Oxygen Generation Device with Media Insert for Livewell
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current livewell systems in fishing boats are inadequate in maintaining oxygen levels for aquatic life, especially in warm water conditions, leading to high mortality rates due to oxygen deprivation and stress, as they rely on inefficient air pumping systems that produce large bubbles and generate harmful hydrogen gas during electrolysis.
Innovation Solution
A portable, low-voltage oxygen generator system that produces nearly pure oxygen in the form of microbubbles and nanobubbles, integrated with a livewell controller that automatically adjusts water temperature by replacing warmer water with cooler water to maximize oxygen saturation, using a combination of an oilless air compressor, super-cooler coil, and chemical scrubbing media to ensure optimal oxygen levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If air pumping systems are used to oxygenate water in livewells, then oxygen levels can be increased, but large bubbles are produced that rise too quickly to benefit aquatic life and surface tension is broken
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of bubble generation by using a diffuser plate with multiple small pores instead of traditional air pumps. This produces microbubbles with diameters of 0.5-2mm that rise slowly and maintain surface tension, allowing oxygen to dissolve into the water rather than escaping as large bubbles.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs a diffuser plate made of porous material with numerous small pores that distribute air into fine microbubbles. This porous structure is the key mechanism for generating bubbles small enough to benefit aquatic life while maintaining water surface tension.
2Quantity of substance
If electrolysis systems are used to generate oxygen, then oxygen levels increase, but harmful hydrogen gas is produced as a byproduct
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the beneficial oxygen component from air by using a nitrogen-absorbing media (zeolite) that selectively absorbs nitrogen, leaving concentrated oxygen to be delivered to the water. This eliminates the harmful hydrogen gas byproduct that would otherwise be generated by electrolysis systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses an inert nitrogen-absorbing media (zeolite) that selectively removes nitrogen from air, creating an oxygen-enriched environment without producing harmful byproducts. The zeolite acts as an inert substance that facilitates oxygen separation without chemical reactions that would generate hydrogen.
3Temperature
If water temperature increases in livewells, then warmer conditions are maintained, but oxygen holding capacity decreases leading to oxygen deprivation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the temperature parameter by introducing a water cooling system with thermoelectric modules that actively lower water temperature when it exceeds a set point. This maintains higher oxygen saturation levels while still allowing the system to function in various environmental conditions.
4Quantity of substance
If traditional air pumps are used, then oxygen is introduced into water, but the system generates noise and vibration that stress aquatic life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical air pumps with a diaphragm pump driven by an electric motor, and further replaces noisy electrolysis systems with a quiet nitrogen-absorbing media-based oxygen generation system. This substitution dramatically reduces noise and vibration levels, creating a stress-free environment for aquatic life.
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 system effectively super-oxygenates water without breaking surface tension, reducing fish mortality by maintaining higher oxygen levels and minimizing stress on aquatic life, while being safer and more energy-efficient than traditional systems.
Implementation Method 1
The compressed air flows through the nitrogen absorbing media, and the nitrogen absorbing media absorbs nitrogen from the compressed air when the compressed air is at a nitrogen absorbing air pressure greater than a nitrogen releasing air pressure
Implementation Method 2
an air cooling coil connected between the air compressor and the nitrogen absorbing media
Implementation Method 3
The oxygen generation device introduces the oxygen enriched air into an aqueous medium by sparging
Data Source
AI summary
An oxygen generation device having a compressed air supply device, air cooling coil, a fan, pneumatic valve system, a housing, at least one media insert, an on-off switch, a printed circuit board, and a touch screen. The pneumatic valve system includes an air inlet port, a first air outlet port connected to the inlet of the first media insert, a second air outlet port connected to the inlet of the second media insert. The air inlet port receives compressed air from the compressed air supply device and alternatingly provides the compressed air to one of the first media insert and the second media insert. The lower housing includes check valve ball moveable between the first position and the second position and alternatingly controlling a flow of compressed air through the first media insert and the second media insert.