Patent ID: 7673516

Claim:
An ultrasonic treatment chamber for ultrasonically treating a liquid, said treatment chamber comprising: an elongate housing having longitudinally opposite ends and an interior space, the housing being generally closed at said longitudinal ends and having an inlet port for receiving liquid into the interior space of the housing and an outlet port through which liquid is exhausted from the housing following ultrasonic treatment of the liquid, the outlet port being spaced longitudinally from the inlet port such that liquid flows longitudinally within the interior space of the housing from the inlet port to the outlet port, an elongate ultrasonic waveguide assembly extending longitudinally within the interior space of the housing and being operable at a predetermined ultrasonic frequency to ultrasonically energize liquid flowing within the housing, the waveguide assembly comprising an elongate ultrasonic horn disposed intermediate the inlet port and the outlet port of the housing and having an outer surface located for contact with liquid flowing within the housing from the inlet port to the outlet port, the waveguide assembly having a terminal end spaced longitudinally from the outlet port of the housing; and a standing wave member disposed within the housing longitudinally intermediate the outlet port of the housing and the terminal end of the waveguide assembly, said standing wave member being spaced from the terminal end of the waveguide assembly so as to define an acoustic standing wave therebetween upon operation of the waveguide assembly at said predetermined ultrasonic frequency.