US 12,273,983 B2
Process and apparatus for flowable products
Lou A. T. Honary, Cedar Falls, IA (US); Saeed Zaher Soleimani, Cedar Falls, IA (US); Timothy Scheurs, Amana, IA (US); and Trevor Ericson, Cedar Rapids, IA (US)
Assigned to WAVETEK PROCESS TECHNOLOGY, LLC, Grundy Center, IA (US)
Filed by WAVEtek Process Technology, LLC, Grundy Center, IA (US)
Filed on Feb. 6, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/783,699.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/801,860, filed on Feb. 6, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2020/0253007 A1, Aug. 6, 2020
Int. Cl. H05B 6/70 (2006.01)
CPC H05B 6/707 (2013.01) 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for heating a flowable material with microwave energy, comprising:
a microwave transmitter;
a waveguide;
a microwave transparent barrier;
a metallic vessel;
the waveguide connecting the microwave transmitter to the vessel;
the vessel having sidewalls and a bottom;
the sidewalls and the bottom configured to directly contact the flowable material;
the waveguide has a point of entry on the vessel at the bottom of the vessel;
wherein microwave energy from the microwave transmitter only enters the vessel at the bottom of the vessel;
the microwave transparent barrier at the bottom of the vessel;
wherein the microwave energy is configured to enter the vessel at only the bottom and heat the flowable material at the bottom leading to convection as the flowable material at or near the bottom of the vessel rises and the flowable material not at the bottom sinks.