Gas separation: processes – Sound waves used – Degasification of liquid
Patent
1997-07-11
1998-12-29
Woo, Jay H.
Gas separation: processes
Sound waves used
Degasification of liquid
554591, 96219, B01D 5108
Patent
active
058534563
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to apparatus for removing bubbles of a gas and/or dissolved gas from a liquid. Such apparatus is herein referred to as "debubbling apparatus".
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Such debubbling apparatus finds application, for example, in the manufacture of photographic materials, for removing bubbles from liquid photographic emulsion prior to application of such emulsion to a supporting substrate such as paper or plastics film and drying of the emulsion. The invention may also have utility in the food processing industries or in confectionery manufacture, where air bubbles are undesirable because they may harbour germs, or in blood transfusion apparatus, where air bubbles present a potentially lethal hazard.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved debubbling apparatus.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided debubbling apparatus comprising a vessel having an inlet and an outlet spaced apart longitudinally of the vessel, and means for transmitting a beam of ultrasound along a longitudinal axis of the vessel in a direction away from said outlet end and towards the opposite end, and means for maintaining said vessel under positive pressure.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of debubbling a liquid comprising passing the liquid through a vessel from an inlet to an outlet spaced apart longitudinally of the vessel, transmitting a beam of ultrasound along a longitudinal axis of the vessel in a direction away from said outlet and towards said inlet and thereby propelling longitudinally through the vessel, by means of the ultrasonic wind effect, bubbles present in said liquid.
In a preferred embodiment, the debubbling apparatus comprises a vessel having substantial rotational symmetry about a vertical axis, an inlet conduit providing an inlet passage communicating with the interior of said vessel adjacent an upper end thereof and aligned along an axis extending transversely with respect to said vertical axis of the vessel and passing on one side of said vertical axis, whereby the supply of liquid to said vessel via said inlet at a substantial velocity will induce spin of the liquid in the vessel in a predetermined rotational sense about said vertical axis, an outlet for liquid from said vessel communicating with the interior of said vessel via an outlet port in the wall of said vessel adjacent a lower end thereof, a further outlet from said vessel at or adjacent the upper end of the vessel to receive gas, or liquid containing gas bubbles, discharged upwardly through the liquid in said vessel along or close to said vertical axis, and an ultrasonic transmitter mounted in the lower end of said vessel and adapted to transmit ultrasonic energy axially upwardly in said vessel, through liquid in said vessel, towards said further outlet.
The apparatus of the invention makes use of the "ultrasonic wind" effect, a known effect in accordance with which bubbles in a liquid are propelled along an ultrasonic beam in a liquid, away from the source of such beam. The swirl imparted to the liquid within the vessel by the offsetting of the inlet tends to displace any bubbles within the vessel towards the axis of the vessel where they are rapidly conveyed, by the "ultrasonic wind" towards said further outlet. In operation of the apparatus, liquid containing any such bubbles conveyed to said further outlet by the "ultrasonic wind" is withdrawn from the vessel via said further outlet and the liquid withdrawn from the vessel via the outlet at the bottom of the vessel is substantially bubble-free.
The "ultrasonic wind" effect is not dependent on gravity and experiments have established that the apparatus of the invention, once operation has been established, will continue to operate with quite radical departures of the axis of rotational symmetry of the vessel from verticality, and even with such axis horizontal or with the apparatus inverted. However, because the
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Bryan Michael
Pearson Idwal V.
Bocchetti Mark G.
Pham Minh-Chau T.
Woo Jay H.
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