Electric Heating Tips for In Situ Soil Depollution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current soil treatment methods face challenges such as excavation and transportation issues, environmental nuisances, and high costs, especially in urban environments, and are not effective in uniformly treating soil pollutants due to soil heterogeneities.
Innovation Solution
The method employs electric heating tips to heat the soil using heat-refractory particles, with a network of heating tips and extraction wells to produce vaporized pollutants, which are then treated using various methods like recondensation, thermo-oxidation, and filtration, and the system includes a control unit to regulate temperature based on capture parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional soil treatment methods are used, then excavation and transport can be performed, but environmental nuisances and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical excavation and transport systems with a thermal field system. Heating elements are inserted into the ground to create thermal fields that vaporize pollutants in situ, eliminating the need for mechanical digging and material handling operations that cause environmental nuisances and high costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the harmful pollutant components from the soil through vaporization and extraction wells, rather than removing the entire soil matrix. This selective extraction reduces treatment costs and environmental impact by leaving the soil structure intact while removing only contaminants.
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional heating methods are used, then soil can be heated, but treatment uniformity is affected by soil heterogeneities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional thermal fields with electric heating elements that provide more controlled and uniform heat distribution. The electric heating system delivers consistent energy regardless of soil composition, overcoming the limitations of conventional heating methods that are affected by soil heterogeneities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent develops a universal treatment system using electric heating elements that can effectively treat various soil types and pollutant compositions without requiring method adjustments. The system adapts to different soil conditions while maintaining treatment uniformity, making it versatile across different environmental contexts.
3Productivity
If excavation work is performed, then soil can be treated, but treatment duration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces time-consuming mechanical excavation with rapid thermal vaporization processes. Electric heating elements quickly raise soil temperature to vaporize pollutants, significantly reducing treatment duration compared to mechanical methods that require digging, transporting, and processing soil sequentially.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements continuous heating and vaporization processes that operate without interruption. The electric heating system maintains constant thermal fields that continuously vaporize and extract pollutants, eliminating the downtime and sequential operations inherent in mechanical excavation methods.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces treatment duration, enhances uniformity, decreases costs, and effectively addresses soil pollution in urban settings by exploiting thermal conductivity, independent of soil type, and allows for efficient vapor extraction and treatment.
Implementation Method 1
heating the ground to a temperature suitable for producing vapours in the ground comprising the pollutant in a gaseous state
Implementation Method 2
It thus exploits only the thermal conductivity of the ground
Implementation Method 3
the type of heated tip used provides improved heat distribution and diffusion along the full length of the heated tip
Implementation Method 4
collecting the vapours via a collection system comprising at least one extraction well sunk into the ground
Implementation Method 5
a control unit connected to the measurement sensor and adapted to regulate the temperature of each heating tip as a function of the sensing parameter
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~5
Figure 6
AI summary
The method involves utilizing an electric heating system (5) including an electric heating point (6) and an electric energy supply device (7), where the heating point includes a hollow sheath made of heat conducting material. An electric heating element i.e. electric resistor, is placed inside the sheath and a filling mass, made of electrically insulating and heat conducting material, filling the sheath around the heating element. The sheath of heating point is pushed in soil, and the heating element of heating point is connected to the supply device. An independent claim is also included for a treatment installation for implementing a method for treating a soil.