Magnetic fluid conditioner having magnetic field shielding means
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS 
     This patent application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 600,917 filed oct. 22, 1990, now abandoned. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a magnetic fluid conditioner which is to be attached to a fluid conduit and to a magnetic field shielding enclosure which surrounds both the fluid conditioner and the conduit so as to confine the magnetic field produced by the conditioner to the conduit and the fluid passing therethrough. 
     2. Prior Art 
     Magnetic fluid conditioners are known which are positioned in proximity to a conduit to treat a fluid being conveyed therethrough. Generally speaking, one or more magnets are used to generate a magnetic field which penetrate the conduit and treats the fluid. However, the magnetic field produced by the magnets is known to affect the operation of certain electrical and electro-mechanical devices that are disposed in the vicinity of the magnetic fluid conditioner and characterized as being adversely susceptible to the magnetic field produced thereby. Accordingly, while it is desirable to increase the strength of the magnetic field for penetrating a fluid conduit, it would also be desirable to be able to confine the field to that portion of the conduit with which the fluid conditioner is associated. 
     Examples of magnetic fluid conditioners that include a plurality of axially aligned magnets, the polarities of which alternate from one magnet to the next, for generating a magnetic field in proximity to a fluid conduit are available by referring to the following U.S. patents: 
     
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2,652,925         September 22, 1953                                      
4,755,288         July 5, 1988                                            
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     However, neither of these patents includes any magnetic field shielding means by which to confine the magnetic field to that portion of the conduit to which the fluid conditioner is associated. 
     Examples of magnetic fluid conditioners that include a housing in which a plurality of magnets are retained and which is removably attached to a fluid conduit to treat the fluid passing therethrough is available by referring to the following U.S. patents: 
     
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4,265,755         May 5, 1981                                             
4,711,271         December 8, 1987                                        
4,808,306         February 28, 1989                                       
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     However, the housing in which the plurality of magnets are retained is not adapted to shield a magnetic field and, consequently, is incapable of confining the magnetic field to that portion of the conduit to which said housing is attached. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In general terms, a magnetic fluid conditioner is disclosed to be attached to a fluid conduit to treat a fluid (e.g. water or fuel) passing through the conduit. The fluid conditioner includes a housing that is attached to the conduit by means of a pair of connecting straps which extend from one side of the housing and around the conduit for receipt by locking clasps located within slots at the opposite side of the housing. A plurality of (e.g. three) rectangular bar magnets having alternating polarities are arranged in spaced, end-to-end alignment with one another within respective cavities formed in the housing. Tunnels are formed between the cavities to permit the magnetic fields that are generated by the magnets therein to interact. Each magnet within its cavity is covered by a magnetic field shielding plate, and the cavities are sealed by a non-metallic plug or by a resinous potting material. 
     A magnetic field shielding enclosure is positioned so as to completely surround the magnetic fluid conditioner and that portion of the conduit to which the housing of the conditioner is attached. The shielding enclosure comprises a pair of complementary shielding sections that are fastened together so that, in the assembled configuration, the enclosure is detachably connected to the conduit by means of friction. Accordingly, the magnetic field shielding plates and the magnetic field shielding enclosure act to confine and focus the magnetic fields generated by the magnets within the housing for the purpose of penetrating the conduit and treating the fluid passing therethrough. By virtue of the foregoing, the operation of electrical and electromechanical instrumentation that are located in the vicinity of the magnetic fluid conditioner will not be adversely effected as a consequence of otherwise being subjected to the magnetic field produced by the conditioner. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the magnetic fluid conditioner which forms the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the housing of the magnetic fluid conditioner of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 illustrates the alignment of the magnets within the housing of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-section taken along lines 4--4 of FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-section taken along lines 5--5 of FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the magnetic fluid conditioner attached to one side of a fluid conduit; 
     FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the fluid conditioner of FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 8 is a cross-section taken along lines 8--8 of FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 9 is a cross-section taken along lines 9--9 of FIG. 7; 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the magnetic field shielding enclosure of the present invention surrounding the magnetic fluid conditioner of FIG. 6; and 
     FIG. 11 is a cross-section taken along lines 11--11 of FIG. 10. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The magnetic fluid conditioner 1 which forms a part of the present invention and which is adapted to treat a variety of fluids including, but not limited to, water and fuel, is initially described while referring to the drawings, where FIGS. 1 and 2 show the fluid conditioner comprising a non-magnetic housing 2 in which a plurality of (e.g. three) magnets 4, 5 and 6 are retained. By way of example, each of the magnets 4-6 is a rectangular bar magnet that is formed from a ceramic material, barium ferrite, or the like. The housing 2 of fluid conditioner 1 is manufactured from non-magnetic nylon, PVS, or the like, and has an arcuate receptacle 8 formed in the top face thereof. As will be explained when referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, a cylindrical pipe, fuel line, conduit 40, or similarly shaped flow path, may be conveniently received within the arcuate receptacle 8, whereby the housing 2 may be mounted flush against one side of the conduit. 
     The housing 2 of fluid conditioner 1 has a plurality of (e.g. three) hollow, rectangular cavities 10, 11 and 12 that are separated from one another by opposing, non-magnetic endwalls. The cavities 10-12 are aligned with one another along the longitudinal axis of the housing 2. The magnets 4-6 are loaded into respective cavities 10-12 so as to be aligned end-to-end and spaced from one another in a 1×3 array with the flat faces thereof facing towards the fluid conduit. As is best shown in FIG. 3 the polarities of the magnets 4-6 alternate relative to one another. 
     Referring once against to FIGS. 1 and 2, after the magnets 4-6 are loaded into cavities 10-12 of housing 2, the rear face of each magnet is covered by a respective magnetic field shield 14, 15 and 16. The magnetic field shields 14-16 are rectangular plates that are fabricated from a suitable magnetic material and conform to the shape of the magnets 4-6 which they overlie. The purpose of magnetic field shields 14-16 is to prevent the magnetic field generated by magnets 4-6 from penetrating the bottom of housing 2, whereby the lines of magnetic flux will be focused on the fluid conduit 40 which lies in contact with the arcuate receptacle 8 at the top of housing 2. 
     After the magnetic field shields 14-16 are positioned atop magnets 4-6 within respective cavities 10-12 of housing 2, the cavities are closed by means of plugs 18, 19 and 20. Plugs 18-20 may be manufactured from the same non-metallic material that is used to form housing 2. The plugs 18-12 are covered by a suitable adhesive material so that the bottom of the housing 2 will have a smooth, flat surface. In the alternative, plugs 18-20 may be eliminated and the cavities 10-12 otherwise filled with a potting material (e.g. epoxy resin, or the like) to cover magnetic shields 14-16 until a smooth, flat surface is formed along the bottom of housing 2. 
     The housing 2 of fluid conditioner 1 has a pair of thin connecting straps 22 and 24 associated therewith. The straps 22 and 24 are spaced axially from one another along housing 2 and have respective fixed and free ends. That is, first ends of straps 22 and 24 are fixedly connected (i.e. embedded) within one side of the housing 2. As is best shown in FIG. 4 the free ends of straps 22 and 24 are adapted to be inserted through and retained by locking clasps 26 located in slots 28 (only one of which being shown) at opposite sides of housing 2. The straps 22 and 24 are of suitable length so as to surround the fluid conduit and thereby enable magnetic fluid conditioner 1 to be attached to said conduit. 
     However, it may be desirable to remove the magnetic fluid conditioner 1 from the conduit for displacement therealong or relocation to another conduit. In this case, and in the event that the free ends of connecting straps 22 and 24 are not removable from the locking clasps 26 in slots 28, it may be necessary to cut the straps. Therefore, to enable fluid conditioner 1 to be reattached to a conduit, a pair of continuous, laterally extending channels 30 and 32 are formed through housing 2. As is best shown in FIG. 5, a tie (e.g. a string, strap or the like) may be pushed through the channels (e.g. 30) in housing 2 (shown diagrammatically as reference numeral 34) and tied around the fluid conduit, whereby to reattach the fluid conditioner 1 to said conduit in much the same manner that connecting straps 22 and 24 attach conduit 1 to the conduit by inserting said straps into slots 28. 
     Referring concurrently to FIGS. 6-9 of the drawings, the magnetic fluid conditioner 1 is shown attached to a conduit 40 through which a fluid (e.g. water or fuel) is conveyed. More particularly, the housing 2 of conditioner 1 is positioned such that one side of the conduit 40 is received within the arcuate receptacle 8 formed in the top face of said housing. The free ends of connecting straps 22 and 24 are positioned around conduit 40 and then inserted through the slots (28 of FIG. 4) of housing 2 for receipt by the locking clasps (26 of FIG. 4), whereby said free ends are no secured to housing 2 with the fluid conditioner 1 being mounted upon and retained flush against conduit 40. In this manner, the longitudinal axes of the magnet 4-6 will be coincidentally aligned with one another and aligned parallel with the longitudinal axis of conduit 40. 
     As is best shown in FIG. 8, a pair of tunnels 36 and 38 are formed in housing 2 through the end walls that separate the adjacent cavities 10-12 in which respective magnets 4-6 are housed. More particularly, tunnel 36 extends through the end wall between cavities 10 and 11 and tunnel 38 extends through the end wall between cavities 11 and 12 The tunnels 36 and 38 provide passages through which the magnetic field generated by magnets 4-6 in cavities 10-12 can interact with one another. 
     FIGS. 10 and 11 of the drawings show a hollow magnetic field shielding enclosure 42 which surrounds the magnetic fluid conditioner 1 after said conditioner has been secured (i.e. strapped) to the fluid conduit 40. The magnetic field shielding enclosure 42 is formed from a suitable magnetic material and includes a configuration comprising complementary upper and lower shielding sections (i.e. halves) 44 and 46. Enclosure 42 is of sufficient width to receive at the interior thereof the housing 2 of fluid conditioner 1 and the fluid conduit 40 to which conditioner 1 is attached. Each shielding section 44 and 46 has a respective pair of oppositely disposed ribs or flanges 47 and 48 extending therealong which, in the assembled relationship, are mated face-to-face one another. A number of suitable fasteners 50 extend through the opposing flanges 47 and 48 to connect shielding sections 44 and 46 together. It is desirable that the width of magnetic field shielding enclosure 42 be selected so that, in the assembled relationship of FIGS. 10 and 11, the enclosure 42 will be retained upon the conduit 40 by means of friction, whereby to prevent the inadvertent removal or displacement of said enclosure relative to fluid conditioner 1. 
     In operation, the magnetic field shielding enclosure 42 will reinforce the shielding plates 14-16 (of FIG. 1) within housing 2 to prevent leakage of the magnetic field produced by magnets 4-6 (also of FIG. 1) and confine said magnetic field to the conduit 40. That is to say, the enclosure 42 completely surrounds the magnets in the housing 2, whereby the lines of magnetic flux emitted from fluid conditioner 1 will be blocked by shielding sections 42 and 44 such that the magnetic field will be concentrated upon conduit 40. Accordingly, the power of the magnetic field will be increased for penetrating the conduit 40 and more efficiently treating the fluid passing therethrough. Moreover, the operation of electro-mechanical and electrical instrumentation located in the vicinity of magnetic fluid conditioner 1 will not be adversely effected as a consequence of being subjected to the magnetic field generated by said conditioner. The advantage of applying a magnetic field, such as that generated by the magnetic fluid conditioner 1 of the present invention, to a fluid for improving taste and reducing hardness (where the fluid is water) and for improving the efficiency of combustion (where the fluid is fuel) is well documented and will not be described in detail herein. 
     It will be apparent that while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. For example, although a single magnetic fluid condition 1 has been shown as being attached to one side of fluid conduit 40, it is within the scope of the present invention to mount a pair of such fluid conditioners at opposite sides of the conduit and surround each of said conditioners by the magnetic field shield 42 that has been described above.