Liquid aerator

Claim 1

An apparatus for aerating a liquid comprising a tube having an open upper end and submerged substantially vertically in said liquid and filled therewith, a gas inlet to permit the injection of gas proximate the bottom end of said tube whereby gas bubbles emanating from said gas inlet mix with and rise through said liquid within said tube and cause said liquid therein to also rise through said tube and be discharged out of the upper end thereof, and means to allow liquid to be continuously drawn into said tube through the sidewall thereof, said means being formed to cause the indrawn liquid to swirl around inside said tube as it mixes with the rising gas bubbles whereby the gas bubble-liquid mixture swirls as it rises through the tube thereby enhancing the aeration of the liquid by prolonging the period of contact between the rising gas bubbles and the liquid and causing greater agitation of the mixture.

Claim 2

An apparatus for aerating a liquid comprising a tube having an open upper end and submerged substantially vertically in said liquid and filled therewith, a gas inlet to permit the injection of gas proximate the bottom end of said tube whereby gas bubbles emanating from said gas inlet mix with and rise through said liquid within said tube and cause said liquid therein to also rise through said tube and be discharged out of the upper end thereof, and means to allow liquid to be continuously drawn into said tube through the sidewall thereof, said means being formed to cause the indrawn liquid to swirl around inside said tube as it mixes with the rising gas bubbles whereby the gas bubble-liquid mixture swirls as it rises through the tube thereby enhancing the aeration of the liquid by prolonging the period of contact between the rising gas bubbles and the liquid and causing greater agitation of the mixture.

Claim 8

An apparatus for aerating a liquid comprising a hollow cylinder submerged substantially vertically in the liquid and filled therewith, said cylinder being open at the upper end thereof for the discharge of aerated liquid therethrough and closed at the lower end thereof, an air inlet to permit the injection of air proximate the lower end of said cylinder, a diffuser plate disposed in said cylinder above said air inlet to break up the inletted air into smaller sized air bubbles to increase the amount of surface contact of the air with the liquid per volume measure of inletted air, a plurality of liquid intake ports disposed in the sidewall of said cylinder, each of said ports being funnelled by a liquid intake tube arranged to continuously allow water to be drawn into said cylinder substantially tangentially to said sidewall at the point of attachment of said liquid intake tube to said sidewall whereby as said injected air rises through said liquid within said cylinder it mixes with said liquid and aerates it and causes the mixture of air bubbles and liquid to rise through said cylinder and be discharged through the upper end of said cylinder, said discharged liquid being replaced by liquid which continuously flows into said cylinder through said liquid intake tubes in a tangential direction to cause a swirling flow within said cylinder, said liquid intake tubes being arranged in a rising spiral pattern to reinforce the swirl of the air bubble-liquid mixture as it rises through said cylinder thereby enhancing the aeration of the liquid by slowing the ascent of the mixture to prolong the period of contact of the liquid with the air and causing greater agitation of the mixture, the lowest of said liquid intake tubes being disposed immediately above said diffuser plate to cause the inletted liquid therefrom to shear the emanating air bubbles into even a smaller size than created by the diffuser plate, and a cylindrical deflector baffle disposed along the vertical central axis of said cylinder to restrict the rising air bubble-liquid mixture in said cylinder in a spiraling path displaced from the central axis of said cylinder.

Claim 9

An apparatus for aerating a liquid comprising a hollow cylinder submerged substantially vertically in the liquid and filled therewith, said cylinder being open at the upper end thereof for the discharge of aerated liquid therethrough and closed at the lower end thereof, an air inlet to permit the injection of air proximate the lower end of said cylinder, a diffuser plate disposed in said cylinder above said air inlet to break up the inletted air into smaller sized air bubbles to increase the amount of surface contact of the air with the liquid per volume measure of inletted air, a plurality of liquid intake ports disposed in the sidewall of said cylinder, each of said ports being funnelled by a liquid intake tube arranged to continuously allow water to be drawn into said cylinder substantially tangentially to said sidewall at the point of attachment of said liquid intake tube to said sidewall whereby as said injected air rises through said liquid within said cylinder it mixes with said liquid and aerates it and causes the mixture of air bubbles and liquid to rise through said cylinder and be discharged through the upper end of said cylinder, said discharged liquid being replaced by liquid which continuously flows into said cylinder through said liquid intake tubes in a tangential direction to cause a swirling flow within said cylinder, said liquid intake tubes being arranged in a rising spiral pattern to reinforce the swirl of the air bubble-liquid mixture as it rises through said cylinder thereby enhancing the aeration of the liquid by slowing the ascent of the mixture to prolong the period of contact of the liquid with the air and causing greater agitation of the mixture, the lowest of said liquid intake tubes being disposed immediately above said diffuser plate to cause the inletted liquid therefrom to shear the emanating air bubbles into even a smaller size than created by the diffuser plate, and a cylindrical deflector baffle disposed along the vertical central axis of said cylinder to restrict the rising air bubble-liquid mixture in said cylinder in a spiraling path displaced from the central axis of said cylinder.