Patent ID: 8071021

Claim:
A method of decontaminating articles, comprising the steps of: (a) moving a plurality of articles having a known temperature along a first path; (b) conveying a carrier gas along a second path that includes an elongated plenum, said second path intersecting said first path downstream from said plenum; (c) sensing the volumetric flow of said carrier gas along said second path; (d) heating said carrier gas moving along said second path to a temperature of at least about 105Â° C. at a location upstream of said plenum; (e) introducing into said carrier gas at an injection site in said plenum an atomized mist of a liquid hydrogen peroxide of known concentration to produce vaporized hydrogen peroxide; (f) sensing a temperature of said carrier gas at a location before said injection site and at a location downstream of said injection site; (g) determining the concentration of vaporized hydrogen peroxide introduced into said carrier gas based upon the temperatures of said carrier gas before said injection site and downstream of said injection site; and (h) adjusting the concentration of vaporized hydrogen peroxide in said carrier gas by varying the following: (1) the volumetric flow of carrier gas along said second path; (2) the volume of hydrogen peroxide introduced into said carrier gas; and (3) the heating of said carrier gas before said carrier gas is introduced into said plenum, such that the concentration of said vaporized hydrogen peroxide in said carrier gas where said first path intersects said second path has a dew point temperature below said known temperature of said articles.