A method is provided for producing fine-bubble water by resonance foaming and vacuum cavitation, and a device for manufacturing each of ultra-fine-bubble water of hydrogen gas having a reducing radical function, ultra-fine-bubble water of air and oxygen gas having an oxidizing radical function, ozone ultra-fine-bubble water having a sterilization function enabled by ozone, and fine-bubble water of nitrogen/carbon dioxide gas for increasing the ability to preserve the freshness of raw agricultural products, livestock products, and marine products.

Apparatuses and methods for generating a chemical gradient within a flow channel include providing at least one bubble support structure within the flow channel. A bubble support structure helps maintain a bubble at a predetermined location in flow channel when a fluid flow passes therethrough. Oscillations are induced in the bubble using acoustic waves, which may be provided by a piezoelectric transducer located proximate the flow channel. Two or more inlets provide fluids of different chemical compositions into the flow channel, and bubble oscillations are used to generate a dynamically controllable mixing process.

The proposed multifunctional hydrodynamic vortex type reactor includes —a housing having curvilinear inner sidewalls, —a base attached to the housing, an inverse taper narrowing downward and attached to the top of housing, —a supporting tube passing at least through the housing and base, —a set of washers tapered downward and mounted on an outer surface of the supporting tube such that outer upper edges of the set of washers and the inner sidewalls form predetermined gaps therebetween, and —a number of inlets tangentially attached to the base for introducing, under external pressure, a solid substance and a liquid (or a suspension of their mixture) thereinto, forming a circulating flow therein. The flow forms a high speed bypassing cavitation zone and, changing its direction at the inverse taper, forms a vortex cavitation zone, providing for mixing and grinding the substance up to nanoscale sizes. Methods for intensifying cavitation are also provided.

The proposed multifunctional hydrodynamic vortex type reactor includes —a housing having curvilinear inner sidewalls, —a base attached to the housing, an inverse taper narrowing downward and attached to the top of housing, —a supporting tube passing at least through the housing and base, —a set of washers tapered downward and mounted on an outer surface of the supporting tube such that outer upper edges of the set of washers and the inner sidewalls form predetermined gaps therebetween, and —a number of inlets tangentially attached to the base for introducing, under external pressure, a solid substance and a liquid (or a suspension of their mixture) thereinto, forming a circulating flow therein. The flow forms a high speed bypassing cavitation zone and, changing its direction at the inverse taper, forms a vortex cavitation zone, providing for mixing and grinding the substance up to nanoscale sizes. Methods for intensifying cavitation are also provided.

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for providing asymmetric oscillations to a container. The container may include a fluid, a particle, and/or a gas. A vibration driver attached to the container provides asymmetric oscillations. A controller connected to the vibration driver controls an amplitude, frequency, and shape of the asymmetric oscillations. An amplifier amplifies the asymmetric oscillations in response to the controller. A sensor disposed on the vibration driver provides feedback to the controller.

There is provided methods and systems for disaggregation and deagglomeration of small scale materials such as carbon nanotubes by cavitation of a treatment substance. The treatment substance may be a substance such as CO.sub.2 which is capable of undergoing phase changes. Systems must be capable of withstanding high pressures, and cavitation may be done by ultrasound, mechanical agitation, injection of a jet stream, or other methods. Materials treated via the methods of the invention may be removed without the use of chemical surfactants or other chemical modification means, and may be further used in a battery.

Provided is an UFB generating apparatus and an UFB generating method capable of efficiently generating an UFB-containing liquid with high purity. To this end, the ultrafine bubble generating apparatus includes a pre-processing unit that performs predetermined pre-processing on a liquid W and a generating unit that generates ultrafine bubbles in the liquid on which the pre-processing is performed. The generating unit generates the ultrafine bubbles by causing a heating element, which is provided in the liquid on which the pre-processing is performed, to generate heat to generate film boiling on an interface between the liquid and the heating element.

A bubble generation device includes: a metallic narrow tube (10) through which water passes; and a pump that pressure-feeds the water containing a gas component into the metallic narrow tube (10). A drawer (11) in which a path through which the water passes is narrower than the front and the rear thereof in the flow direction of the water is disposed on the inside of the metallic narrow tube (10). The drawer (11) has the rectangular cross section orthogonal to the flow direction. The gas component contained in the water is dissolved in the water by pressure-feeding the water to the drawer (11), bubbles are evolved due to a decrease in pressure in the drawer (11), turbulent flow is generated in the water in the drawer (11) to crush bubbles in the water by the shearing force thereof, and bubbles are crushed by a shock wave caused by transonic flow occurring in the water that has exited from the drawer (11).

This chemical analysis device is provided with: a plurality of ultrasonic elements; a waveform generator which generates an ultrasonic waveform; a determiner which determines the positions and the number of ultrasonic elements to be driven from among the plurality of ultrasonic elements; a variable matching circuit which, on the basis of the determination result, matches impedance between the waveform generator and each of the ultrasonic elements to be driven; and a switch which selects the ultrasonic elements to be driven from among the plurality of the ultrasonic elements.

External sonication, which is a technique by which ultrasonic energy is applied externally to a cartridge containing the sample, is contemplated herein. External sonication can be performed by a sonicator external to a sample contained within a cartridge. The cartridge can include sonication particles to enhance sonication or cavitation within the sample. A sonication algorithm can also be used to increase sonication efficiency.