Gas and liquid contact apparatus – Multiple diverse liquids
Patent
1996-03-15
1997-05-27
Miles, Tim R.
Gas and liquid contact apparatus
Multiple diverse liquids
261 76, 261DIG75, 2611211, B01F 304
Patent
active
056329326
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for dispersing fine bubbles or droplets of a first fluid in a second fluid.
In particular the invention has application in the contacting of two fluids for the purpose of chemically reacting one fluid with the other or transferring species from one fluid to the other or to the creation of a dispersion of one fluid in the other.
In some instances, no chemical reaction or transfer of species is desired, but a change in a property of the resulting dispersion, for example, lowering heat transfer rates of the cooling water used in casting molds is required.
More especially, the invention is concerned with the creation of small gas bubbles or fluid droplets distributed uniformly throughout a liquid. It is commonly known that very fine distributions of the injected fluid are difficult to produce due to the strong tendencies of the dispersed fluid to coalesce; this invention produces fine distributions of a first fluid in a liquid while minimizing the coalescence and the amount of energy required. One benefit of the invention is that, for a given amount of energy input, the average bubble or droplet diameter is reduced to a minimum compared to other means of distribution and dispersion.
BACKGROUND ART
When a gas is to be distributed and dispersed in a liquid the common means of creating the dispersion fall into the following categories: two-material injectors.
Each means has its own particular characteristic distribution of gas which depends on the initial size of the bubbles or droplets created at the point of injection and on the amount of coalescence occurring in the system. The tendency of a dispersion to coalesce is related to the physical properties of the two fluids and can be assisted by bulk fluid motion which brings droplets or bubbles together or gives rise to localized regions of lower pressure (cavitating) which assist the coalescence of the droplets or bubbles. In fact particularly with gas injection through a single orifice, porous plug or slot, creation of the dispersion itself results in bulk motion of the fluid which results in coalescence. Injection through rotating spargers or jet pumps is the usual means to counter this coalescence. Such devices provide strong mechanical agitation of the two phases and this results in a high degree of bulk fluid motion that can shear the coalesced bubbles or droplets into smaller sizes. In addition, the bulk fluid motion distributes the dispersed bubbles or droplets thereby decreasing the local density of the distributed phase and thus lowering the likelihood of the bubble-bubble interaction or the droplet-droplet interaction which leads to coalescence. Nevertheless, the resulting bulk motion causes localized lower pressure regions which results in coalescence and produces a wide range of bubble sizes. Thus a limitation of existing technology is that it does not produce very fine distributions of gas bubbles of a narrow size range. A further disadvantage of jet pump distribution techniques is that a large fraction of the bulk of the liquid is used in the pump to create the dispersion and thus very large amounts of energy are consumed.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Thus in one aspect the invention particularly contemplates a method of dispersing fine bubbles or droplets of a first fluid in a liquid comprising: providing a body of liquid, injecting a stream of a first fluid into said body of liquid, under pressure, said stream having a lateral dimension relative to the direction of flow of the stream, said lateral dimension being elongate, injecting a stream of a second fluid into said body of liquid, under pressure, adjacent said stream of first fluid, said stream of second fluid having a lateral dimension relative to the direction of flow of the stream, said later dimension being elongate, the injecting of the streams being such that a large two dimensional interfacial contact area is established between the stream of first fluid and the stream of second fluid, at least said second fluid being a liquid.
In a
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Harris Ralph
Li Ruiqing
Wraith Albert E.
Martinex R & D Inc.
Miles Tim R.
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