A system and method is described for providing different levels of carbonated water on demand. The system includes a pressurized chamber to hold at least one of water and carbonated water, a gas canister to dispense carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) into the pressurized chamber, a controller to control the dispensing of the CO.sub.2 according to level of carbonation required and a valve to vent excess gas from the pressurized chamber after carbonation.

A tank on a firefighting aircraft initially is loaded with water. A polymer gel emulsion vessel is provided on the aircraft, but is not activated and mixed with tank water until such polymer gel preparation is initiated by an operator. When initiated, a pump pulls water from the tank and doses it with gel emulsion. Double elbows and/or the pump impeller fully activates the polymer gel. The activated polymer gel is mixed within the tank by one of a variety of systems including mixing paddles or sparging with gas. In one embodiment, a hollow tower of telescoping form has a float to keep an upper end near a surface in the tank and a sparging gas entry is a controlled distance below the surface, such that gas of limited pressure, such as from a ram air inlet can sparge and mix the water and activated polymer gel emulsion effectively.

A method for separating a vapor from a carrier gas is disclosed. An air-sparged hydrocyclone is provided with a porous sparger covered by an outer gas plenum. A cryogenic liquid is provided to the tangential feed inlet at a velocity that induces a tangential flow and a cyclone vortex in the cyclone. The carrier gas is injected into the air-sparged hydrocyclone through the porous sparger. The vapor dissolves, condenses, desublimates, or a combination thereof, forming a vapor-depleted carrier gas and a vapor-enriched cryogenic liquid. The vapor-depleted gas is drawn through a vortex finder while the vapor-enriched cryogenic liquid is drawn through an apex nozzle outlet. In this manner, the vapor is removed from the carrier gas.

A method for separating a vapor from a carrier gas is disclosed. A hydrocyclone is provided with one or more nozzles on the wall of the hydrocyclone. A cryogenic liquid is provided to the tangential feed inlet at a velocity that induces a tangential flow and a cyclone vortex in the hydrocyclone. The carrier gas is injected into the hydrocyclone through the one or more nozzles. The vapor dissolves, condenses, desublimates, or a combination thereof, forming a vapor-depleted carrier gas and a vapor-enriched cryogenic liquid. The vapor-depleted gas is drawn through the vortex finder while the vapor-enriched cryogenic liquid is drawn through the apex nozzle outlet. In this manner, the vapor is removed from the carrier gas.

Disclosed herein are powder mixing apparatuses and methods that utilize the deagglomerizing and mixing effects of an air flow that impacts a flowing powder. The resulting powder can have smaller particle sizes and/or exhibit a more homogenous mixture than the premixed powder.

An ingredient blending apparatus is disclosed which blends a plurality of ingredients into a homogeneous blend. The apparatus includes a container which receives various ingredients in a prescribed amount. A vacuum motor has its intake side in communication with the interior of the container to suck the ingredients from the container and blow the same into a blending chamber. The ingredients blown into the blending chamber are mixed and recycled into the vacuum motor and the blending chamber until the ingredients are properly mixed or blended. When the ingredients are properly mixed or blended, they may be sent to an ingredient collection apparatus.

The present invention is directed to an applicator having an agricultural product mechanical conveying system which transfers particulate material from one or more source containers to application equipment on demand, and meters the material at the application equipment. The conveying system includes a pneumatic agitation system operably connected to the tanks of the applicator to agitate the particulate material disposed within the tanks in order to reduce the formation of agglomerations and/or bridges of particles within the tanks. The pneumatic agitation system includes a number of nozzle connected to each tank that are in turn connected to a pressurized air source and a controller. The controller is operable to selectively cause pressurized air to flow into the tanks through the nozzles to agitate the particulate material positioned therein, thereby breaking up and agglomerations of material within the tanks.

A gas sparger produces an intermittent flow of bubbles even if provided with a continuous gas flow. The sparger has a housing to collect a pocket of gas and a conduit to release some of the gas from the pocket when the pocket reaches a sufficient size. The housing is integrated with the potting head of a module. The conduit passes through the potting head.

An assembly made up of a pump, a container and an augmented fluid-recirculating system for increased working fluid agitation, and a method of agitating a liquid within a containeras well as dispensing such a liquid from the containerwhere the liquid has been subjected to such augmented agitation prior to such dispensing. The pump cooperates with the fluid-recirculating system that includes an eductor such that the liquid resident within the container may be recirculated in a manner to promote its own agitation. In addition, air or a related fluid may be passively introduced upstream of the pump such that it also may pass through the eductor. In one form, the assembly defines a closed-loop system such that the air or other gas already present in the container may be introduced selectively, while in another form, the assembly defines an open-loop system that retrieves air from a local external environment. In either case, the introduction of such air or related gas may be selective, thereby permitting an operator to dictate if such air should be recirculated. In addition, the use of a diaphragm pump helps avoid damage to the portions of the pump that are exposed to a mixed phase fluid flow made up of the air and recirculated liquid.

A pulsed gas mixing apparatus is provided. The pulsed gas mixing apparatus may include a mixing plate having a top side that is substantially smooth, and a bottom side that includes a plurality of ribs. The pulsed gas mixing apparatus may also include a supply tube configured to be coupled to the mixing plate and supply a mixing gas that is used to mix the contents a container in which the pulsed gas mixing apparatus is installed.