Abstract: A ventilated tray for holding adsorbent material during microwave desorption of the material. The tray facilitates the flow of desorption gases through a bed of adsorbent without agitation of the adsorbent. The ventilated tray includes a housing having four walls and a bottom piece and a gas-permeable adsorbent support structure disposed in the housing. The adsorbent support structure is positioned above the bottom piece so that the adsorbent support structure, the bottom piece and the four walls define a plenum. A gas passage aperture is located in one of the housing walls to providing fluid communication between the plenum and the exterior of the housing. The adsorbent support structure is a porous plate having pores which are smaller than the grain size of the adsorbent material. Alternatively, the adsorbent support structure can be a two-tiered structure which relies on the adsorbent's angle of repose to support the adsorbent.

Abstract: An apparatus for drying a fried food has a dry chamber being provided with separated chambers in which the food is transported in order, a microwave oscillator for supplying a microwave energy to the respective separated chambers, and hot blast generator for supplying heated air to the respective separated chambers. The length in the food forward direction of each of the separated chamber is equal to or longer than that of just before chamber. The microwave energy supplied to each of the separated chamber corresponds to the water content of the fried food passing through the chamber.

Abstract: A matched or dummy load for a microwave dryer having a microwave generator and a microwave applicator. The matched load includes a waveguide having opposed broad walls, opposed narrow walls, and an end wall defining a waveguide chamber. A power absorbing body made of sintered silicon carbide, casted silicon carbide, or other materials is disposed in the waveguide chamber. One or more of the walls includes means for transferring heat from the power absorbing body. A housing or shroud having an inlet and an outlet surrounds the waveguide. The means for removing heat is disposed between the inlet and outlet of the housing so that a cooling medium passed through the housing removes heat from the power absorbing body. A tuning stub is placed in front of the power absorbing body to reduce microwave reflections.

Abstract: An installation for continuously treating a granular or powdered product. The installation includes at least one microwave applicator which is connected to a generator by a coupling device. The installation further includes a dielectric duct which has an axis and an internal surface. The dielectric duct passes through the applicator and contains a rotating metal screw for conveying the granular or powdered product therethrough. This is accomplished by constructing the screw so that it includes at least one helically wound wire which extends longitudinally through the duct at a radial distance from the axis of the duct and proximate the internal surface of the duct. An annular clearance is thereby defined between the wire and the internal surface of the duct.

Abstract: The generation of volatiles from liquid or solid materials is enhanced and accelerated by exposure to microwave radiation. Normally the energy transfer is effected preferentially toward the liquid or solid materials over the generated gaseous volatiles. Sufficient energy is provided at a selected rate that enhances the generation of volatiles to produce headspace samples. Alternatively, the rate can be selected so as to disrupt the equilibrium normally present between the liquid or solid phase and the gaseous phase and produce purge and trap samples; the latter process resulting from the selective energy transfer toward the liquid or solid phase over the gaseous phase. The rate of energy transfer can be chosen so as to bring the medium being subjected to microwave radiation to its supercritical state. The material having reached that state can further be used in numerous applications such as supercritical fluid extraction.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method and an apparatus for drying granular materials by submitting them to dielectric heating by means of electromagnetic waves such as microwave, high frequency, etc. The granular materials to be dried are heated to the prescribed temperature with electromagnetic waves under a reduced pressure of a range not producing any glow discharge and then dried to the prescribed moisture percentage while passing through a pressure reducing process of a vacuum of higher degree. An apparatus for it is provided with a reduced pressure drying tank (1) having an electromagnetic wave generator (2), a main drying tank (30) communicated with said reduced pressure drying tank (1), and suction air sources (20), (20') which are provided respectively in the reduced pressure drying tank (1) and the main drying tank (30).

Abstract: A method and apparatus defreeze, reheat and dry products in a closed chamber by moving a microwave source above a layer of product in a to-and-from motion at a specific, constant height from the product layer.