US Patent Issued on Sept. 1 for "Acoustically controlled rheological valve for thixotropic fluid flow control" (Virginia Inventor)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 1 -- United States Patent no. 12,725,823, issued on Sept. 1.

"Acoustically controlled rheological valve for thixotropic fluid flow control" was invented by Henry Hardy Perritt Jr. (Charlottesville, Va.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "An acoustic choke provides valve functionality for thixotropic fluids without mechanical components. One or more ultrasonic transducer elements is positioned radially around a smooth bore constriction in a corrosion-resistant body. When no acoustic energy is applied, the yield stress of a thixotropic fluid occupying the bore exceeds the available driving pressure and flow is blocked. When acoustic energy is applied at sufficient intensity to...