Patent Number: 052276830
Section: summary

BACKGROUND --FIELD OF INVENTION This invention relates to treatment of fluid in pipes to prevent corrosion, etc., specifically to a device employing externally mounted permanent magnets that generate an electrical current in fluid. The device may be used for potable fluids, process fluids, effluent fluids, heating and cooling waters, and hydrocarbon fuels, flowing in all commercial steel pipe. BACKGROUND--DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART Commercial steel pipe walls (normally of the types known as ANSI, ASME or API, schedule #40, etc.,) are too thick to be penetrated by the fields from usual permanent magnets such as to provide an internal field perpendicular to the flow direction of the fluid inside the pipe. While it may be theoretically possible to redesign existing permanent magnet devices to accomplish this task, any such attempts would fail or result in products of preposterous dimensions and cost. In other words, no existing devices are designed, or claim to be designed, to drive magnetic flux through a commercial steel pipe wall. Also none are designed, or claim to be designed, to drive magnetic flux through a commercial steel pipe wall, perpendicular to the flow direction of the fluid inside. Further none are designed, or claim to be designed, to drive magnetic flux through a commercial steel pipe wall, perpendicular to the flow direction of the fluid, inside, for the purpose of generating an electrical current in the fluid. Finally none, according to their published designs, materials, dimensional specifications, are capable of driving magnetic flux through commercial steel pipe walls, perpendicular to the flow direction of the fluid inside. To generate an electrical current by means of fluid flowing in a pipe, which fluid cuts a magnetic field, the magnetic field must be perpendicular to the direction of fluid flow. Placing magnets through or inside a steel pipe for this purpose is impractical, expensive, and loses the advantages of maintaining the steel pipe wall in its strong state. Similarly, placing magnets on the outside of nonferrous pipes loses the advantage of the strong steel pipes. No existing permanent magnet devices can provide a practical means of penetrating commercial steel pipe water or fuel systems with a perpendicular magnetic field. The wall of a steel commercial pipe easily absorbs magnetic flux. If any magnetic fields of existing devices could penetrate the pipe wall, such fields would quickly curve back to the wall, parallel to the fluid flow. PRESENT INVENTION The instant device magnetically penetrates all commercial steel pipe walls by means of its magnetic concentrators or condensers which utilize new magnetic materials and also benefit from an innovative, but simple, design, essential to their operation. The present device uses simple, innovative elements which have not heretofore been employed. The magnet utilized in the present device employs neodymium, the strongest magnetic material commercially available. It provides a flux density of 12,000 gauss, or higher. This provides sufficient magnetic flux for the condenser pole pieces to be designed in a practical way so that their steel contacts can be saturated with the maximum magnetic flux that the steel in the poles and the pipe wall can carry. The pole piece's contacts are made to be three times the thickness of the pipe wall. This enables the condenser pole pieces to deliver three times the lines of magnetic flux that the pipe wall can carry. The surplus flux lines burst through the pipe wall, in their attempt to flow through it, to the other pole to complete the magnetic circuit. The device employs two condenser pole pieces. The other pole of the first condenser is further away than the distance across the inside of the pipe. This places the second and opposite condenser's opposing pole closer to the surplus lines of flux than the first condenser's opposite pole. The surplus magnetic flux takes the shortest path across the inside of the pipe to the opposite condenser. This creates a magnetic field inside the pipe. This magnetic field is perpendicular to the direction of flow of fluid inside the pipe. The flowing fluid is thereby forced to cut the magnetic lines of force, perpendicular, to the direction of flow. This generates an electrical current, in the fluid, according to the well established Faraday Effect. The device generates an electrical current in a flowing fluid or gas. During generation, the steel pipe becomes negative and a "field" or "stator" of a generator. The flowing fluid or gas becomes a positive "armature" or "rotor". OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES The objects and advantages of the invention are therefore: 1. to provide direct power generation from a flowing fluid or gas, PA1 2. to protect steel and all other pipe systems from scale, corrosion and algae, PA1 3. to afford cathodic protection to all metal pipe systems, and PA1 4. to ionize molecules, in all fluids flowing in all pipe systems. PA1 (a) increased oxygen availability in water, PA1 (b) reduced surface tension, of water, PA1 (c) increased sudsing, in hard water, PA1 (d) increased solubility of water and other fluids; i.e., better dissolving and rinsing, PA1 (e) reduced bacteria and algae replication in water, fuels and other fluids, PA1 (f) increased precipitation and/or flotation of suspended solids in fluids, PA1 (g) compression of dissolved solids in fluids, PA1 (h) accelerated organic reactions in water and other fluids, PA1 (i) reduced biochemical oxygen demabd in effluent waters, PA1 (j) reduced suspended solids, in effluent waters, PA1 (k) accelerated and completed chlorine reactions in water sanitation, PA1 (l) elimination of commercial water treatment chemical pollution, PA1 (m) elimination of salt water softener pollution, PA1 (n) increased soil penetration by irrigation water, PA1 (o) increaded plant growth and crop yield, PA1 (p) increased efficiencies of metals ore leeching processes, PA1 (q) increased heat-transfer efficiencies in heating and cooling, PA1 (r) great reduction in cooling tower water bleed-off, PA1 (s) increased hydrocarbon fuel combustion efficiency, PA1 (t) increased hydrocarbon fuel injector life, PA1 (u) reduced pollution from hydrocarbon fuels combustion, PA1 (v) combined combustion of water and hydrocarbon fuel mixtures, and PA1 (w) possible combustion of water as a primary fuel component. Combinations of the above processes afford the following: Other objects are the nonchemical clearing of algae from pools, fountains, lakes, and waterways; the annual saving of billions of dollars spent on commercial water treatment chemicals, including commercial and domestic salt water softening, the elimination of their collective pollution; the annual saving of uncountable trillions of gallons of potable water, polluted by cooling towers and boilers, and the billions of dollars in annual savings from the elimination of their pollution; a very significant reduction of energy requirements from increased combustion, heating and cooling efficiencies; a tremendous reduction in air and water pollution; increased mining mineral yields; increased food production and quality; many more savings associated with, or as the result of, all of the above and the resulting improved quality of life to the ultimate advantage to all. Many more objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description and drawings.