Patent ID: 7384009

Claim:
A method for comminuting or breaking particles comprising: suspending the particles in a liquid flowing in a column, the liquid comprising electric properties different than electric properties of the particles; disposing a plurality of electrodes in the liquid; sending an electric voltage pulse to the electrodes wherein the pulse is tuned to electrical characteristics of the column and liquid to provide a voltage sufficient to allocate an electric field internal to the particles that exceeds a dielectric strength of the particles without exceeding the dielectric strength of the fluid, the resulting loss of dielectric strength in the particles causing the particles to conduct, thus removing their contribution to the insulation between the electrodes, and causing the electric fields in the fluid to exceed the dielectric strength of the fluid causing the fluid to conduct; and passing sufficient current through the particles and the fluid to comminute or break the particles, the current being of a power below that which causes shock waves in the fluid.