This application relates to an ultra fine bubble production apparatus for producing ultra fine bubbles. The apparatus may include a container portion including a liquid and a gas, and a drive portion for pressurization in the container portion. In the pressurization, the time required for the pressure to reach the maximum pressure from the start of the pressurization can be 2.0 milliseconds or less, and the maximum pressure can be 4.00 MPa or more.

An aeration apparatus for aerating water discharged from a hydraulic turbine includes: a manifold disposed within a crown of a runner of the hydraulic turbine; a plurality of radial pipes extending radially from an outer perimeter of the manifold and in fluid communication with the manifold; and one or more air injectors having a first end disposed within an aeration pipe, each of the one or more air injectors having a second end extending into a nozzle at a first end of one of the radial pipes. Rotation of the aeration apparatus resulting from rotation of the runner causes pumping of water from the manifold through the radial pipes past the one or more air injectors, and water flowing past the one or more air injectors causes air to become entrained in the water. The radial pipes discharge the water and entrained air from the aeration apparatus.

An aerator has a submersible mixing tube having a water inlet and an aerated water outlet. An aspirating tube penetrates the mixing tube between the water inlet and the aerated water outlet, the aspirating tube having an air outlet introducing air into the mixing tube and an air inlet drawing in air from atmosphere above a water surface. The mixing tube has an outboard motor lower unit engagement to engage a lower unit of an outboard motor in use such that a propeller thereof locates entirely within the mixing tube with a midsection of the outboard motor extending from the engagement. As such, the propeller of the outboard motor lower unit thrusts water past the air inlet thereby creating suction at the inlet to draw air via the mixing tube to mix with the water to expel a plume of aerated water.

The present inventive concept relates to a venturi nozzle apparatus. Specifically, an embodiment of the present inventive concept provides a venturi nozzle apparatus which mixes water and a gas to dissolve the gas in the water, the venturi nozzle apparatus including a housing in which a flow pipe through which at least one of the water and the water in which the gas is dissolved selectively flows and a bypass pipe which communicates with the flow pipe to selectively bypass at least one of the water and the water in which the gas is dissolved flowing through the flow pipe are disposed, an injector unit which is detachably inserted into the flow pipe of the housing and configured to selectively receive the gas and the water to dissolve the gas in the water, and a valve member which is inserted into the bypass pipe of the housing and configured to cause at least one of the water and the water in which the gas is dissolved to flow to at least one of the flow pipe of the housing and the bypass pipe of the housing.

An apparatus has a plurality of gas transfer membranes. The apparatus floats in water with the membranes submerged in the water. To treat the water, a gas is supplied to the membranes and is transferred to a biofilm supported on the membranes or to the water. Gas is also used to supply mixing or membrane scouring bubbles to the water. The mixing or scouring bubbles can be provided by a cyclic aeration or other gas supply system, which optionally provides gas at a variable pressure to the membranes in parallel or series with an aerator. Condensates can be removed from the membranes, and exhaust gasses from the membranes can be monitored, optionally through one or more dedicated pipes.

A UV disinfectant system may include a chamber having a wall that is transparent to a disinfecting radiation. Liquid may be flowed through the chamber for treatment by exposure to the radiation. The chamber may include a static mixer having vanes to impede laminar flow of the liquid during treatment. The vanes extend into the flow path of the liquid through the chamber. A gap is defined between the vanes and the transparent wall. A cabinet may house the chamber and radiation emitting bulbs. Blowers may be operably coupled to a temperature sensor and flow meter and positioned at a lower end and upper end of the cabinet to urge air out of the cabinet. The temperature sensor may include a thermocouple. The blowers may be variable speed blowers. The system may include a controller to control system operations. The controller may be remotely accessible to monitor or control operations.

An apparatus has a plurality of gas transfer membranes. The apparatus floats in water with the membranes submerged in the water. To treat the water, a gas is supplied to the membranes and is transferred to a biofilm supported on the membranes or to the water. Gas is also used to supply mixing or membrane scouring bubbles to the water. The mixing or scouring bubbles can be provided by a cyclic aeration or other gas supply system, which optionally provides gas at a variable pressure to the membranes in parallel or series with an aerator. Condensates can be removed from the membranes, and exhaust gasses from the membranes can be monitored, optionally through one or more dedicated pipes.

This application relates to a method of treating wastewater wherein an oxygen infusion system is used to supersaturate wastewater before aerobic biological processes, wherein oxygen is transferred to the wastewater free of oxygen bubbles and achieves a reduction in power demand for the aeration process of wastewater.

Embodiments include microfluidic devices and related methods. A microfluidic device for producing microbubbles may include a first microfluidic channel for supplying a continuous phase fluid, the first microfluidic channel including a convergent section and a constant-width section downstream from the convergent section, wherein the constant-width section discharges into a junction; a second microfluidic channel for supplying a dispersed phase fluid, the second microfluidic channel including an orthogonal section oriented orthogonal to the constant-width section, wherein the orthogonal section discharges into the junction; and a third microfluidic channel for conveying produced microbubbles, the third microfluidic channel including a divergent section, wherein the junction discharges into the divergent section.

The invention relates to a method for monitoring and controlling the operation of a liquid flow generator (1) configured for operation in a tank (18) housing in a liquid comprising solid matter. The flow generator (1) comprises a propeller (3) and a main body (7) having a drive unit (4), wherein a control unit (4) is operatively connected to the flow generator (1) in order to monitor and control the operation of the flow generator (1), the method comprises the steps of: a) driving the propeller (3) in a normal direction of rotation, wherein the liquid flow is directed from an upstream side of the propeller (3) towards a downstream side of the propeller (3), wherein the main body (7) is located at the upstream side of the propeller (3), b) performing a cleaning sequence in response to a main body cleaning signal, wherein the cleaning sequence comprises the steps of: i) stopping the propeller (3) from rotating in the normal direction of rotation, ii) driving the propeller (3) in a reverse direction of rotation, wherein the liquid flow is directed from the downstream side of the propeller (3) towards the upstream side of the propeller (3) and along the main body (7) in order to remove any solid matter accumulated on the main body (7), and iii) stopping the propeller (3) from rotating in the reverse direction of rotation, c) resume driving of the propeller (3) in the normal direction of rotation.