The present invention provides a glow discharge assembly that includes an electrically conductive cylindrical screen, a flange assembly, an electrode, an insulator and a non-conductive granular material. The electrically conductive cylindrical screen has an open end and a closed end. The flange assembly is attached to and electrically connected to the open end of the electrically conductive cylindrical screen. The flange assembly has a hole with a first diameter aligned with a longitudinal axis of the electrically conductive cylindrical screen. The electrode is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the electrically conductive cylindrical screen and extends through the hole of the flange assembly into the electrically conductive cylindrical screen. The insulator seals the hole of the flange assembly around the electrode and maintains a substantially equidistant gap between the electrically conductive cylindrical screen and the electrode. The non-conductive granular material is disposed within the substantially equidistant gap.

A method of producing an active chemical species, steam or superheated steam includes flowing one or more fluids through a conduit, locating one or more incandescent lights in close proximity to the conduit, and using at least a portion of the heat emitted from the one or more incandescent lights to heat the one or more fluids flowing through the conduit so that the fluid or fluids are disassociated into chemical components, associated into a new compound, or converted into steam.

An assembly for evaporating a volatile fluid is described, the assembly comprising a device and a refill which are detachable from one another: wherein the device comprises a magnetic induction coil configured to operate with an alternating current passed therethrough; and wherein the refill comprises a reservoir for the volatile fluid, a volatile fluid transport means to draw the fluid from the reservoir, and at least one susceptor arranged to heat the volatile fluid transport means when said alternating current is passed through the induction coil. Refills, devices and methods of operation are also described.

An induction coil vapor generator is provided that may include any of a number of features. One feature of the vapor generator is that it can inductively generate high quality condensable vapor. The vapor generator can comprise an outer assembly that supports a coil wire, and an inner assembly disposed in the outer assembly. The inner assembly can house a plurality of microtubes configured to be inductively heated by the coil wire to convert a fluid to condensable vapor. The generator can be disposed in a medical device to treat tissue with vapor. One feature of the medical device is that it can apply condensable vapor energy to tissue, such as a prostrate, to shrink, damage, denaturate the prostate. Methods associated with use of the vapor generator are also covered.

The present invention intends to highly accurately control a temperature of superheated steam at a high response speed, and provides a superheated steam generator that inductively heats a heating metal body in contact with steam using an induction coil, and thereby heats the steam in contact with the heating metal body to generate superheated steam. In addition, a frequency of an AC power supply connected to the induction coil is 50 Hz or 60 Hz, and a thickness between an induction coil side surface of the heating metal body facing toward the induction coil and a steam contact surface of the heating metal body in contact with the steam is 10 mm or less.

A vaporizer device includes a cartridge configured to hold a vaporizable substance, a wick element coupled to the cartridge, where the wick element is configured to contact the vaporizable substance located in the cartridge and an induction heating element inductively coupled to the wick element, where the wick element is configured to heat the vaporizable substance based on induction heating of the wick element by the induction heating element.

This invention provides a fluid heating device that is free from breakage even though a conductor tube is transformed due to being heated. Concretely, this invention is provided with an electrical connecting member that constitutes a short circuit by electrically connecting each of required portions of the conductor tube, and uses the electrical connecting member that is transformable in accordance with a transformation resulting from a temperature change of the conductor tube.

A vaporizer device includes a housing, a wick element that is configured to contact a vaporizable substance, an induction heating element located within the housing and inductively coupled to the wick element and not in contact with the wick element, and a power source electrically connected to the induction heating element. The wick element is positioned such that the induction heating element is around the wick element and the wick element is surrounded by the induction heating element. The wick element is configured to heat the vaporizable substance based on induction heating. The induction heating element receives an alternating current from the power source and creates an electromagnetic induction field around the wick element, and the wick element generates heat based on the electromagnetic induction field.

An inductively heatable susceptor for use with an inductively heated aerosol-generating device or system includes an open-porous inductively heatable ceramic material configured to hold an aerosol-forming liquid and configured to heat the aerosol-forming liquid under the influence of an alternating electromagnetic field. A cartridge for use with an aerosol-generating device includes an aerosol-forming liquid and a susceptor. An aerosol-generating device includes a susceptor.

The aerosol-generating system comprises two substance sources including a nicotine source and a second substance source and a susceptor (2) for heating any one of the two substance sources. The system further comprises a power source connected to a load network, the load network comprising an inductor for being inductively coupled to the susceptor. The two substance sources are thermally coupled such that the other one of the two substance sources not heated by the susceptor (2) is heatable by heat transfer from the one of the two substance sources that is heated by the susceptor (2). The invention also relates to an aerosol-generating article comprising a cartridge comprising a first compartment (11) and a second compartment (12) source, wherein a susceptor (2) is arranged in any one of the first compartment (11) or the second compartment (12).