Water aeration apparatus

• US 4,702,830 A
• Filed: 03/28/1985
• Issued: 10/27/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kaiyo Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Kaiyo Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Makino, Masahiko, Makino, Hisao
• Primary Examiner(s): WYSE, THOMAS G
• Application Number:
  US06/717,292
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• Field of Search: 261/77, 261/121 R, 261/124, 210/199, 210/220, 210/170
• US Class Current: 210/220
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/23105 Arrangement or manipulation of the gas bubbling devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/232311 the conduits being vertical draft pipes with a lower intake end and an upper exit end
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/32015 Flow driven
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/3203 Gas driven
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/712 for feeding fluids
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/71801 using a syphon to create a suction of a component
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/71805 using valves, gates, orifices or openings
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/223 using "air-lift"
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 7/00 Aeration of stretches of water
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/10 Biological treatment of water, waste water, or sewage

Abstract

A water aeration apparatus is used for aeration purposes in the water-filled areas such as dams, impounded water or reservoirs, and lakes and marshes, and includes a tubular casing and supply chamber that causes large quantities of water to be exposed to the flotation action of air supplied under pressure, thus raising the water up to the surface. The apparatus may be used for water purification, or for anti-freezing purposes particularly in cold climate regions. The apparatus includes a collective tubular casing and a multiple-partitioned or common air supply chamber below the casing, the tubular casing including a plurality of tubular air and water passages formed by dividing the interior of the casing into several longitudinal passages or by combining individual tubes together.

Claims

1. A water circulation apparatus comprising:

a tubular casing having a plurality of tubular passages extending in a longitudinal direction along the entire length of the tubular casing and said plurality of tubular passages being open at each end thereof; and

means for forming large intermittent air masses which pass through said tubular passages when said tubular casing is erected in a body of water, said means including an air supply chamber disposed at one end of said tubular casing and in fluid communication with downstream ends of said tubular passages, said air supply chamber being divided into a first air receiving space and a second air receiving space, said first air receiving space being in fluid communication with said tubular passages and with said tubular passages and with said second air receiving space, said second air receiving space adapted to receive air from an external air supply source and having an opening for fluid communication with a body of water to be circulated, said first and second air receiving spaces being separated by a first partition wall in said air supply chamber and being in fluid communication with each other by means of at least one aperture in said first partition wall, said aperture in said first partition wall being closer to said downstream ends of said tubular passages than said opening communicating said second air receiving space with the body of water to be circulated and said first air receiving space being separated from said tubular casing by means of a second partition wall in said air supply chamber;

whereby air supplied to said second air receiving space intermittently accumulates in said first and second air receiving spaces until an air mass having a predetermined volume is formed, at which point the air mass is in fluid communication with said tubular passages and passes through said tubular passages in a bullet shape to effect a lifting action on water above the air mass and a suction action on water located below the air mass to pump up water through said tubular passages.

2. The water circulation apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first air receiving space is in fluid communication with said tubular passages by means of at least one aperture in said second partition wall, said aperture in said second partition wall being further from said downstream ends of said tubular passages then said aperture in said first partition wall.

3. The water circulation apparatus of claim 2, wherein said opening communicating said second air receiving space with the body of water to be circulated is spaced further from said opening in said first partition wall than said aperture in said second partition wall is spaced from said opening in said first partition wall.

4. A water circulation apparatus comprising:

a tubular casing having a plurality of tubular passages, each of which having an inlet at a downstream end thereof for receiving air and water and an outlet at an upstream end thereof for discharging air and water therefrom, said plurality of tubular passages extending along the entire length of said tubular casing; and

means for intermittently passing large air masses through said tubular passages, said means including an air supply chamber disposed in fluid communication with each of said tubular passages, said air supply chamber including an air supply compartment in fluid communication with each of said tubular passages, said air supply compartment having an air inlet port for receiving pressurized air, said air supply compartment having at least one first air receiving space and means for intermittently discharging air from said first air receiving space to said plurality of tubular passages after a predetermined volume of air supplied continuously through said air inlet port is filled into said first air receiving space, said air supply chamber including a jacket to define an outer wall of said air supply compartment, said air supply compartment having a first partition wall therein defining said at least one first air receiving space, said means for intermittently discharging air comprising a second partition wall disposed inwardly of said first partition wall to define at least one second air receiving space, said first partition wall having an opening therethrough and said second partition wall having an opening therethrough which is spaced further from an upstream end of a respective one of said tubular passages than said opening in said first partition wall, said means for intermittently discharging air further comprising an opening in said jacket into said first air receiving space for fluid communication with a body of water to be circulated, said opening being spaced further from an upstream end of a respective one of said tubular passages than said opening in said first partition wall, whereby air admitted into said air inlet collects in said first and second air receiving spaces until the volume of air reaches said opening in said second partition wall, at which point a large air mass passes by a siphon effect into each of said tubular passages;

whereby an intermittent large bullet shaped air mass passes into each of said plurality of tubular passages to effect a lifting action on water above the air mass and a suction action on water below the air mass to pump water through said plurality of tubular passages when said water circulation apparatus is erected in a body of water and pressurized air is supplied continuously to said air inlet port to fill said first air receiving space with a predetermined volume of air which is periodically discharged.

5. The water circulation apparatus of claim 4, wherein, a plurality of first air receiving spaces are provided, each of which is in fluid communication with a respective one of said plurality of tubular passages.

6. The water circulation apparatus of claim 5, wherein said jacket is spaced concentrically around an outer peripheral wall of said tubular casing and a top end plate extends radially inwardly form said jacket at a position between said opening in said first partition wall and said upstream end of a respective one of said tubular passages, said first partition wall being spaced radially inwardly of said jacket and said second partition wall being spaced radially inwardly of said first partition wall.

7. The water circulation apparatus of claim 4, wherein a single first air receiving space is provided which is in fluid communication with all of said tubular passages.

8. The water circulation apparatus of claim 7, wherein said jacket is spaced concentrically around an outer peripheral wall of said tubular casing and a top end plate extends radially inwardly from said jacket at a position between said opening in said first partition wall and said upstream end of a respective one of said tubular passages, said first partition wall being spaced radially inwardly of said jacket, said second partition wall being spaced radially inwardly of said first partition wall, and a plurality of openings are provided in said second partition wall for passage of a large air mass into each of said tubular passages.

9. The water circulation apparatus of claim 7, wherein said jacket extends axially from a downstream end wall of said tubular casing, said first partition wall being spaced radially inwardly of said jacket and said second partition wall comprising a tubular conduit spaced radially inwardly of said first partition wall, said tubular conduit extending through said end wall of said tubular casing for passage of intermittent large air masses from said air supply compartment into each of said tubular passages.