WO2020028646A1 - Appareil et procédé d'expansion de nano-bulles dans un support liquide - Google Patents

Appareil et procédé d'expansion de nano-bulles dans un support liquide Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2020028646A1
WO2020028646A1 PCT/US2019/044635 US2019044635W WO2020028646A1 WO 2020028646 A1 WO2020028646 A1 WO 2020028646A1 US 2019044635 W US2019044635 W US 2019044635W WO 2020028646 A1 WO2020028646 A1 WO 2020028646A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
nano
bubbles
liquid
gas
bubble
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2019/044635
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Bruce SCHOLTEN
Samuel A. GREEN
Original Assignee
Moleaer, Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Moleaer, Inc. filed Critical Moleaer, Inc.
Publication of WO2020028646A1 publication Critical patent/WO2020028646A1/fr

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Classifications

    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F1/00—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
    • C02F1/24—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by flotation
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
    • B01F25/00—Flow mixers; Mixers for falling materials, e.g. solid particles
    • B01F25/20—Jet mixers, i.e. mixers using high-speed fluid streams
    • B01F25/21—Jet mixers, i.e. mixers using high-speed fluid streams with submerged injectors, e.g. nozzles, for injecting high-pressure jets into a large volume or into mixing chambers
    • B01F25/211—Jet mixers, i.e. mixers using high-speed fluid streams with submerged injectors, e.g. nozzles, for injecting high-pressure jets into a large volume or into mixing chambers the injectors being surrounded by guiding tubes
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
    • B01F25/00—Flow mixers; Mixers for falling materials, e.g. solid particles
    • B01F25/30—Injector mixers
    • B01F25/31—Injector mixers in conduits or tubes through which the main component flows
    • B01F25/312—Injector mixers in conduits or tubes through which the main component flows with Venturi elements; Details thereof
    • B01F25/3124—Injector mixers in conduits or tubes through which the main component flows with Venturi elements; Details thereof characterised by the place of introduction of the main flow
    • B01F25/31242—Injector mixers in conduits or tubes through which the main component flows with Venturi elements; Details thereof characterised by the place of introduction of the main flow the main flow being injected in the central area of the venturi, creating an aspiration in the circumferential part of the conduit
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
    • B01F25/00—Flow mixers; Mixers for falling materials, e.g. solid particles
    • B01F25/30—Injector mixers
    • B01F25/31—Injector mixers in conduits or tubes through which the main component flows
    • B01F25/312—Injector mixers in conduits or tubes through which the main component flows with Venturi elements; Details thereof
    • B01F25/3125—Injector mixers in conduits or tubes through which the main component flows with Venturi elements; Details thereof characteristics of the Venturi parts
    • B01F25/31253—Discharge
    • B01F25/312533—Constructional characteristics of the diverging discharge conduit or barrel, e.g. with zones of changing conicity

Definitions

  • This invention relates to expanding nano-bubbles dispersed in a liquid carrier.
  • Dissolved air flotation systems have been used to remove contaminants, e.g., oils and solids, from liquids such as wastewater.
  • a gas is dissolved in the liquid under pressure. The pressure is then lowered, thereby forming micro-bubbles that can float to the surface of the liquid. The bubbles adhere to the contaminants and float to the surface of the liquid, where they can be removed, e.g., by skimming.
  • pressurizing the liquid to dissolve the gas requires specialized equipment such as pressurizing water tanks or sophisticated pumps.
  • pressurizing the liquid to create the micro bubbles is an energy-intensive operation, which adds to cost.
  • Nano-bubbles have several unique properties such as long lifetime in liquid due to their negatively charged surfaces. Nano-bubbles also have high gas solubility into the liquid due to their high internal pressure, which typically is more than five times greater than atmospheric pressure. Consequently, the nano-bubbles do not rise to the surface of the liquid.
  • the apparatus includes (a) a nano-bubble generating apparatus capable of creating a first composition comprising nano-bubbles dispersed in a liquid carrier; and (b) a nano-bubble expander located downstream of the nano-bubble generating apparatus.
  • the nano-bubble expander includes (i) an l input end for receiving the first composition; (ii) a discharge end; and (iii) a chamber in communication with the input end and discharge end.
  • the chamber is configured to reduce the pressure exerted on the first composition relative to the pressure exerted on the first composition upon introduction to the nano-bubble expander at the input end, thereby causing the nano-bubbles to expand and form a second composition comprising micro-bubbles in a liquid carrier.
  • nano-bubble refers to a bubble that has a diameter of less than one micron.
  • a micro-bubble which is larger than a nano-bubble, is a bubble that has a diameter greater than or equal to one micron and smaller than 50 microns.
  • a macro-bubble is a bubble that has a diameter greater than or equal to 50 microns.
  • the nano-bubble generating apparatus includes (a) an elongate housing comprising a first end and a second end, the housing defining a liquid inlet, a liquid outlet, and an interior cavity adapted for receiving the liquid carrier from a liquid source; and (b) a gas-permeable member (e.g., a ceramic filter) at least partially disposed within the interior cavity of the housing.
  • a gas-permeable member e.g., a ceramic filter
  • the gas-permeable member includes an open end adapted for receiving a pressurized gas (e.g., nitrogen or oxygen) from a gas source, a closed end, and a porous sidewall extending between the open and closed ends having a mean pore size no greater than 1.0 pm.
  • a pressurized gas e.g., nitrogen or oxygen
  • the gas-permeable member defines an inner surface, an outer surface, and a lumen.
  • the liquid inlet of the housing is arranged to introduce the liquid carrier from the liquid source into the interior cavity of the housing, typically at an angle that is generally orthogonal to the outer surface of the gas permeable member.
  • the housing and gas-permeable member are configured such that pressurized gas introduced into the lumen of the gas-permeable member is forced through the porous sidewall of the gas-permeable member and onto the outer surface of the gas permeable member in the form of nano-bubbles as the liquid carrier from the liquid source flows parallel to the outer surface of the gas-permeable member from the liquid inlet to the liquid outlet, forming a composition that includes the liquid carrier and the nano-bubbles dispersed therein.
  • the nano-bubbles have a mean diameter less than 500 nm or less than 200 nm, or ranging from about 10 nm to about 500 nm (e.g., from about 75 nm to about 200 nm).
  • the concentration of nano-bubbles in the liquid carrier at the liquid outlet may be at least 1 x 10 6 nano-bubbles/ml, at least 1 x 10 7 nano-bubbles/ml, or at least 1 x 10 8 nano-bubbles/ml.
  • gas is selected from the group consisting of air, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen, and combinations thereof.
  • the liquid carrier may include water.
  • the nano-bubble expander is in the form of a nozzle, e.g., a Venturi nozzle.
  • the nano-bubble expander may include one or more ports disposed around the circumference of the chamber that, when the nano-bubble expander is placed in communication with a body of liquid, are capable of pulling liquid from the body of liquid into the chamber of the nano-bubble expander.
  • the ports have a generally conical cross-section and are disposed at an angle offset from the direction perpendicular to the direction of flow through the chamber of the nano-bubble expander.
  • the nano-bubble expander may be provided with a diffuser in communication with the discharge end of the nano-bubbler expander, the diffuser including a plurality of openings through which the second composition comprising micro-bubbles in a liquid carrier is discharged.
  • composition comprising micro-bubbles in a liquid carrier using the above-described apparatus.
  • the composition may be discharged into a body of liquid.
  • the nano-bubble generator is capable of producing a high concentration of nano-bubbles in a liquid carrier.
  • the nano-bubbles are then expanded without adding gas to create a high concentration of micro-bubbles, which can then float.
  • the operation may be conducted at ambient pressure, thereby eliminating the need to pressurize the liquid.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing illustrating an embodiment of the invention in which a nano-bubble expander is positioned downstream of a nano-bubble generator.
  • FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a nano-bubble expander in the form of a Venturi nozzle.
  • FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a nano-bubble expander in the form of a Venturi nozzle equipped with a diffuser.
  • FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the nano-bubble expander and diffuser shown in FIG. 3.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates an apparatus 10 for generating micro-bubbles that includes a nano-bubble generator 12 and a nano-bubble expander 14 located downstream of nano-bubble generator 12.
  • Nano-bubble generator 12 is described in the Summary, above.
  • An example of a suitable nano-bubble generator 12 is the apparatus described in USSN 15/456,077 filed March 10, 2017 and entitled“Compositions Containing Nano-Bubbles in a Liquid Carrier,” which is assigned to the same assignee as the present application and incorporated by reference in its entirety.
  • Nano-bubble generator 12 produces nano-bubbles in a liquid carrier, typically an aqueous carrier.
  • the gas in the nano-bubble is selected based upon the end use of the micro-bubbles. Typical examples include air, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen, and combinations thereof.
  • Nano-bubble generator 12 outputs the nano-bubble containing composition to nano-bubble expander 14 located downstream of nano-bubble generator 12. The precise location depends upon the end use of the micro-bubbles produced by nano- bubble expander 14. As shown in FIG. 1, nano-bubble expander 14 is in
  • the nano-bubble expander 14 can be located partially inside tank 16, partially outside tank 16, or outside tank 16.
  • the nano-bubble expander 14 expands the nano-bubbles and discharges them into tank 16.
  • the micro-bubbles adhere to contaminants such as oil and solids on the wastewater, and float to the surface of the liquid, where they can be removed, e.g., by skimming. At least a portion of the purified wastewater can then be returned to nano-bubble generator 12 for use as the carrier liquid.
  • nano-bubble expander 14 is shown in the form of a Venturi nozzle.
  • Expander 14 includes an input end 18 that receives the nano-bubble containing composition from nano-bubble generator 12 and a discharge end 20 that discharges the micro-bubble containing composition produced by expander 14, e.g., into a tank such as flotation tank 16.
  • Input end 18 and discharge end 20 are separated by a chamber 22 through which the nano-bubble containing composition flows.
  • Chamber 22 forms a pressure reduction zone that includes a conical portion 24 that tapers to a section 26 having a reduced diameter relative to the diameter of input end 18.
  • the external pressure on the composition including the nano-bubbles, decreases, thereby causing the nano-bubbles to expand and form micro-bubbles.
  • Nano-bubble expander 14 preferably includes one or more conically shaped ports 28 and 30 positioned at an offset angle from perpendicular relative to the direction of flow through expander 14, and arranged around the circumference of the discharge end 20.
  • One or more rings of ports may be included.
  • FIGS. 3 and 4 depict an alternative design for reducing shear when the micro bubble containing composition is discharged from nano-bubble expander 14 into a body of liquid.
  • nano-bubble expander 14 is equipped at the discharge end with a diffuser 32.
  • Diffuser 32 includes a plurality of openings 34 and 36, and a cap 38.
  • the micro-bubble containing composition formed by nano bubble expander 14 is discharged through openings 34 and 36 into a body of liquid.
  • Diffuser 32 reduces the velocity of the micro-bubble containing composition as it is discharged into the surrounding body of liquid, thereby reducing shear, facilitating mixing, and enhancing flotation efficiency.
  • openings 34 and 36 are shown in the form of slots parallel to the axes of diffuser 32 and nano-bubble expander 14.
  • the openings may be spherical.
  • the openings may be arranged perpendicular to the axes.
  • nano-bubble generator 12 finds application in a number of areas.
  • wastewater treatment in which the micro-bubbles discharged from expander 14 into flotation tank 16 adhere to contaminants and then rise to the surface, enabling removal of the contaminants.
  • Other applications include those in which it is desirable to remove the nano bubbles at some point in the process.
  • the nano-bubbles could be used to maximize gas transfer efficiency into a fluid where the gas is high cost, hazardous, or changes the fluid through chemical reactions. After treatment with the gas, the nano- bubbles could be transformed into micro-bubbles using expander 14 to remove them from the liquid.

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  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Hydrology & Water Resources (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Water Supply & Treatment (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un appareil et un procédé de production d'une composition comprenant des micro-bulles dans un support liquide. L'appareil comprend (a) un appareil de génération de nano-bulles capable de créer une première composition comprenant des nano-bulles dispersées dans un support liquide; et (b) un dispositif de détente de nano-bulles situé en aval de l'appareil de génération de nano-bulles. Le dispositif de détente de nano-bulles comprend (i) une extrémité d'entrée pour recevoir la première composition; (ii) une extrémité de décharge; et (iii) une chambre en communication avec l'extrémité d'entrée et l'extrémité de décharge. La chambre est configurée pour réduire la pression exercée sur la première composition par rapport à la pression exercée sur la première composition lors de l'introduction dans le dispositif de détente de nano-bulles au niveau de l'extrémité d'entrée, ce qui amène les nano-bulles à se dilater et à former une seconde composition comprenant des micro-bulles dans un support liquide.
PCT/US2019/044635 2018-08-03 2019-08-01 Appareil et procédé d'expansion de nano-bulles dans un support liquide WO2020028646A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US201862714279P 2018-08-03 2018-08-03
US62/714,279 2018-08-03

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2020028646A1 true WO2020028646A1 (fr) 2020-02-06

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Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2022178141A1 (fr) * 2021-02-18 2022-08-25 Moleaer, Inc. Générateur de nano-bulles

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1427437A (en) * 1972-11-22 1976-03-10 Saint Gobain Techn Nouvelles Purification of aqueous liquids
US20140339143A1 (en) * 2010-04-02 2014-11-20 William B. Kerfoot Nano-bubble Generator and Treatments
WO2014184585A2 (fr) * 2013-05-16 2014-11-20 Nano Tech Inc Limited Création et utilisation de fines bulles contrôlées
US20170259219A1 (en) * 2016-03-11 2017-09-14 Moleaer, Inc. Compositions containing nano-bubbles in a liquid carrier

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1427437A (en) * 1972-11-22 1976-03-10 Saint Gobain Techn Nouvelles Purification of aqueous liquids
US20140339143A1 (en) * 2010-04-02 2014-11-20 William B. Kerfoot Nano-bubble Generator and Treatments
WO2014184585A2 (fr) * 2013-05-16 2014-11-20 Nano Tech Inc Limited Création et utilisation de fines bulles contrôlées
US20170259219A1 (en) * 2016-03-11 2017-09-14 Moleaer, Inc. Compositions containing nano-bubbles in a liquid carrier

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2022178141A1 (fr) * 2021-02-18 2022-08-25 Moleaer, Inc. Générateur de nano-bulles

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