Air Floatation Machine Spiral Inlet and Venturi Injection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional air floatation machines have high water and power consumption, mechanical complexity, and mud accumulation at the pool bottom, along with the need for expensive multiphase dissolved air pumps and exhaust gas hoods.

Innovation Solution

A high-efficient air floatation machine design featuring a spiral water input pipeline, return pump, inflation pipeline, and dissolved gas pipeline, with a closed air floatation pool structure, chemical addition ports, and adjustable output pipelines to facilitate quick mixing, automatic scum removal, and reduced power consumption, eliminating the need for mixers, scrapers, and expensive pumps.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional air floatation machines use multiphase dissolved air pumps, then air floatation function is achieved, but equipment cost increases and power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveair floatation functionVSAvoidequipment cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical multiphase dissolved air pump system with a gas injection system that directly introduces air into the flotation pool. This substitution eliminates the need for expensive and complex multiphase pumps while maintaining the air floatation function through direct air injection and natural mixing processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts and removes the multiphase dissolved air pump component from the system entirely. By taking out this expensive and complex mechanical device, the system achieves air floatation through simpler and more cost-effective means, reducing both equipment cost and maintenance requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Productivity

If conventional air floatation machines use mixers and scrapers, then mixing and scum removal functions are achieved, but water consumption increases and power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemixing and scum removal functionVSAvoidpower consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements self-service mechanisms where the system uses its own operational processes to achieve mixing and scum removal without external mechanical assistance. The injection of air and chemicals creates natural convection and mixing currents, while the flotation process itself causes scum to rise to the surface where it can be removed passively, eliminating the need for powered mixers and scrapers.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses pneumatic injection of air and hydraulic flow of chemicals through the spiral pipeline to achieve mixing and flotation functions. The pressurized air and chemical injection create turbulence and mixing without mechanical mixers, while the resulting flocs naturally float to the surface for removal, replacing mechanical scrapers with fluid dynamics-based separation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #29Pneumatics and hydraulics

3Productivity

If conventional air floatation machines use mechanical devices, then mixing and separation functions are achieved, but mud accumulation at pool bottom occurs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveseparation functionVSAvoidmud accumulation
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses continuous hydraulic flow and pneumatic air injection to maintain constant movement and suspension of particles in the water. This prevents settled mud accumulation at the pool bottom by keeping the fluid in constant motion, allowing only light flocs to float to the surface for removal while heavier particles remain suspended or are flushed out with the continuous flow.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #29Pneumatics and hydraulics

4Reliability

If conventional air floatation machines use compressed air injection, then air floatation is achieved, but compression at input pipeline is required causing high power consumption

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveair floatationVSAvoidpower consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes the air compression system from the input pipeline. Instead of compressing air beforehand and injecting it through compressed pipelines, the system introduces air directly into the flotation pool where it mixes with the water and chemicals, eliminating the energy-intensive compression step while maintaining effective air floatation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The design achieves low water and power consumption, mud-free operation, and automatic scum removal, reducing equipment costs and complexity while preventing exhaust gas spills, thereby enhancing the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of sewage treatment.

Implementation Method 1

the inflation pipeline comprises a manual globe valve a, a liquid flow meter, a Venturi tube, a pipe mixer and a manual valve b sequentially coupled to one another, and the Venturi tube is matched and coupled to an external penetrating gas flow meter through an air pipe

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectVenturi effect: Venturi Effect

Implementation Method 2

the dissolved gas pipeline comprises a check valve, a manual globe valve b, a dissolved gas pressure regulation can and a manual globe valve c sequentially coupled to one another; the outlet of the return pump is matched and coupled to the check valve

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectGas dissolution under pressure: Absorption (physical)

Implementation Method 3

a spiral water input pipeline, has a chemical addition port a disposed at a water inlet and an end matched and penetrated to the air floatation pool body

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSpiral flow turbulence: Turbulence

Implementation Method 4

highly-dispersed tiny bubbles are formed in water and used for adhering solid or liquid particles of the hydrophobic groups in sewage to form a three-phase (water-air-particle) mixture. After the particles are adhered to the air bubbles, flocs with a surface density smaller than that of water are formed and float up to water surface

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAir floatation: Froth Floatation

Data Source

PatentEP3594186B1Highly efficient air floatation machine and method
Publication Date: 2021.09.15 NINGBO SHANGFUYUAN ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION TECH CO LTD
  • EP3594186B1 patent drawingFigure 1

AI summary

A minimal high-efficient air floatation machine includes an air floatation pool body (11), a spiral water input pipeline (22), a return pump (31), an inflation pipeline (33) and a dissolved gas pipeline (41). Upper and lower ends of the air floatation pool body (11) are cones having a scum output pipeline (27) and a height adjustable water output pipeline (27). The spiral water input pipeline (22) has chemical addition ports (a), (b). By mixing chemicals with the sewage at high speed in the water input pipeline (22), a quick fully-mixed effect is achieved. The scum output pipeline (27) is disposed at the top of the upper cone of the air floatation machine for adjusting the height adjustable water output pipeline (27) to output scum automatically. The outlet of the return pump (31) has the inflation pipeline (33) and dissolved gas pipeline (41). The inflation pipeline (33) enters into the inlet of the return pump (31) to achieve automatic inflation after air is sucked into the Venturi tube (36).