Foam generator

• US 3,212,762 A
• Filed: 05/23/1960
• Issued: 10/19/1965
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/1960
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Don B. Carroll, John W. Rodgers
• Original Assignee: Don B. Carroll, John W. Rodgers
• Inventors: Carroll, Don B., Rodgers, John W.
• Application Number:
  US04/030,953
• Time in Patent Office: 1,975 Days
• US Class Current: 261/124
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/235 for making foam
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 7/0025 with a compressed gas supply
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 7/24 with means, e.g. a container, for supplying liquid or other fluent material to a discharge device B05B7/14, B05B7/16, B05B11/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/003 Cleaning involving contact with foam
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 57/02 by washing
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 5/08 Treatment of water with complexing chemicals or other solubilising agents for softening, scale prevention or scale removal, e.g. adding sequestering agents
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 261/26 Foam

Claims

1. AN APPARATUS FOR MAKING FOAM COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE CLOSED-IN AERATOR PROVIDED WITH A LIQUID INLET AT THE BOTTOM, A WET FOAM OUTLET NEAR THE TOP AND HAVING POSITIONED THEREIN INTERMEDIATE SAID INLET AND OUTLET AT LEAST ONE SUBSTANTIALLY ANNULAR-SHAPED POROUS VERTICALLY ELONGATED RIGID SPARGER, SAID FOAM OUTLET HAVING A DISCHARGE LINE LEADING THEREFROM;

A GAS INLET IN THE TOP OF SAID AERATOR HAVING A PIPE CONNECTED THERETO AND LEADING FROM SAID GAS INLET DIRECTLY DOWNWARDLY INTO THE INNER PORTION OF SAID SPARGER;

MEANS FOR SUPPLYING GAS AT SUFFICIENT PRESSURE TO FORCE GAS FROM AN OUTSIDE SOURCE INTO SAID GAS INLET AND THENCE INTO SAID SPARGER OUTWARDLY THERETHROUGH AND TO MOVE THE FOAM MADE UPWARDLY AND OUT THE FOAM OUTLET OF THE AERATOR AND INTO AND ALONG SAID DISCHARGE LINE LEADING THEREFROM;

A MEANS FOR PROVOIDING THE LIQUID TO A LEVEL IN THE AERATOR SUFFICIENTLY HIGH TO SURROUND ONLY THE LOWER PORTION OF THE SPARGER AND TO EXPOSE THE UPPER PORTION OF THE SPARGER ABOVE THE LIQUID LEVEL WHEREBY IT IS SURROUNDED BY FOAM DURING THE GENERATION THEREOF;

A HORIZONTALLY POSITIONED SEPARASTOR TO SEPARATE EXCESS LIQUID FROM THE FOAM HAVING A WET FOAM INLET POSITIONED IN THE SIDE THEREOF INTERMEDIATE THE TOP AND BOTTOM NEAR ONE END THEREOF, SAID DISCHARGE LINE LEADING THERETO FROM THE WET FOAM OUTLET OF THE AERATOR AND SAID SEPARATOR PROVIDED WITH CONTINUOUS VERTICALLY DISPOSED ELONGATED BAFFLES THEREIN TO PROVIDE HORIZONTAL LONGITUDINAL PASSAGEWAYS AND SAID BAFFLES INCLUDING MEANS TO POSITION SAID BAFFLES TO PERMIT PASSAGE TRANSVERSE THERETO AT THE END OF THE SEPARATOR OPPOSITE THE END NEAR WHICH THE FOAM INLET OF THE SEPARATOR IS POSITIONED;

A FOAM OUTLET IN THE UPPER PART OF THE SEPARATOR LOCATED ABOVE SAID WET FOAM INLET;

AND A DRAIN MEANS IN THE LOWER PART OF THE SEPARATOR FOR THE REMOVAL OF LIQUID THEREIN FROM THE FOAM AND TO MAINTAIN A LIQUID LEVEL THEREIN BELOW THE FULL CAPACITY OF THE SEPARATOR.