MXPA00007715A - Beneficiation of soil with dissolved oxygen for growing crops - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for beneficiation of soil by infusion of a treatment gas into a pressurized irrigation stream. The apparatus includes a cavitating venturi-type mixer-injector (35) with;a flow passage therethrough, an inlet and an outlet, a constricting portion of decreasing diameter, a cylindrical injector portion for injecting treatment gas into the flow passage, an increasing diameter expanding portion, an impermeable elongated conduit for receiving water and treatment gas from the mixer-injector (33) and a plurality of flow-restricting outlets disposed along the conduit wall permitting limited flow of water without substantial loss of pressure in the conduit. The mixer-injector is adapted to be connected to water source under pressure. Treatment gas will be infused into the water as it flows through the flow passage in the mixer-injector. The water will remain under super-atmospheric pressure until after it passes through the flow-restricting outlet.

Description

- - BENEFIT OF SOIL WITH DISSOLVED OXYGEN FOR CROP GROWTH Field of the Invention This invention refers to the benefit obtained by the soil in which a crop is grown, by supplying beneficial gases to the root region.

Background of the Invention For their growth, plants require water, oxygen, and potentially other gases to support their life cycle. Water for most crops is derived from interstices in the soil, which is obtained from irrigation or rain. Oxygen and other gases are obtained from the interstices, either from the atmospheric gases which migrate to the ground or from the water in which the gases dissolve. Although many gases can be beneficial for several crops, oxygen is one of the REF .: 122276 the most important, and therefore it is specifically discussed in this discussion, but this invention is not limited only to the beneficial effects of oxygen. Generally, the concentration of oxygen or other gases in the irrigation water is limited to dissolving according to Henry's law. This is suitable for crop growth, farmers and plant growers are fully aware of the range of moisture that a plant can tolerate. If the soil is kept too moist for a substantially long period of time, it will partially smother the microbial activity necessary for the feed conversion of the plant whereby the plant captures or absorbs the water, and will in effect drown. A dry period that is too long, results in a lack of moisture to support the transpiration of the plant even when there is plenty of oxygen in the soil. According to this, it is currently put into practice that a plant grows better when it is alternately wetted and it is allowed to approach dryness. The cultivator seeks to provide adequate moisture and adequate oxygen to withstand varying reasons of perspiration due to fluctuations in climatic conditions. The practice of commercial intensive agriculture provides oxygen as a function of the correct supply of oxygen dissolved in water, and as a function of air which is introduced into the soil as the water is removed from the interstice spaces in the soil. However, these sources can be completely variable. While water tends to have less dissolved oxygen and often contains other undesirable gases. The oxygen content in the water supplied in channels and furrows may vary depending on the temperature of the water and the environmental conditions.

It is an object of the present invention to control and improve the supply of oxygen to the soil, and thereby improve the growth of the plant or crop. The terms "plant" and "cultivation" are used here interchangeably.

This is a fundamental problem, and efforts have been made and suggested to improve the supply of oxygen through the aerial irrigation of water. This may actually increase the concentration of oxygen in the water, but it does not address the issue of whether the gas content really reaches all the plants in an area of significant size. Some previous efforts have achieved some limited improvement without importance. For example, these have not offered an optimum increase in production by weight, uniform improvement over a substantial area, or a significant advance in the maturation of the plants. Their small improvements have been commercially insignificant. This invention really offers these improvements. For example, lots of adjacent land near Bakersfield California were planted or cultivated with sweet pepper plants, about 12-14 inches (30-36 cm) apart, along rows or lines with about 620 feet (200 meters) in length between the furrows, with about 40 inches (1 meter) apart. A plot site was prepared for testing according to the invention, as will be described later. The control plot site was planted in the same manner, with an identical irrigation system, but without the air supply of the present invention. The systems were operated identically. The results were unpredictable and surprisingly favorable. For example, it was found that the peppers reached a given point of maturation with this invention, about a week before the peppers in the control site. This was confirmed by observing the presence of a greater proportion of red peppers to the green peppers in the test site rather than in the control site. This is not a simple matter, especially at the beginning of a season, since the product previously obtained or primary immediately commands the purchase and at a price with reward. This reward goes directly to the bottom line as utility. In addition, an increase in the production in weight of the crops was observed over the seasons or complete seasons of around 5.6%, on the control site, which is also a direct benefit from this invention. By virtue of the fact that the effects of this invention are substantially uniform over a complete field, the maximum production from a plot of land of significant size can be anticipated. While sweet peppers have been given as an example of the results of using the present invention, other types of plantations can also expect beneficial results. As an additional advantage, the plants were less tense in their growth and production. The average tension index of the control site for the season was approximately5. 52, while the test sites had an index of approximately -5.76, a more negative number is the best. It is an object of the present invention to provide practical means for benefiting the ground for the purposes above. By the term "benefit" is meant the addition of a substance to improve the microbial activity of the soil for a better food assimilation of the plant as a total body, by injecting air / oxygen into the vital area of the area of the The root of the plant including moisture for the proposed purpose. This is not used in the sense of the addition of a chemical such as treatments with gypsum or fertilizers, which are used to change the chemical constituents of the soil itself.

Brief Description of the Invention A system for benefiting the soil according to the present invention has the purpose of supplying water and air / oxygen along with other potentially beneficial gases to the lower surface of the root region of the plant. It is intended to be useful over a substantial area of land for cultivation. As an example, an area of 4.8 acres (19,400 m2 or 1.94 ha), with rows or lines as long as 620 feet (200 meters), and from a single supply, about 98 of these rows or lines can easily be treated with the present invention helps. The treated water is released below the surface of the soil, or under a covering for the soil such as a manure and mulch arrangement. A plastic sheet is considered a protection (mulch), although its main purpose is to control weeds or weeds. An example of a system for this purpose is drip irrigation, in which water under system pressure is released through separate emitters directly into the lower surface of the soil near the plant, instead applied to the surface or in furrows. Until the water is released from the emitter, it remains under the pressure of the system, so that it contains more dissolved oxygen and other gases than it would have under atmospheric pressure, and this will also contain very small microbubbles of oxygen and other gases such as hydrogen, which have not dissolved, especially when used in air as the source of oxygen. As a result, when this water is released from the pressure of the system at atmospheric pressure, the released water will then carry a respective amount of dissolved oxygen in relation to this lower pressure, and release into the soil the excess of oxygen which is has dissolved in the pressure of the system. It will also release gases including oxygen as they may exist in the microbubbles.

Importantly, since the system is under pressure, the quality of the mixture of the oxygen rich water and the microbubbles remains substantially uniform throughout the entire pressurized system. Some unification of the microbubbles can be expected, but due to their small size and dispersion, the unification in larger bubbles is not appreciable. Therefore, the water supplied through all the exit orifices is substantially uniform, so that each plant will be treated consistently.

It will be noted that this arrangement will compensate for the absence of oxygen from the atmosphere in the soil when it is covered with a sheet of impermeable plastic (protection). According to one aspect of this invention, oxygen, oxygen-containing gases such as air, and other beneficial gases for the treatment of soil, are injected into the water stream with the aid of an injector-mixer. The mixing injector has a passage for flow through it with a limiting portion that is narrower, an injection portion, and an expansion portion in this order. The gas for treatment enters the injection portion through an injection orifice. The mixer-injector is one of the cavitation type, which produces a reduced pressure in the injection portion, and turbulence in the injection portion. The turbulence disperses the gas for treatment throughout the stream. It also reduces the size of the bubbles while increasing their number. According to a preferred but optional feature of this invention, turbulence, reduction and distribution in the size of the bubbles can be improved by providing twisted vanes in the portion that is narrowest or limiting, and right vanes in the portion of expansion. The current of the expansion portion runs its course towards a system for the user, which may include one or more manifolds, and from there through the pipeline to the discharge points. This is kept under pressure until it leaves the pipeline. The proportion of the flow through the system and its length allow enough time for oxygen and other gases to dissolve at a saturation level. The bubbles produced by the mixer-injector are small enough that there is no unification or increase towards the surface. These tend to be discharged through the emitter along with the water. According to a preferred but optional feature of the invention, the treatment gas is air, used for its oxygen content, as well as other potentially beneficial gases.

- - The foregoing and other features of the present invention will be fully understood from the following detailed description, when considered together with the accompanying drawings, in which: Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of an irrigation system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic cross section of a localized region where the water will be emitted; Figure 3 is an axial cross section of the mixer-injector used in the present invention; Figure 4 is an end view of the left part of Figure 3; Figure 5 is an end view of the right part of Figure 3; Figure 6 is a longitudinal cross section of a fragment of a pipe for - - drip irrigation, which shows an appropriate emitter for use with the present invention; and Figure 7 is a cross section taken on line 7-7 in Figure 6.

Detailed description of the invention The object of the present invention is to provide a supply of water and oxygen and / or other potentially beneficial gases in the soil in the root area of a growing plant. The presently preferred example of its use is in a drip irrigation system where, as shown in Figure 2, a plant grows on the ground 21 having a surface 22. For some crops, a plastic sheet 23 (considered as a protection (mulch) for its ability to resist weeds) or organic protection, is applied on the surface of the soil near the plant. The water supplied with the help of this system will ordinarily discharge approximately 6-10 inches (15-25 cm) below the surface of the soil.

As shown, the drip irrigation pipe 25 extends along a row or line 26. In intervals its wall is pierced by the emitters 27 (Figure 6). An emitter is simply an orifice of some kind through which water flows from the pipe to the soil region at a regulated rate, under the pressure of the designated system. There is a pressure drop across the emitters from the system pressure, usually around 10-20 psig with atmospheric pressure. The pressure drop at the discharge sites is of considerable importance for the present invention. The reason is the higher concentration of oxygen and / or other gases that exist in the water at the highest pressure according to Henry's law. However, there is more of this in that, because often water supplies for agriculture are not completely saturated with oxygen. In this invention, supersaturation in the pressure of the system and in the atmospheric pressure can be ensured, in such a way that oxygen will be liberated. extra of the solution as the pressure drops, plus the additional oxygen in the gas contained in the microbubbles that are produced. This water flow is very rich in the gas for treatment. A water source 30, such as a pond, or a tap of the main water pipe, supplies water to be pressurized by a pump 32 to the pressure of the system. If the source is a main duct outlet and the pressure there is adequate, a pump will be unnecessary. Its output is provided to a distribution system 33 that includes conventional valves, regulators, and other control devices as judged appropriate. The system may include heads 34 that extend along the heads of the rows of 26 of the crops. From the heads, the flexible drip irrigation pipes 25 extend along the rows or to any desired location where the emitters 27 are to be placed. Other applications than the lines are contemplated, for example a group of emitters around a tree, or around a series of trees.

- - The mixer-injector 35, as best seen in Figure 3, optimally produces the beneficiary water that is desired. This receives water from the pump and passes to the distribution system. Mixer-injectors like those shown by Mazzei in US Patent No. 4,123,800, published on October 31, 1978, are of the cavitation type, which in fact increases the oxygen content and / or other gases of the water, introducing gas into the the current and creating microbubbles. Such mixer-injectors are useful in this invention. However, the increased turbulence and cut in the illustrated injector mixer produces smaller microbubbles and distributes them better, thereby obtaining an improved and more stable mixture. Both types of mixer-injectors ensure that oxygen and / or other gas saturation can be achieved, and that the bubbles will be so small that they will have minimal gasification with the water over time generally involved in flow-stream systems how are these, but the - - The mixer-injector shown in Figure 3 provides surprisingly better results. Full details of the mixer-injector 35 can be found in US Patent No. 5,863,128 published January 26, 1999 entitled "Mixer-Inyectors With Twisting and Straightening Vanes" owned by the applicant, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety for the detailed demonstration showing the construction and theory of operation of the present mixer-injector. For purposes of this invention, it is sufficient to describe its basic elements. Full details of a less effective, but always useful mixer-injector for use with this invention, are found in Mazzei Patent No. 4,123,800, which is incorporated herein in its entirety for such a mixer-injector sample. This lacks certain pallets not yet described, which provide important advantages. The mixer-injector 35 has a body 36 with a passage for flow 37 that extends from the inlet 38 to an outlet orifice 39.

- - An inner wall 40 forming the flow passage includes, from the inlet in this order, a cylindrical inlet portion 41, a narrowing limitation portion 42, an injection portion 43, and an expansion portion 44. which ends in the exit hole 39.

An injection orifice 45 enters the injection portion near the limitation portion that is narrowest. This preferably exists as a circumferential groove 46 in the inner wall, which communicates with a passage 47 that receives the treatment gas to be supplied to the stream in the passage for flow, for example from atmospheric air. A metering valve and check valve 80 are placed in passage 45 to provide flow in a single direction of the correct amount of oxygen.

It is convenient to regulate the flow rate and pressure by establishing a flow and pressure drop with the help of a regulating valve (which can be a flow limiter instead) - by a bypass passage through the mixer-injector. Up to this point the mixer-injector shown in the '800 Mazzei Patent is described and useful. However, the additional features as shown in said Mazzei patent application provide significantly improved performance. These characteristics are the twisted vanes 48 in the limitation portion that is narrowest, and the right vanes 49 in the expansion portion. These twisted vanes 48 are provided as a group (eight is a useful amount) of individual vanes with ridges, which as they extend along the central axis 50 of the flow passage, also extend at an acute angle 51 toward a plane that passes through them and that includes the central axis. These rise from the entry portion in the limitation portion that is narrowest. These do not intersect the central axis. These give a turn towards the external region of the current, so that when it passes through the orifice of - injection has an increased turbulence caused by the confluence of the central "soul" of the stream (which is not twisted), and the outer portion (which is twisted). This increased turbulence results in a more complete mixture of water and gas for treatment, and a reduction in the size of the microbubbles, all advantageously for the present process. Once this is achieved, it is advantageous that the turbulence be reduced, while there is an additional cut of the microbubbles. This is obtained with the help of the right pallet group 49, which extends along the expansion portion. These have ridges 51 that are preferably parallel to the central axis, and are separated from it. From the exit orifice 39, the current enters the distribution system that extends towards the plants. As stated above, the emitters 27 are placed along the length of the pipe. Its characteristic is to provide a slow mixture from the pipe inside the - - subsoil. Such issuers are well known and there are several types. In fact, these constitute a mixing valve which allows a very small proportion of fluid flow through it, so that the pressure in the pipe is not materially reduced, and the contents remain under pressure throughout the system.

A typical useful emitter 60 is shown as part of a drip irrigation pipe 61. In this emitter, the main passage 62 is formed by a wall 63. The longitudinal edges 64.65 of the wall are overlapped to leave a reduced channel 66. between overlapping margins 67,68. A series of inlet holes 69 is formed from the passage 62 within the channel 66. These orifices are small and enter numerous locations along the overlaps. The channels can additionally be reduced by internal taps or by coil passages which additionally reduce the proportion of water flow through the channel 66. At one end of the channel 66, a longitudinal slot 71 a - - through external overlap it releases water from channel 66 into the atmosphere. There are other types of emitters, which include holes through the wall of the pipe. Any type of emitter that is capable of establishing a regulated proportion of fluid flow through passage 62 is acceptable. The operation of this system will be obvious from the foregoing. With the desired water performance per unit of time decided, a mixer-injector of appropriate size to the system will be selected and installed. The flow through the injection portion establishes an atmospheric pressure at which the portion that will introduce the gas for treatment into the injection portion. The flow rate of this gas is adjusted with the help of valve 55 so that the gas passes at an appropriate flow rate for the stated purposes. Any amount of treatment gas introduced into the mixer-injector will be dissolved and the remainder will be divided into microbubbles as already described, and will flow into the system, finally to and - - through the issuers. The drip irrigation pipe is impermeable; in this way water and gases can only escape through the emitters (or other 'flow limiting outlets, of which the emitters and the orifices are only two examples). The existing fluids have substantially the same water / gas mixture at this point, as do all the other locations in the downstream system from the mixer-injector. In a system as previously described, the water is supplied to a mixer-injector, marketed by • Mazzei Injector Corporation with part number 2081. This device is constructed as shown in Figure 3, and as described in more detail in said Mazzei patent application. Water flowed through the system, at a rate of approximately 260 gallons per minute, and air was introduced at a rate of approximately 3.5 SCFM. The flow was provided intermittently, on average about 2 hours every 3 days, and more frequently as the plants grew.

- - Accordingly, the soil is benefited by the concurrent addition of water and gas for treatment. This provides an improvement in growing conditions because ultimately, it allows a healthier plant root. The systems that can be provided with the use of the invention, allow a decrease in the tension of the plant under varying climatic conditions and water intervals. This invention is not limited to the embodiments shown in the drawings and described in the description, which are provided by way of example and not in a limitative manner, but are only in accordance with the scope of the appended claims. It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known by the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is the conventional one for the manufacture of the objects to which it refers.

Claims (17)

1. An apparatus that benefits the soil by infusing a treatment gas into the pressurized irrigation stream, characterized in that it comprises: a cavitation Venturi-injector mixer, which has a body with an internal wall forming a passage to through it, said flow passage has a central axis, an inlet, an outlet, and between said inlet and outlet said wall forms a limiting portion or that is narrower in diameter decreased, a substantially cylindrical injection portion, and a portion of expansion having an increased diameter, all this progression in that order from the entry to the exit, an injection orifice, said injection orifice receives the gas for treatment from a gas source to be injected to said passage for flow; an elongated and impermeable conduit having a length and a peripheral wall forming a longitudinal passage for receiving the water and the treatment gas from the mixer-injector; a plurality of flow limiting outlets, positioned along the length of said conduit wall, passing through said conduit wall to allow limited flow of water, from said longitudinal passage without substantial loss of pressure in said conduit; said mixer-injector adapted to be connected to a source of water under pressure, whereby the treatment gas will be introduced into the water as it flows through the flow passage in the mixer-injector, and the water will remain under the pressure superatmosferica until after it passes through said output flow limitation.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said flow limiting outputs are internal or external emitters. - -

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that a plurality of twisted vanes extend along at least a part of said limiting portion, said vanes extend but at an acute angle relative to an imaginary plane passing to through them and including a central axis, said twisted vanes extend towards said central axis, but are separated from said central axis.

4. An apparatus according to any of claims 1-3, characterized in that a plurality of right pallets extend along at least a part of the expansion portion, said right pallets are parallel to said central axis, but are separated of said central axis.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that a plurality of twisted pallets extend along at least a part of said limiting portion, said - pallets extend axially but at an acute angle relative to an imaginary plane passing through them and including the central axis, said twisted pallets extend towards said central axis, but are spaced apart from said central axis.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that said flow limiting outputs are internal or external emitters.

7. In combination: the soil for growth of rooted crops, in which a crop grows, has a surface at the top; and an apparatus that benefits the soil by infusing a gas for treatment, in a pressurized water stream for irrigation, said apparatus is characterized in that it comprises: a cavitation venturi mixer-injector, having a body with an internal wall that forms a passage for flow through it, said - - Flow passage has a central axis, an inlet, an outlet, and between said outlet and inlet said wall forms a limitation portion of reduced diameter, a substantially cylindrical injection portion, and an expansion portion having an increased diameter all these in order from the inlet to the outlet, an injection orifice, said injection orifice receives the gas for treatment from a gas source for injection in said passage for flow; an elongated and impermeable conduit having a length and a peripheral wall forming a longitudinal passage for receiving the water and the treatment gas from the mixer-injector; a plurality of flow limiting outlets, positioned along the length of said conduit wall below the upper surface, passing through said conduit wall to allow limited flow of water, from said longitudinal passage without substantial loss of pressure in said duct; - - said mixer-injector adapted to be connected to a source of water under pressure, whereby the treatment gas will be introduced into the water as it flows through the flow passage in the mixer-injector, and the water will remain under the pressure superatmosferica until after it passes through said output flow limitation.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that said flow limiting outputs are internal or external emitters.

9. An apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that a plurality of twisted vanes extend along at least a portion of said limiting portion, said vanes extend axially but at an acute angle relative to an imaginary plane passing through through them, and including the central axis, said twisted vanes extend towards said central axis, but are separated from said central axis. - -

10. An apparatus according to any one of claims 7-9, characterized in that a plurality of right pallets extend along at least a portion of the expansion portion, said right pallets are parallel to said central axis, but are separated from said central axis.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that a plurality of twisted vanes extend along at least a portion of the limiting portion, said vanes extend axially but at an acute angle relative to an imaginary plane passing through through them and including the central axis, said twisted vanes extend towards said central axis, but are separated from said central axis.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that the flow limiting outputs are external or internal emitters. - -

13. A method for improving the growing conditions of crops grown in a soil having a top surface: it uses an apparatus to benefit the soil by introducing a gas, for treatment in a stream of irrigation water, said apparatus is characterized in that it comprises: a mixer-injector, Venturi type, cavitation, having a body with an internal wall forming a passage for flow through it, said passage for flow has a central axis, an inlet, an outlet, and between said outlet and inlet said wall forms a limitation portion of reduced diameter, a substantially cylindrical injection portion, and an expansion portion having an increased diameter all these in order from the entrance to the outlet, an injection orifice, said The injection hole receives the gas for treatment from a gas source for injection in said passage for flow; an elongated and impermeable duct that has a length and a peripheral wall that forms a - longitudinal passage for receiving water and gas for treatment from the mixer-injector; a plurality of flow limiting outlets positioned along the length of said conduit wall, passing through said conduit wall to allow the flow of water from said longitudinal passage without substantial loss of pressure in said conduit; said mixer-injector adapted to be connected to a source of water under pressure, whereby the gas for treatment is introduced into the water as it flows through the flow passage in the injector mixer, and the water remains under the pressure superatmosferica until after it passes through an emitter buried in said duct below the upper surface; forcing a water stream under pressure into the inlet of the mixer-injector, while admitting the air in said injection portion through said injection orifice, whereupon it is provided in said longitudinal passage - - a stream of water under the atmospheric pressure enriched with the gas for treatment, said emitters allow the limited flow of said stream in said soil.

The method according to claim 13, characterized in that said flow limiting outputs are emitters.

The method according to claim 13, characterized in that a plurality of twisted vanes extend along at least a portion of said limiting portion, said vanes extend axially but at an acute angle relative to an imaginary plane that it passes through them, and that includes the central axis, said twisted vanes extend towards said central axis, but they are separated from the central axis.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13-15, characterized in that a plurality of right pallets extend along at least a portion of the expansion portion, said right pallets are parallel to said central axis, but are spaced apart of the central axis.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that a plurality of vanes extend along at least a part of the limiting portion, said vanes extend axially but at an acute angle relative to an imaginary plane passing to through them, and including the central axis, the vanes extend towards the central axis, but are separated from said central axis.