Heating of solid earthen material, measuring moisture and resistivity

Patent · Fri Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:869389

Heath, William O ^[1]; Richardson, Richard L ^[2]; Goheen, Steven C ^[1]

---

1. Richland, WA
2. West Richland, WA

The present invention includes a method of treating solid earthen material having volatile, semi-volatile, and non-volatile contaminants. Six electrodes are inserted into a region of earthen material to be treated in a substantially equilateral hexagonal arrangement. Six phases of voltages are applied to corresponding electrodes. The voltages are adjusted within a first range of voltages to create multiple current paths between pairs of the electrodes. The current paths are evenly distributed throughout the region defined by the electrodes and therefore uniformly heat the region. The region of earthen material is heated to a temperature sufficient to substantially remove volatile and semi-volatile contaminants by promoting microbial action. This temperature is less than a melting temperature of the earthen material.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute (Richland, WA)
• Patent Number(s): US 5330291
• OSTI ID: 869389
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

-volatile contaminants
/405/166/
action
adjusted
applied
arrangement
contaminants
corresponding
corresponding electrodes
create
current
current path
current paths
defined
distributed
distributed throughout
earthen
earthen material
electrodes
equilateral
heat
heated
heating
hexagonal
hexagonal arrangement
inserted
material
measuring
measuring moisture
melting
melting temperature
method
microbial
moisture
multiple
non-volatile
non-volatile contaminants
pairs
paths
phases
promoting
range
region
region defined
remove
remove volatile
resistivity
semi-volatile
six
six electrodes
solid
solid earthen
substantially
substantially remove
sufficient
temperature
temperature sufficient
throughout
treated
treating
treating solid
uniformly
uniformly heat
volatile
volatile contaminants
voltages