Fluid treatment apparatus and method of its shutdown

Details Fluid treatment apparatus and method of its shutdown Fluid treatment apparatus and method of its shutdown

1991-02-26

1992-08-18

Valentine, Donald R.

Chemistry: electrical and wave energy

Processes and products

Electrostatic field or electrical discharge

204149, 204273, 204274, 204275, 204277, 204278, C25B 1508, C25B 900

Patent

active

051396254

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
1. Technical Field
This invention concerns a fluid treatment apparatus which uses active particles such as oxygen atoms and hydroxyl radicals (referred to hereinafter as OH radicals), and a procedure for shutting down the apparatus.
2. Background Art
Ozone is a powerful oxidizing agent. As it ultimately reverts to oxygen, it does not give rise to secondary pollution, and it has therefore conventionally been used for fluid treatment such as the removal of organic contaminants or the elimination of bacteria from water of air.
Oxygen atoms and OH radicals offer the same advantages as ozone, an as they are even more powerful oxidizing agents, their use permits much more effective fluid treatment. These species are however extremely short-lived and as a result it was difficult to utilize them.
An apparatus using oxygen atoms for water treatment has been proposed in Paper No. ED-73-22 (Generation of Discharges in Underwater Bubbles and their Utilization), of Papers of Technical Meeting on Electrical Discharge, Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. FIG. 1 shows the structure of this apparatus. In the figure, (1) is a reservoir where source water (water to be treated) (2) is stored, and (3) is a tube immersed in the source water (2), and drilled with small surface holes. Air containing oxygen is supplied to this tube (3), and bubbles (4) are produced by the small holes. (5) are a pair of electrodes arranged in the water reservoir (1) on opposite sides of the bubbles (4) generated by the holes in tube (3). One electrode is connected to ground (6), while the other is electrically connected to a circuit (7) which applies an impulse voltage. This impulse voltage circuit (7e comprises a high voltage transformer (8), a high voltage diode (9) connected to this high voltage transformer (8), a current limiting resistor (10) connected to this high voltage diode (9), a capacitor (11) of which one electrode is connected to this current limiting resistor and the other electrode is connected to one of the electrodes (5), and a gap switch (13) which operates so that when it is activated by a trigger pulse (12), the high voltage to which capacitor (11) is charged is applied to the electrode. Further, (14) are X rays generated by an X-ray machine (not shown) which irradiate the bubbles (4) in the source water (2) in reservior (1).
The operation of this apparatus will now be described. When air is blown into tube (3) which is immersed in reservoir (1), and escapes from the holes in the tube, it forms numerous bubbles (4) in the water (2). At the same time, the voltage generated by high voltage transformer (8) is applied to capacitor (11) via high voltage diode (9) and current limiting resistor (10), and capacitor (11) thereby becomes charged to a high voltage. Gap switch (13) is then activated by a trigger pulse (12), and the high voltage with which capacitor (11) is charged is applied to electrode (5) as an impulse voltage of several .mu. sec. duration. At the same time, the water (2) is irradiated by X-rays, and a discharge then takes place in bubbles (4). This discharge causes oxygen molecules in the bubbles to electrolytically dissociate into oxygen atoms. In the bubbles, the lifetime of these oxygen atoms is no more than several .mu. sec., but the oxygen atoms produced near the surface of the bubble, i.e., near the interface with water react with the water (2) before they are destroyed. The water is thus purified.
In the above apparatus, an impulse voltage of approx. 1. .mu. sec. is applied and X ray irradiation (14) is used to generate an electric discharge in the bubbles (4). Normally, when a high voltage is applied to water (2) so as to generate a discharge, the water boils immediately. In this apparatus, since the ozonizer discharge lasts for no more than 0.1 .mu. sec. an impulse voltage of approx. 1 .mu. sec. duration is used as the applied voltage, and by reducing the time for which the voltage is applied, the boiling of the water is prevented. However, it is difficult to produce a discharge in the bubbles (4) in t

REFERENCES:
patent: 4101409 (1978-07-01), Austin
patent: 4351734 (1982-09-01), Kauffman
patent: 4983265 (1991-01-01), Maruyama
patent: 5002204 (1991-03-01), Sakai
patent: 5022974 (1991-06-01), Haivala 204149
Paper No. ED-73-22, "Generation of Discharges in Underwater Bubbles and Their Utilization".

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