Uniform Super-Fine Bubble Generation via Porous Membrane
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for generating gas bubbles in liquids, such as those used in sewage treatment, industrial cleaning, and biomedical applications, struggle with controlling the size and uniformity of bubbles, leading to inefficiencies in mass transfer and treatment processes.
Innovation Solution
A super-fine bubble generation apparatus utilizing a fine-array porous membrane with uniform pore sizes less than 100 μm and a high surface area-to-volume ratio, combined with a high-pressure liquid injection or ultrasound vibration device, to produce consistently sized super-fine gas bubbles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If existing foam materials are used to generate gas bubbles, then gas bubbles can be generated, but the pore sizes have large variation (>100%) leading to non-uniform bubble sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a precisely engineered porous membrane with controlled pore sizes to generate uniform gas bubbles. The membrane's porous structure allows gas to pass through with consistent dimensions, directly solving the problem of bubble size uniformity while maintaining manufacturability through established porous material fabrication techniques.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the critical parameter of pore size uniformity from >100% variation in existing foam materials to <10% variation in the invented membrane. This parameter transformation enables consistent bubble generation while the membrane can be manufactured using controlled porous material processes, resolving the contradiction between precision and ease of manufacture.
2Productivity
If large gas bubbles are used in liquid, then gas generation is achieved, but mass transfer efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments large gas bubbles into numerous small uniform bubbles through the porous membrane structure. This segmentation increases the total surface area of gas-liquid contact, thereby improving mass transfer efficiency while maintaining controlled bubble dimensions through the membrane's pore size specifications.
3Manufacturing precision
If high-pressure liquid injection is used to push bubbles through membrane, then super-fine bubbles are generated, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The porous membrane serves as an intermediary element between the gas source and liquid phase. It mediates the bubble generation process by controlling gas passage through its porous structure, enabling precise bubble size control without requiring complex high-pressure injection systems, thus reducing overall device complexity while maintaining precision.
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 apparatus generates uniformly sized super-fine gas bubbles that increase dissolved oxygen levels, facilitate deep skin cleansing, and produce therapeutic effects like heat and negative ions, enhancing the efficacy of treatments in various applications.
Implementation Method 1
a fine-array porous membrane with a specific surface area higher than about 410/mm... The fine-array porous membrane comprises a plurality of pores, wherein the plurality of pores have a size of less than about 100 μm
Implementation Method 2
a high-pressure liquid injection device, configured to apply a pressure on the liquid from the first side of the fine-array porous membrane through to the second side of the fine-array porous membrane
Implementation Method 3
an ultrasound vibration device, wherein the ultrasound vibration device is disposed on the first side of the fine-array porous membrane and at a position that directionally points at the fine-array porous membrane
Data Source
AI summary
A super-fine bubble generation apparatus includes a fine-array porous membrane and a device for generating substantially uniform, super-fine gas bubbles in a liquid. The fine-array porous membrane includes a plurality of pores having a substantially uniform size of <100 μm, with a variation of <20%. The super-fine gas bubbles generated by this apparatus can have a size of 50 nm-50000 nm, with a substantially uniform distribution with variations <20%. Applications of such super-fine bubble generation apparatus can include a skin cleansing device, or a teeth-cleaning device.