Abstract: A system for forming mini microbubbles has a motor, a shaft attached to the motor, a displacer attached to the shaft for mixing a media with a liquid, a discharge plate positioned adjacent the displacer, a housing adjustably attached to the discharge plate, and a media chamber fluidly connected with the discharge plate. The motor rotates the shaft. The discharge plate has a discharge hole formed therein. The media chamber is fluidly connected to the discharge hole of the discharge plate. The discharge plate is positioned between the motor and the displacer. The displacer is positioned within the housing. The media chamber can be positioned between the motor and the discharge plate.

Abstract: A disc-shaped filter unit including a filter main body having a water absorbability and a holder having a non water absorbability is disposed in a vertical orientation, with a part of a circumferential portion thereof immersed in water reserved in a water tank, and is rotated by a rotation drive mechanism in a circumferential direction. The filter unit has an absorptive region and a non-absorptive region arranged adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction. Therefore, in accordance with rotation of the filter unit in the circumferential direction, a state where the absorptive region is immersed and the filter main body of the filter unit absorbs water through a water-conduction hole and a state where the non-absorptive region is immersed and water absorption of the filter main body is prevented by a watertight section having a non water absorbability are continuously alternated.

Abstract: De-entrainment devices for effectively removing entrained liquid from a vapor stream are disclosed. These de-entrainment devices are effective in distillation columns and other apparatuses comprising vapor-liquid contacting devices. Particular representative applications for these de-entrainment devices are in distillation (or fractionation) columns having co-current contacting modules, in which liquid and vapor enter into co-current flow channels of the modules. The de-entrainment devices can be used, for example, with non-parallel contacting stages or other types of high capacity trays.

Abstract: A floating oxygenation circulator platform (OCP) is disclosed employing sub-vortex induction means to initiate numerous, gentle yet complex, tumbling, swirling, rolling, roiling or rotating sub-vortices spreading outward on the liquid surface. The circulator platform itself sets in motion a non-turbulent, high efficiency, bottom to top, primary toroidal vortex flow. Varied sub-vortex induction means, mounted on, made part of, attached to, extending out from or placed around the body of the circulator platform, induce sub-vortices to increase the surface exposure of the liquid and its contents, including microbes, nutrients and large molecules, to atmospheric oxygen and UV sunlight. The OCP and its sub-vortex induction means taken together act in the manner of a Rotating Inverse Biological Contactor (RIBC), labeled “inverse” because the liquid itself rotates and tumbles its contents into direct contact with the atmosphere and sunlight, in contrast to RBC devices where solid disks rotate in and out of a liquid.

Abstract: A humidifier including a housing which is used to receive a humidifier module. The housing can be connected by the housing cover and is provided with at least one first sealing element, which seals the humidifier module in relation to the housing. The humidifier module is arranged in an axially displaceable manner on the first sealing element.

Abstract: The present invention provides a packing element comprising at least one sheet having a plurality of deformations, the sheet being operable to form a folded or helical configuration wherein adjacent portions of the at least one sheet are spaced to allow for flow of at least one of fluid, air and gas therebetween.

Abstract: A reactor produces a gas-in-liquid emulsion for providing increased interfacial contact area between the liquid and the gas for improved reaction of the gas with the liquid, or more rapid solution or reaction of a difficulty to dissolve or immiscible gas in or with a liquid. The reactor is suitable for a continuous or batch type process. Rotor and stator cylindrical members are mounted for relative rotation one to the other and have opposing surfaces spaced to form an annular processing passage. The gap distance between the opposing surfaces and the relative rotation rate of the cylindrical members are such as to cause formation of a gas-in-liquid emulsion of the gas in the liquid, as the liquid and gas pass through the processing passage.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system in which carbon dioxide is supplied to a pressure chamber of a molten resin preparing apparatus which has established a certain temperature environment to diffuse the carbon dioxide in a material synthetic resin in a molten state. After turning the material synthetic resin into a gas-dissolving-resin in the pressure chamber, the gas-dissolving-resin is supplied to a mold space of a molding apparatus for compression molding. The pressure inside the mold space is quickly lowered by raising an upper mold of the molding apparatus quickly, whereby a foamed article is produced from the gas-dissolving-resin in the mold space.

Abstract: A reactor produces a gas-in-liquid emulsion for providing increased interfacial contact area between the liquid and the gas for improved reaction of the gas with the liquid, or more rapid solution or reaction of a difficulty soluble or immiscible gas in or with a liquid. The reactor is suitable for a continuous or batch type process. Rotor and stator cylindrical members are mounted for rotation relative to one another and have opposing surfaces spaced to form an annular processing passage. The gap distance between the opposing surfaces and the relative rotation rate of the cylindrical members are such as to form a gas-in-liquid emulsion of the gas in the liquid. The liquid and gas pass through the processing passage, changing into the gas-in-liquid emulsion.

Abstract: The device of the invention comprises; a contact column 1A in which a test liquid flows from top to bottom and a vapor flows from bottom to top, a rotary shaft 9 which is inserted vertically in the contact column 1A, rotors 10 which are provided at different heights on the shaft, and which convert the test liquid into a thin film by centrifugal force and then discharge the test liquid from the outer periphery thereof, and trays 20 which receive the test liquid discharged from an upper rotor and guide the test liquid to the center of a lower rotor. The rotors 10 have furrows 13, which the test liquid flows over when the filmy test liquid flows out from the center of the rotor towards the outer periphery.

Abstract: In a method of and apparatus for producing sub-micron bubbles in liquids and slurries, gas is maintained on the interior of the gas permeable partition at predetermined pressure. Relative movement between the gas permeable partition and a liquid forms sub-micron sized bubbles in the liquid.

Abstract: A method for aerating wine comprises the steps of pouring wine into a container, placing the container on top of a stir plate, placing a stir bar inside the container, and changing a magnetic field within the stir plate so as to cause the stir bar to rotate within the container. The method may be used with either a flat bottomed bottle or decanter. In a preferred method, the stir plate is provided with a rotatable magnetic arm and a variable speed controller for controlling the speed at which the rotatable arm rotates.

Abstract: An apparatus 10 generates oxygenated water having a significantly reduced oxidation reduction potential (ORP). A carbon filter 100 removes particulate impurities from the water as it comes into the apparatus. A water softener 150 removes minerals from the water. A reverse osmosis unit 200 further cleans and purifies the water, removing any additional solids, and almost all the minerals and chlorides. A blender 250 adds a precisely measured amount of sodium bicarbonate or sodium carbonate to the water, thereby making it somewhat electrically conductive. The purified water having a measured quantity of sodium bicarbonate is stored in a tank 300 which also includes a recirculating pump 350 which keeps the water moving. By keeping the water moving, the minimum level of sodium bicarbonate required for electrical conductivity may be used. A pump 400 moves the water into an electrolysis cell 450, where current passing through the water separates a small amount of water into hydrogen and oxygen.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a mixer for mixing two fluids, the mixer comprising a power source (5) with a rotating transmission shaft (7), a hollow rotor (6) to be submerged in a first fluid (8) and arranged to rotate with the shaft, wherein at least one end of the rotor comprises an opening or openings for supply of a second fluid (9) to the hollow rotor (6), and jet openings (10) are provided in the side surface of the rotor through which the second fluid (9) is discharged into the first fluid (8) surrounding the rotor. To achieve a better operating efficiency, the mixer has a tight liquid seal (14) shaped to cover and isolate substantially the entire portion of the rotor that is above the first fluid.

Abstract: Apparatus for maintaining the condition of cutting fluids in a machine tool sump and for the removal of tramp oil from the cutting fluid has a pump to draw cutting fluid from the machine tool sump and transfer the fluid to an auxiliary tank where the fluid outlet is directed to drive a turbine wheel for rotation of a shaft and simultaneously aerate the cutting fluid. Drums on the shaft are partially submerged so as to be wetted by the tramp oil content. Wiper blades bear against the drum surfaces to strip the tramp oil from the drums as they rotate. A collecting trough is positioned below the wiper contact line to receive the tramp oil as it is stripped from the drum and drain it off to a waste container. In this manner, the cutting fluid is in constant circulation, even when the machine tool is idle.

Abstract: Apparatus for maintaining the condition of cutting fluids in a machine tool sump and for the removal of tramp oil from the cutting fluid has a pump to draw cutting fluid from the machine tool sump and transfer the fluid to an auxiliary tank where the fluid outlet is directed to drive a turbine wheel for rotation of a shaft and simultaneously aerate the cutting fluid. Drums on the shaft are partially submerged so as to be wetted by the tramp oil content. Wiper blades bear against the drum surfaces to strip the tramp oil from the drums as they rotate. A collecting trough is positioned below the wiper contact line to receive the tramp oil as it is stripped from the drum and drain it off to a waste container. In this manner, the cutting fluid is in constant circulation, even when the machine tool is idle.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the transfer of mass with the aid of rotating surfaces. The fluid with which an exchange or transfer is to be made is introduced in parallel in one or more gaps or channels defined between the rotating surfaces. Rotation of the surfaces causes the major part of the fluid flow to pass through a rotating, flow mechanical boundary layer adjacent the rotating transfer surface in laminar or turbulent flow.

Abstract: A tank holds a pool of liquid coolant in which spaced, rotatable disks are partially submerged. An air flow is established over exposed portions of the disks, preferably parallel thereto, whereby coolant adhering to the disks upon rotating out of the coolant pool is partially evaporated and the disks and remaining adhering coolant have their temperature lowered and serve to cool the coolant pool upon reentry into the pool from the air space above. A fluid to be cooled is passed through tubes mounted in the tank, below the surface of the liquid coolant, parallel to the surfaces of the disks. Adjacent rows of tubes define spaces therebetween, each of which receives the submerged portion of at least one disk. The evaporative cooler may be used in a refrigeration apparatus in combination with a compressor and an evaporator.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for refining waste water. The apparatus includes a housing having an inlet for receiving the waste water and an outlet for delivery of refined water; a cylindrical drum member rotatably mounted in the housing, the drum member having a radial thickness t between inside and outside surfaces thereof, a multiplicity of circularly cylindrical passages being formed in the drum member, the passages having a passage diameter d of approximately 0.75 inch, at least a portion of each passage terminating with the outside surface at a corner radius r of not more than approximately 0.002 inch; a vent for admitting air into the housing; and a drive for rotating the drum to a peripheral speed of at least 1000 feet per second, whereby molecules of the waste water are physically separated from the contaminants for forming the refined water, the refined water flowing from the outlet.

Abstract: A centrifugal film bioreactor useful for processing both shear sensitive and shear requiring or tolerant cells. A liquid phase is directed upward in a guide tube to rotating truncated conical surfaces which transport the liquid phase across their surfaces. After leaving the conical surfaces, the liquid passes through a gaseous phase and may contact the wall of the fermentation vessel and then combine with the downward moving liquid phase in the lower part of the fermentation vessel, where it circulates. The maximum entrainment of the gaseous phase into the liquid phase occurs while the liquid phase is passing through the gaseous phase. Different configurations of guide tube propellers and fermentation vessel, allow for processing of different shear tolerant cells.

Abstract: An air purifier with perfume dispensing control, comprising a base plate which has a controller and an air pump, a stepped cap mounted on said base plate at the top for holding a plurality of perfume dispensers, a rotary table mounted on said stepped cap and said perfume dispensers at the top, a hood for securing said stepped cap, said perfume dispensers and said rotary table to said base plate, a trigger arm assembly controlled by an electromagnet to alternatively move back and forth causing said rotary table to rotate, and a stop arm assembly to stop said rotary table from reverse rotation. Compressed air from the pump is alternatively delivered to the perfume dispensers while the rotary table is caused to rotate, causing the perfume dispensers to give off different pleasant smells.

Abstract: A bio-reactor system where cell growth microcarrier beads are suspended in a zero head space fluid medium by rotation about a horizontal axis and where the fluid is continuously oxygenated from a tubular membrane which rotates on a shaft together with rotation of the culture vessel. The oxygen is continuously throughput through the membrane and disbursed into the fluid medium along the length of the membrane.

Abstract: A wheel-like apparatus for the generation of whirling flow and a fluidized bed under zero gravity conditions having spokes which contain at least one reaction chamber for solid particles. Gas is fed into the chamber in radial inward direction for fluidizing action of the particles against any centrifugal force while liquid is sprayed into the chamber radially inwardly or outwardly. Gas plus vaporized liquid is extracted from the chamber in radial inner points and the gas is circulated back after separating the vapor from the gas.

Abstract: A counter-flow square type cooling tower is provided with a sprinkler. The sprinkler has four horizontally extending sprinkler pipes. A plurality of water spraying openings are formed along the axial direction of each of the sprinkler pipes to spray cooling water downwardly, and at least one spraying opening is formed at the free end of each of the sprinkler pipes to spray the cooling water outwardly.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for distilling a liquid mixture to separate a volatile vapor fraction therefrom. The liquid is forced to flow along a meander-like path through a plurality of concentrically arranged chambers of a rotating drum. In the radially outermost chamber, a heating unit is provided which brings the liquid to a boiling temperature to allow formation of vapor. The liquid thus freed of volatile constituents is then discharged from the outermost chamber in which the liquid is subjected to a maximum centrifugal acceleration while the vapor moves radially inwardly under the action of the centripetal force to the innermost chamber from where the vapor containing volatile constituents is discharged.

Abstract: A fog generator comprises a duct which is preferably vertical and very tall, an air mover for moving air down through the duct, an air director which includes a spout to direct the air emerging from the duct in a substantially horizontal stream in a chosen direction away from the duct and a fog generator which generates a fog into the moving air preferably after the air has left the spout. The spout is preferably rotatable in a horizontal plane. The invention enables a generated fog to be placed where required by the air stream in which it is entrained rather than relying on natural wind drift.

Abstract: A foam generator conventionally consisting of a hollow stator (1) with a coaxial internal rotor (2) together forming an annular mixing chamber. Both stator and rotor are being provided with alternative rings of polygonal pins (4, 3) reaching within the mixing chamber, each pin having at least two ribs 11 creating a vortex trail during generation. The rate of occupancy of the pins (4, 3) is such that within a cross-sectional range for the mixing chamber between 40-90 cm.sup.2, the quotient: ##EQU1## amounts at least to 1.5 and is preferably between 2.4 and 3.0.

Abstract: The apparatus includes a housing that is divided into two parallel passages. A fan in one passage causes air from the outside of a building to flow through one of the passages into the building and a fan in the other passage causes air to be exhausted from inside the building to the outside. A flapper valve prevents entrance of air into the building through either passage when the fans are not operating. A series of media disks, two embodiments of which are disclosed, constitute successive stages, picking up heat and/or moisture from one passage and transferring the heat and/or moisture to the other passage as the disks are rotated within recesses formed in stationary separators. A special drive mechanism is utilized for rotating the disks. Provision is also made for spraying the disks in order to clean them and/or to control the humidity within the building.

Abstract: An evaporative carburetor has a normally pressure-tight chamber which houses an evaporator tray to which a fuel supply delivers gasoline. A first air passage in the carburetor chamber communicates from a first, automatically-valved, air inlet to pick up gasoline particles and vapor from the evaporator tray. A second air passage communicates from the evaporator tray to a mixing region and includes a particle arrester. A heater maintains the evaporator tray and the second passage above a selected temperature. A second, externally-controlled, valved inlet feeds air to the mixing region, and a third air passage communicates from the mixing region to a throttled output port. An aqueous control liquid is injected into the air stream in the third passage.

Abstract: An apparatus in which air in a room such as sickroom, aseptic working room etc. is fed to an water-spraying cyclone to remove dusts and microbes and make air humid, and fed the resulting air to a temperature-regulating cyclone to remove water droplets and regulate a temperature as required, and then fed thus obtained temperature-regulated air to said room for circulation of the air through this system.Using this microbe-removing and air-conditioning apparatus, it is possible to obtain an air of desired temperature and humidity, and at the same time supply an air from which microbes have been completely removed and which is most appropriate for sickroom, operating room etc.

Abstract: A gas transfer system adapted to dissolve a gas or other compressible fluid in a relatively non-compressible liquid such as waste water with a minimum expenditure of energy. The system makes use of a drum divided by radial vanes into liquid chambers. Rotation of the vanes causes the chambers to rotate about the central axis of the drum whereby in the course of every operating cycle, each chamber is brought into operative relation with the respective interfaces of an inflow station, a gas transfer station and an outflow station. At the inflow station, raw liquid to be treated is fed into the chamber then in operative relationship therewith to produce a liquid batch therein. Concurrently, at the transfer station another batch of raw liquid in the chamber then in operative relation therewith is subjected to pressurized gas to effect the absorption of the gas by the liquid.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for treating liquid sewage as effluent with oxygen-containing gas. The liquid is circulated firstly through a tubular compression coil which is rotated about a vertical axis, and secondly through a tubular decompression coil which is also rotated about a vertical axis. The oxygen-containing gas is supplied to the liquid as it passes through the compression coil.

Abstract: A static heat-and-moisture exchanger core comprises an enclosed shell structure having a plurality of heat-and-moisture transfer members statically disposed therein in superposed and spaced-apart relationship defining between each two adjacent members a static flow path. The shell structure has a box-shaped configuration having four side walls and contains numerous pairs of aligned openings in opposed side wall portions each pair opening into one of the flow paths. Each heat-and-moisture transfer member is composed of either Japanese paper or asbestos paper having a thickness of from 0.05 mm to 1.0 mm whereupon the laminations are heat conductive and moisture permeable to effect continuous and simultaneous heat and moisture exchange between two air streams flowing through alternate ones of the flow paths.

Abstract: Clinical testing means for determining pH dependent body fluid substances. In vivo ionized calcium concentration is obtained by withdrawing a blood specimen, determining the pH of the serum when withdrawn from the body and later, determining the in vivo ionized calcium concentration at the original pH. The pH of the serum is adjusted to the original pH by equilibration with carbon dioxide after which the ionized calcium concentration is directly electrically measured. Alternately, the original ionized calcium concentration is extrapolated or interpolated by making two different pH adjustments, electrically measuring calcium ion concentration, graphing the points obtained on semi-log paper to form a straight line graph from which the original calcium ion concentration can be obtained knowing the original serum pH.