Clarification of suspensions
First Claim
1. A method for clarifying a suspension comprising a liquid and a suspended phase, the method comprising:
- providing a clarification system including;
a channel having an inlet, an outlet, a length, and a bottom, and one or more gas injectors disposed within the channel between the inlet and the outlet and configured to inject gas bubbles into the suspension;
causing the suspension to flow through the clarification system from the inlet to the outlet at a depth and a flow rate resulting in laminar flow in at least a top layer of the suspension;
injecting gas bubbles into the suspension using the gas injectors under injection conditions that result in segregation of the suspended phase within the top layer and do not induce turbulence in the top layer; and
removing the suspended phase at a suspended-phase outlet, wherein the suspended phase includes algae of genus Nannochloropsis.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A clarification system may comprise a channel having an inlet and an outlet, a length, bottom, and a height sufficient to contain a liquid having a depth. The clarification system may include one or more gas injectors disposed within the channel, configured to inject gas bubbles into a suspension flowing in the channel. In some embodiments, at least one gas injector injects gas bubbles having average or median size that does not exceed 100 microns in diameter. Some gas injectors inject bubbles having mean size below 50 microns. Some gas injectors inject gas via the precipitation of gas bubbles from a supersaturated liquid including a dissolved gas. Certain embodiments may be configured to form a quiet zone, typically near the top of the flowing suspension, in which turbulence may be minimized or substantially eliminated. Certain systems include a plurality of gas injectors disposed at different lengths along the channel.
119 Citations
42 Claims
-
1. A method for clarifying a suspension comprising a liquid and a suspended phase, the method comprising:
-
providing a clarification system including; a channel having an inlet, an outlet, a length, and a bottom, and one or more gas injectors disposed within the channel between the inlet and the outlet and configured to inject gas bubbles into the suspension; causing the suspension to flow through the clarification system from the inlet to the outlet at a depth and a flow rate resulting in laminar flow in at least a top layer of the suspension; injecting gas bubbles into the suspension using the gas injectors under injection conditions that result in segregation of the suspended phase within the top layer and do not induce turbulence in the top layer; and removing the suspended phase at a suspended-phase outlet, wherein the suspended phase includes algae of genus Nannochloropsis. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
20. A method for clarifying a suspension comprising a liquid and a suspended phase, the method comprising:
-
providing a clarification system including; a channel having an inlet, an outlet, a length, and a bottom, and one or more of gas injectors disposed within the channel between the inlet and the outlet at different distances along the length and configured to inject gas bubbles into the suspension; causing the suspension to flow through the clarification system from the inlet to the outlet; injecting gas bubbles having a mean size that does not exceed 100 microns in size into the suspension using the gas injectors; and removing the suspended phase at a suspended-phase outlet, wherein the suspended phase includes algae of genus Nannochloropsis. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
-
-
31. A method for clarifying a suspension comprising a liquid and a suspended phase, the method comprising:
-
providing a clarification system including; a channel having an inlet, an outlet, a length, and a bottom, and a plurality of gas injectors disposed within the channel between the inlet and the outlet at different distances along the length and configured to inject gas bubbles into the suspension; causing the suspension to flow through the clarification system from the inlet to the outlet at a depth and a flow rate resulting in laminar flow in at least a top layer of the suspension; injecting gas bubbles into the suspension using the gas injectors under injection conditions that result in segregation of the suspended phase within the top layer and do not induce turbulence in the top layer; and removing the suspended phase at a suspended-phase outlet, wherein the suspended phase includes algae of genus Nannochloropsis. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
-
Specification