Solar powered aeration and microbial incubation system

• US 8,529,764 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2010
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Keeton Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Keeton Holdings LLC
• Inventors: Keeton, Jimmie A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nam
• Assistant Examiner(s): NORRIS, CLAIRE A
• Application Number:
  US12/860,030
• Publication Number:
  US 20110042309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: 210/610, 210/615, 210/620, 210/629, 210/242.1, 210/192, 136/244
• US Class Current: 210/610
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 63/042 Introducing gases into the water, e.g. aerators, air pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/23113 characterised by the disposition of the bubbling elements in particular configurations, patterns or arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/231154 the bubbling devices being provided with ballast to keep them floating under the surface, i.e. when the bubbling devices are lighter than the liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/23123 consisting of rigid porous or perforated material
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/23125 characterised by the way in which they are assembled or mounted; Fabricating the parts of the diffusers
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/231261 having a box- or block-shape, being in the form of aeration stones
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/32005 Type of drive
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/32055 by using solar energy
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/009 Apparatus with independent power supply, e.g. solar cells, windpower, fuel cells for electrolysis apparatus C02F2201/46165
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2203/008 Mobile apparatus and plants, e.g. mounted on a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/005 Processes using a programmable logic controller [PLC]
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/22 O2
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/44 Time
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/201 Perforated, resilient plastic diffusers, e.g. membranes, sheets, foils, tubes, hoses
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 20/212 Solar-powered wastewater sewage treatment, e.g. spray evaporation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/10 Biological treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/37 using solar energy

Abstract

Disclosed is a system and method for treating a body of water, without the necessity of being connected to an electrical grid, that includes photovoltaic collectors and a battery bank that is charged by the photovoltaic collectors. The photovoltaic collectors and the battery bank operate a series of air pumps that are connected to an air pump manifold to create a uniform source of compressed air that is distributed to a plurality of floating diffuser manifolds. A plurality of air stones are suspended under the floating diffuser manifolds that create air bubbles that are absorbed by the body of water and circulate said body of water to disburse a microbial fluid. In addition, an incubator system is also connected to an air pump that incubates microbes to form a microbial fluid that can be automatically dispersed throughout the body of water.

Claims

1. A method of treating a body of water using solar power comprising:

generating photovoltaic electrical power with photovoltaic collectors;

providing a battery bank that is coupled to said photovoltaic collectors that provides electrical battery power;

using said photovoltaic electrical power to charge said battery bank;

operating a plurality of air pumps using power from both said photovoltaic electric power and electrical battery power;

applying compressed air generated by a plurality of air pumps to at least one air pump manifold that provides at least one uniform source of compressed air;

applying said at least one uniform source of compressed air to a plurality of flow meters that control a flow of air to a plurality of manifold air hoses;

controlling said flow of air through said plurality of manifold air hoses using said plurality of flow meters to distribute air through said plurality of manifold air hoses in a predetermined manner to a plurality of floating diffuser manifolds;

providing a land based microbial incubator;

applying said at least one uniform source of compressed air to an incubator flow meter;

connecting said incubator flow meter to an incubator air hose;

connecting said incubator air hose to an incubator diffuser disposed in said land based microbial incubator;

generating a flow of incubator air bubbles from said incubator diffuser in an incubator fluid disposed in said land based microbial incubator to promote aerobic activity and growth of probiotic microbes and microbes designed for bioremediation in said incubator to produce a concentrated microbial fluid containing aerobically activated probiotic microbes and aerobically activated bioremediation microbes that kill pathogenic bacteria and digest solid wastes in said body of water;

dispensing said concentrated microbial fluid containing said probiotic microbes and bioremediation microbes from said land based microbial incubator into said body of water at a plurality of predetermined locations in said body of water through a microbial fluid distribution hose that is coupled to said land based microbial incubator;

adding water to said land based microbial incubator to incubate additional concentrated microbial fluid containing probiotic microbes and bioremediation microbes to produce an additional supply of concentrated microbial fluid that kill pathogenic bacteria in said body of water;

connecting said plurality of manifold air hoses to said plurality of floating diffuser manifolds, said floating diffuser manifolds providing a uniform diffuser manifold air pressure in each of said floating diffuser manifolds;

applying said uniform diffuser manifold air pressure to a plurality of floating diffuser air hoses that are weighted to extend into said body of water below said floating diffuser manifold;

attaching a plurality of air stones to said floating diffuser air hoses at locations proximate to said predetermined locations in said body of water so that said uniform diffuser manifold air pressure is applied to said plurality of air stones which generate a flow of air bubbles in said body of water that aerate said body of water to increase aerobic activity of said concentrated microbial fluid in said body of water, at locations proximate to said predetermined locations in said body of water, and cause said body of water to circulate, which disperses said concentrated microbial fluid in said body of water to kill pathogenic bacteria in said body of water and digest solid wastes.

2. The method of claim 1 where said dispensing said concentrated microbial fluid into said body of water comprises:

automatically dispensing said microbial fluid at said plurality of predetermined locations using a sprayer.

3. The method of claim 1 where said dispensing said microbial fluid into said body of water comprises:

automatically dispensing said microbial fluid through a microbial fluid distribution hose to a plurality of nozzles that dispense said microbial fluid at said plurality of predetermined locations in said body of water.

4. A system for treating a body of water using solar power comprising:

photovoltaic collectors that generate photovoltaic electrical power;

a battery bank that produces electrical battery power, said battery bank coupled to said photovoltaic collectors so that said photovoltaic collectors charge said battery bank with said photovoltaic electric power;

a plurality of air pumps coupled to said photovoltaic collectors and said battery bank that operate in response to said photovoltaic electrical power and said electrical battery power;

at least one air pump manifold connected to said plurality of air pumps that provides at least one uniform source of compressed air;

a plurality of flow meters coupled to said at least one air pump manifold that control a flow of said at least one uniform source of compressed air to a plurality of manifold air hoses;

a land based microbial incubator having an incubator fluid containing probiotic microbes and bioremediation microbes that kill pathogenic bacteria in said body of water;

an incubator air hose;

an incubator flow meter coupled to said at least one air pump manifold that controls a flow of said at least one uniform source of compressed air through said incubator air hose;

an incubator air stone, coupled to said incubator air hose, that generates a flow of incubator air bubbles in said incubator fluid in response to said flow of said at least one uniform source of compressed air that aerates said incubator fluid and causes aerobic activity in said incubation fluid and causes said incubator fluid to circulate which promotes aerobic activity and growth of said probiotic microbes and said bioremediation microbes to create a concentrated microbial fluid;

a plurality of floating diffuser manifolds, connected to said plurality of manifold air hoses, that provide a uniform diffuser manifold air pressure in said plurality of floating diffuser manifolds in response to said flow of said at least one uniform source of compressed air from said plurality of flow meters;

a plurality of weighted floating diffuser air hoses, that are coupled to said plurality of floating diffuser manifolds, that extend into said body of water below said plurality of floating diffuser manifolds;

a plurality of air stones located at a plurality of predetermined locations in said body of water, that are coupled to said plurality of weighted floating diffuser air hoses, that produce a flow of air bubbles in said body of water in response to said uniform diffuser manifold air pressure that aerate said body of water and cause said body of water to circulate at said predetermined locations;

a microbial fluid distribution hose coupled to said microbial incubator that dispenses said concentrated microbial fluid to said body of water at locations proximate to said plurality of predetermined locations;

a pump that dispenses said concentrated microbial fluid containing said probiotic microbes and said bioremediation microbes from said land based microbial incubator through said microbial fluid distribution hose to said body of water at said locations that are proximate to said plurality of predetermined locations so that circulation of said body of water at said plurality of predetermined locations causes said concentrated microbial fluid to disperse in said body of water and said flow of air bubbles increases aerobic activity of said probiotic microbes and said bioremediation microbes from said concentrated microbial fluid, which increases growth of said probiotic microbes and said bioremediation microbes in said body of water to kill pathogenic bacterial and digest solid wastes;

a valve that adds water to said concentrated microbial fluid in said land based microbial incubator so that additional concentrated microbial fluid containing said probiotic microbes and said bioremediation microbes are incubated in said land based microbial incubator.