Air diffusing device
A diffused gas aeration apparatus which is easy to be enlarged and highly efficient is provided, obtaining high performance, energy saving, space saving and maintenance free nature, by means of improvement in mixture agitation efficiency between gas and liquid. A diffused gas aeration apparatus 15 includes: a cylindrical passage tube 8 substantially placed vertically in which fluid passes in the longitudinal direction and in which a static mixer 9 is provided; a gas blowoff portion 12 on the lower end side of the passage tube 8, which supplies gas to the inside of the passage tube 8 through a pneumatic dispatch line 11 and in which a static mixer 13 is provided; wherein gas is supplied to the gas blowoff portion 12, liquid is introduced into the passage tube 8 from a liquid-introducing portion 14 on the lower side of the passage tube 8, the gas and liquid flow upward in a parallel direction in the passage tube 8 and come in gas-liquid contact inside the passage tube 8, and then are discharged from the upper end side of the passage tube 8 into liquid.
The present invention relates to a diffused gas aeration apparatus used for: water treatment and water purification of industrial effluent, supplied water and sewage, lakes and marshes, rivers, groundwater, and so on; removing and collecting foreign substances in gas; and a bioreactor or the like. Specifically, the present invention relates to an operation to mix and agitate gas and liquid to make a gas-liquid contact, and relates to a diffused gas aeration apparatus used for: dissolving oxygen in the air in water by aerating air in the water; diffusing a volatile substance such as ammonia, trichloroethane, methylene chloride, chlorine or trihalomethane that remains dissolved in water; removing and collecting a foreign substance in gas such as hydrogen chloride, sulfur dioxide or dust by means of reaction absorption and trapping; and further, enzymatic reaction, micro-organic reaction, and so on.
BACKGROUND ART Conventional diffused gas aeration apparatuses can be classified broadly into those of an air-diffusing method (bubble) and those of a mechanical agitation method (surface agitation). As shown in
Further, as a gas-liquid contact reactor for an apparatus of processing exhaust gas which contains dust and sulfurous acid gas, a cylindrical exhaust gas diffuser pipe with a number of gas blowoff holes is used. An exhaust gas treating method which uses this exhaust gas diffuser pipe is disclosed in Japanese Published Patent Application No. H7-308536 and Japanese Published Patent Application No. H9-865; however, gas-liquid contact efficiency between liquid and bubbles which pour out of a number of gas blowoff holes is low. In addition, there is a problem of blockage caused by the accretionary growth of calcium sulfate, which is a reaction product.
Further, regarding a diffused gas aeration apparatus using a conventional static mixer, oxygen absorption efficiency is low due to structural reasons; also, it is difficult to manufacture a diffused gas aeration apparatus with a wide bore (500 mm or more in diameter), and even if possible, gas-liquid contact efficiency will be low. Further, the cost of production will be high.
Furthermore, the bore diameter of an air blowoff hole of an air-supplying pneumatic dispatch tube that is disposed in the lower part of a conventional static mixer is in the range of 10 to 40 mm. One or more blowoff holes are provided on the upper surface of this pneumatic dispatch tube.
Since the diameter of each bubble supplied from the blowoff holes is large, gas-liquid contact efficiency is low and contact time is long.
As a result, the total length of a static mixer becomes long, and apparatus cost becomes high.
- [Patent Literature 1] Japanese Published Patent Application No. H2-198694
- [Patent Literature 2] Japanese Published Patent Application No. S44-8290
- [Patent Literature 3] Japanese Published Patent Application No. S53-36182
- [Patent Literature 4] Japanese Published Patent Application No. H5-168882
- [Patent Literature 5] Japanese Published Patent Application No. H7-284642
- [Patent Literature 6] Japanese Published Patent Application No. H7-308536
- [Patent Literature 7] Japanese Published Patent Application No. H9-865
- [Patent Literature 8] Japanese Published Patent Application No. H10-80627
- [Patent Literature 9] Japanese Published Patent Application No. H10-85721
- [Non-patent Literature 1] S. J. Chen et al. “STATIC MIXING HANDBOOK” Chemical Research Institute, published in June 1973
- [Non-patent Literature 2] Kiichiro Matsumura, Yasushi Morishima et al. “STATIC MIXER—FUNDAMENTALS AND APPLICATIONS” Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd., published on Sep. 30, 1981
A conventional diffused gas aeration apparatus requires a large area, because oxygen dissolving efficiency and gas absorption efficiency are low. Further, more air than necessary that contains oxygen is pressurized and supplied to panel diffusers and the like to execute mixture and agitation in an aeration tank. Thus, a great deal of electric power is consumed. Also, a conventional diffusion processing apparatus such as a packed column or a plate column requires periodic maintenance, because a calcium compound, microorganisms and the like in liquid adhere to packing, plates, etc. and grow, causing clogging. Further, a diffused gas aeration apparatus using a conventional static mixer has been low in oxygen absorption efficiency and it is difficult to increase in size. Accordingly, the present invention aims at providing a diffused gas aeration apparatus in which effluent and the like are purified and also foreign substances in gas are removed and collected with improving gas-liquid contact efficiency, and executing aeration, diffusion and reaction treatment extremely effectively, in an energy-saving and space-saving manner, at low cost and without the need for maintenance. Further, the present invention aims at providing a bioreactor capable of being used for highly efficient enzymatic reaction and micro-organic reaction.
Means for Solving the ProblemsA first diffused gas aeration apparatus of the present invention for solving the above-described problems is a diffused gas aeration apparatus including: a cylindrical passage tube substantially disposed vertically in which fluid passes in the longitudinal direction and in which a static mixer is provided, and a gas blowoff portion disposed on the lower end side of the passage tube, which gushes and supplies gas to the inside of the passage tube through a pneumatic dispatch line and in which a spray nozzle is provided; wherein gas is supplied to the gas blowoff portion of the pneumatic dispatch tube, liquid is introduced into the passage tube from the lower side of the passage tube, the gas and liquid flow upward in a parallel direction in the passage tube, and the gas and liquid come to gas-liquid contact inside the passage tube to be discharged into liquid from the upper end side of the passage tube. In such diffused gas aeration apparatus is disposed a static mixer which mixes and agitates fluid utilizing the flow energy of fluid requiring no mixture agitation power and is disposed a gas blowoff portion below the static mixer; and liquid is introduced from under the gas blowoff portion by means of the gushing energy. The gas and liquid flow in a parallel direction through the passage tube from the lower end side to the upper end side to be in gas-liquid contact and mixture, and then aeration, diffusion and reaction treatment are executed.
Further, a second diffused gas aeration apparatus of the present invention for solving the above-described problems is a diffused gas aeration apparatus including: a cylindrical passage tube substantially disposed vertically in which fluid passes in the longitudinal direction and in which a static mixer is provided, and a gas blowoff portion disposed on the lower part of the passage tube, which gushes and supplies gas to the inside of the passage tube and in which a static mixer is provided; wherein gas is supplied to the gas blowoff portion, liquid is introduced into the passage tube from the lower side of the passage tube, the gas and liquid flow upward in a parallel direction in the passage tube, and the gas and liquid come to gas-liquid contact and mixture inside the passage tube to be discharged from the upper end side of the passage tube into liquid.
Further, each of the static mixers disposed in the passage tube and disposed in the gas blowoff portion has a plurality of spiral blades which are either right twisted or left twisted to form a plurality of fluid passages, and the fluid passages are joined through an opening of blades in the longitudinal direction to each other, and the blades are formed of perforated boards.
Effect of the InventionAccording to the diffused gas aeration apparatus of the present invention, power consumption can be reduced considerably, because gas-liquid contact efficiency is improved. Further, time required for aeration, diffusion and reaction treatment is reduced by improving gas-liquid contact efficiency. Furthermore, since gas-supplying ability is improved by the unit area with respect to the diffused gas aeration apparatus, a large area in the horizontal direction is not required for installation, leading to saving the space and to reducing construction engineering costs and apparatus costs to be low. Further, the construction cost of air-supplying pipes or the like is lowered. Moreover, no shutdown of operation owing to clogging arises, so that maintenance costs and manufacturing management costs become low. Further, since no stagnant part (dead space) of fluid exists, enlargement of the apparatus is facilitated.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be explained referring to the attached drawings.
In addition, it is preferable that the gas blowoff portion be disposed in the range of 0.2 to 3 times the diameter of the static mixer 2 away from the lower end of the static mixer 2. Further, the liquid-introducing portion 6 may be used, with an opening provided in the tube wall at the lower part of the passage tube 1. With this, the circulating flow of liquid improves.
In this embodiment, by gushing and supplying gas (FG) from below the static mixer 2 in the upward direction from the spray nozzle of the gas blowoff portion 5 through the pneumatic dispatch line 4, the ascending force of rising gas (FG) generates air-lift effect, whereby gas (FG) which rises involving liquid (FL) introduced from the lower part of the passage tube 1 and the liquid (FL) flow in a parallel direction through the static mixer 2 to be made fine and be in gas-liquid contact by the mixture and agitation function and then are discharged into liquid, where aeration, diffusion or chemical reaction is executed. The above gas-liquid mixture and agitation operation are executed without power and with high efficiency. Hence, energy can be saved.
Embodiment 2 Similarly,
Similarly,
In a diffused gas aeration apparatus 21 thus constructed, by gushing and supplying gas (FG) from under the static mixer 17 in the upward direction from the gas blowoff portions 20 through the pneumatic dispatch line 19, liquid (FL) introduced from a liquid-introducing portion 22 on the lower end side of the passage tube 16 and rising gas flow in a parallel direction through the static mixer 17, so that gas-liquid contact proceeds in the same manner as described above.
In addition, by providing the gas blowoff portions 20 with static mixers to be used similarly to the second embodiment of the present invention, gas-liquid contact efficiency will further be improved. The number of gas blowoff portions 20 can be flexibly decided, depending upon the purpose.
Further, a passage tube 16 with a wide bore (500 mm or more in diameter) can be used, which enables gas-supplying ability per passage tube to improve a great deal, so that processing time can be shortened. Further, since the number of pneumatic dispatch lines arranged decreases, piping work costs and maintenance costs are also reduced to be low. Further, the enlargement of an apparatus can be facilitated.
Embodiment 4
In addition, preferably the diameter of the holes (26 and 32) provided in the blades 25 and 31 is in the range of 5 to 30 mm, and preferably the aperture ratio of the holes (26 and 32) is in the range of 5 to 80%. Further, preferably the rising rate of gas in the passage tubes (23 and 29) is in the range of 0.1 to 10 m/s, more preferably 0.5 and 5 m/s. Furthermore, preferably the twisted angle (spiral angle) of the blades 25 and 31 is 90°, 180° or 270°; however, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60° or the like can also be used. In the case where a passage tube with a wide bore (500 mm or more in diameter) is made, it is possible to make blades (25 and 31) of small twist angles such as 15° and 30°, and to connect three blades with the arrangement of 30°+30°+30°=90°, for example. By doing so, production and processing can be made easy, and the cost of production becomes low. It should be noted that it is possible to accordingly select an arrangement of blades of different twist angles.
Embodiment 5
In
A diffused gas aeration apparatus 81 is disposed at the bottom of an aeration tank 82 storing raw water, and includes a blower 83 and a pneumatic dispatch line 84 supplying air to the lower part of this diffused gas aeration apparatus 81, a raw water supplying line 85 supplying raw water, and a processed water discharging line 86 discharging processed water. Further, it is preferable that a liquid-introducing portion of the diffused gas aeration apparatus 81 be positioned at the distance of 50 to 200 mm away from the bottom of the aeration tank 82. In the diffused gas aeration apparatus 81 thus constructed, by means of air-lift effect generated by the ascending force of air supplied from the lower part of the diffused gas aeration apparatus 81 through the blower 83 and the pneumatic dispatch line 84, while flowing in a parallel direction through the diffused gas aeration apparatus 81, raw water and air are mixed and agitated, with oxygen in the air dissolved in the raw water and the raw water cleaned the number of times intended or repeatedly by aerobic microbes, and then are discharged from the processed water discharging line 86.
Additionally, preferably the supply rate of the amount of air which flows from the lower side to the upper side inside the diffused gas aeration apparatus 81 is, when the depth of water inside the aeration tank 82 is 2 to 6 m, in the range of 1800 to 21000 m3/m2·hour, and more preferably in the range of 3600 to 12000 m3/m2·hour. Further, when a diffused gas aeration apparatus 81 with a diameter of 150 mm is used, the area for aeration and agitation per piece of apparatus is 3 to 8 m2. Furthermore, the blowoff pressure of the blower 83 may be the sum of the underwater pressure and the pressure loss of the pneumatic dispatch line 84.
When comparing air-flow resistance of a conventional panel diffuser method to that of the method according to the present invention, the resistance by the method of the present invention is ⅕ to ⅗. Further, the compared results of performance of conventional methods A, B, and C in which static mixers provided inside diffuser pipes are used, with the method by the present invention is shown in Table 1. As shown in Table 1, according to the method of the present invention, the air-supplying ability per piece of apparatus is 100 Nm3/m2·Hr, whereas the conventional methods are 80, 12, and 17 Nm3/m2·Hr. Similarly, regarding the oxygen absorption efficiency: 13.5% against 8.3, 10.5, and 13.0%.
As is similar to the embodiment of the above described
It should be noted that the kind of gas supplied is not limited to the air, and inactive gasses such as nitrogen, helium, argon and carbon monoxide gas can be used accordingly. For example, diffusion processing can be performed with respect to oxygen which remains dissolved in liquid, by using nitrogen gas. Preferably, the supplying rate of gas to be supplied to the inside of the diffused gas aeration apparatus 87 is, when the depth of water inside the diffusion tank 88 is 1 to 3 m, in the range of 3600 to 18000 m3/m2·hour, and more preferably in the range of 7200 to 15000 m3/m2·hour.
Embodiment 11
A plurality of diffused gas aeration apparatuses 94 are disposed in predetermined positions in a cylindrical reaction tank 95, and below the diffused gas aeration apparatuses 94 is provided a pneumatic dispatch line 97 that supplies exhaust gas through a blower 96, and a new liquid supplying line 98 which supplies water or absorbed liquid, a discharging line 100 which discharges absorption liquid 99 to the outside of the reaction tank 95 and an exhaust line 101 which discharges exhaust gas that has been cleaned from the top of the reaction tank 95 are provided. In the diffused gas aeration apparatus 94 thus constructed, exhaust gas containing HCI, SOx, NOx, NH3, H2S, dust, etc. is supplied from under the diffused gas aeration apparatus 94 through the blower 96 and the pneumatic dispatch line 97 and is made to be in gas-liquid contact with an absorption liquid made of an alkaline solution such as NaOH, CaCO3, Ca(OH)2, Mg(OH)2, etc. or of an acid solution such as H2SO4, HCl, etc., making chemical reaction treatment proceed, then the result is dissolved or trapped in liquid, and waste gas cleaned is discharged into atmospheric air through the exhaust line 101.
In the case where this diffused gas aeration apparatus 94 is applied to the removal or trapping of foreign substances in waste gas, waste gas and liquid are mixed and agitated highly efficiently making short-time processing possible, in comparison with a gas-liquid contact method by means of conventional panel diffusers, diffuser pipes, etc. Further, improvement in processing speed leads to saving space and reducing apparatus costs. Furthermore, disposing the diffused gas aeration apparatus 94 with a wide bore (500 mm or more in diameter) improves processing capability and results in further space saving. Moreover, since a stagnant part (dead space) of fluid is unlikely to occur in the diffused gas aeration apparatus 94, the accretionary growth of calcium and the like can be prevented, which lowers maintenance costs.
Embodiment 12
A diffused gas aeration apparatus 102 is disposed in a predetermined position in a cylindrical bioreactor 103, and a pneumatic dispatch line 104 that supplies gas to the lower part of the diffused gas aeration apparatus 102, a raw liquid supplying line 105 which supplies raw liquid, a reaction product discharging line 106 which discharges reaction products, an exhaust line 107 which discharges gas from the top of the bioreactor 103 and a circulating liquid line 108 which circulates raw liquid from the liquid surface level of the bioreactor 103 to the lower part are provided. Further, in the bioreactor 103, either a catalyst supporting body 109 which supports enzymes or microorganisms, or a biocatalyst exists in liquid. In the diffused gas aeration apparatus 102 thus constructed, gas is supplied from the lower part of the diffused gas aeration apparatus 102 through the pneumatic dispatch line 104 by gas-providing means such as a blower, compressor, gas cylinder (not shown in the figure), etc., and raw liquid is supplied through the raw liquid supplying line 105 by supplying means such as a pump or pressurization.
Reaction products and gas are discharged to the outside by the reaction product discharging line 106 and the exhaust line 107. Further, raw liquid forms circulating flow from the liquid surface level to the lower part of the bioreactor 103 using the circulating liquid line 108. Gas and raw liquid flow in a parallel direction through the diffused gas aeration apparatus 102, and biological reaction proceeds by means of the biocatalytic function of enzymes or microorganisms in raw liquid. In the case where the diffused gas aeration apparatus 102 of the present invention is used as a bioreactor, the gas flow rate in the bioreactor can be operated in a high gas flow rate range of 0.1 to 5 m/s, in comparison with a conventional bubble column method, and high oxygen moving rate can therefore be obtained. Further, since the oxygen moving rate is equalized by agitating and making a flow rate distribution in the bioreactor even, dead spaces are prevented from occurring to enable a large-sized apparatus to be obtained, so that the amount of production will further be improved. Further, the channeling of gas can be prevented, and gas dispersion in highly viscous liquid can be improved. Furthermore, improvement in reaction speed leads to space-saving and energy-saving, and so the cost of production can be reduced. In addition the apparatus can be used as a gas-liquid reaction apparatus without using biocatalysts. In addition, in a conventional bubble column, the superficial speed of gas is in the range of 0.01 to 0.1 m/s.
As regards a conventional aeration processing apparatus 110, a number of panel diffusers 112 are provided at the bottom surface in an aeration tank 111, and air is supplied to a number of panel diffusers 112 through a blower 113 and a pneumatic dispatch line 114. The panel diffusers 112 are formed of minute perforated bodies, generating minute bubbles. The amount of blowoff air by conventional panel diffusers 112 is 50 to 400 L/min. Also, the air-flow resistance is 1000 to 3000 Pa.
Claims
1. A diffused gas aeration apparatus comprising: a cylindrical passage tube substantially disposed vertically in which fluid passes in the longitudinal direction and in which a static mixer is provided, and a gas blowoff portion on the lower end side of said passage tube, which gushes and supplies gas to the inside of said passage tube through a pneumatic dispatch line and in which a spray nozzle is provided; wherein gas is supplied to said gas blowoff portion, liquid is introduced into said passage tube from the lower side of said passage tube, said gas and liquid flow upward in a parallel direction in said passage tube, and the gas and liquid come in gas-liquid contact inside said passage tube to be discharged from the upper end side of said passage tube into liquid.
2. A diffused gas aeration apparatus comprising: a cylindrical passage tube substantially disposed vertically in which fluid passes in the longitudinal direction and in which a static mixer is provided, and a gas blowoff portion on the lower end side of said passage tube, which gushes and supplies gas to the inside of said passage tube through a pneumatic dispatch line and in which a static mixer is provided; wherein gas is supplied to said gas blowoff portion, liquid is introduced into said passage tube from the lower side of said passage tube, said gas and liquid flow upward in a parallel direction in said passage tube, and the gas and liquid come in gas-liquid contact inside said passage tube to be discharged from the upper end side of said passage tube into liquid.
3. A diffused gas aeration apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said static mixer has a plurality of spiral blades which are either right twisted (clockwise) or left twisted (counterclockwise), a plurality of fluid passages are formed inside said passage tube, said fluid passages are continuously joined to one another through an opening of blades in the longitudinal direction, and said blades are formed of perforated boards.
4. A diffused gas aeration apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the diameter of holes bored in said blades are in the range of 5 to 30 mm.
5. A diffused gas aeration apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the aperture ratio of holes bored in said blades is in the range of 5 to 80%.
6. A diffused gas aeration apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the rising speed of gas in said passage tube is in the range of 0.1 to 10 m/s.
7. A diffused gas aeration apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the rising speed of gas in said passage tube is in the range of 0.5 to 5 m/s.
8. A diffused gas aeration apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the twist angle (spiral angle) of blades is 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 90°, 180° or 270°.
9. A diffused gas aeration apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the supplying rate of the amount of air which flows from the lower side to the upper side inside said diffused gas aeration apparatus is, when the water depth inside an aeration tank is 2 to 6 m, in the range of 1800 to 21000 m3·hour.
10. A diffused gas aeration apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the supplying rate of the amount of air which flows from the lower side to the upper side inside said diffused gas aeration apparatus is, when the water depth inside an aeration tank is 2 to 6 m, in the range of 3600 to 12000 m3·hour.
11. A diffused gas aeration apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the supplying rate of gas which flows from the lower side to the upper side inside said diffused gas aeration apparatus is, when the water depth inside a diffusion tank is 1 to 3 m, in the range of 3600 to 18000 m3/m2·hour.
12. A diffused gas aeration apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the supplying rate of gas in a bioreactor, which flows from the lower side to the upper side inside said diffused gas aeration apparatus is in the range of 0.1 to 5 m/s.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 29, 2003
Publication Date: Mar 16, 2006
Inventor: Hisao Kojima (Kanagawa)
Application Number: 10/525,276
International Classification: B01D 47/02 (20060101);