came, or to any preferred disposal. 
Downstream from the outlet 24 is an outlet baffle 26 which is identical in 
form to the inlet baffle, except that the size and distribution of the 
holes is different. The outlet baffle is designed to assure that the 
stream level is maintained in at an adequate level the conduit. Holes 28 
in the bottom or lower portion of the disc are smaller and fewer in number 
than the holes in 12 the inlet baffle; holes 30 in the top portion of 
outlet baffle are much larger. The combined holes in the outlet baffle are 
capable of passing the stream at full capacity. 
If the stream level drops, the outlet baffle will provide impedance to flow 
until the stream level in the conduit rises to a satisfactory level. A 
minor decrease in water level will not affect the separation process. If a 
drastic drop in stream pressure and stream volume occurs and persists, a 
conventional pressure valve can be installed to shut down the system for 
repairs. 
It should be noted that while the above discussion concerns a preferred 
embodiment wherein the means for focusing a substantial portion of the 
electrically charged particles into a sub-stream is a solenoid, said means 
can also be an annular permanent magnet structure of comparable field 
intensity which provides a composite magnetic field vector along the axis 
of the conduit without departing from objects and scope of this invention. 
The foregoing description and drawings were given for illustrative purposes 
only, it being understood that the invention is not limited to the 
embodiments disclosed, but is intended to embrace any and all 
alternatives, equivalents, modifications and rearrangements of elements 
falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the following 
claims.