Solid-State Oxygen Concentrator for Nanobubble Irrigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a liquid treatment system that can efficiently generate oxygen nanobubbles in the field for various applications, including irrigation, soil aeration, and water quality improvement.
Innovation Solution
The system includes a housing with an oxygen nanobubble generator, a solid-state oxygen concentrator, a biological additive device, and an irrigation water outlet. The solid-state oxygen concentrator generates a high-pressure oxygen stream without a compressor, which is used to create oxygen nanobubbles in the irrigation water. The biological additive device can be used to enhance the benefits of the oxygen nanobubbles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If a traditional compressor is used to generate high-pressure oxygen stream, then the oxygen can be supplied to the nanobubble generator, but the system complexity and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical compressor system with a solid-state oxygen concentrator that uses electrical/field-based mechanisms to generate high-pressure oxygen streams. This substitution eliminates moving mechanical parts, reducing both energy consumption and system complexity while achieving the same functional outcome of delivering pressurized oxygen to the nanobubble generator.
Solution Approach 2:
The solid-state oxygen concentrator changes the operational parameters by generating oxygen at high pressure through electrical or magnetic field mechanisms rather than mechanical compression. This parameter change allows the system to achieve the required pressure levels without the complexity and energy costs associated with traditional compressors.
2Reliability
If oxygen nanobubbles are generated in irrigation water, then water quality and soil structure improve, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into an integrated irrigation water treatment device that houses the solid-state oxygen concentrator, nanobubble generator, and irrigation system components within a single unit. This merging of functions delivers oxygen nanobubbles to irrigation water while reducing overall device complexity compared to separate systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The irrigation water treatment device is designed as a multi-functional system that simultaneously concentrates oxygen, generates nanobubbles, and delivers treated water through irrigation outlets. This universal design achieves water quality improvement while minimizing the number of separate devices needed.
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 generates oxygen nanobubbles in irrigation water, improving soil structure, water retention, and root growth, while also reducing the need for chemical additives and enhancing overall water quality.
Implementation Method 1
The solid-state oxygen concentrator may include a concentrator housing and a ceramic core within the concentrator housing and configured to ionize air flowing therethrough, for example
Implementation Method 2
Oxygen nanobubbles are typically 70-120 nanometers in size, and about 2500 times smaller than a single grain of salt. Oxygen nanobubbles remain suspended and disperse to deliver oxygen throughout a liquid
Data Source
AI summary
An irrigation water treatment device may include a housing and an oxygen nanobubble generator carried by the housing and coupled downstream from an irrigation water supply for an irrigation area and having a first pressure. The irrigation water treatment device may include a solid-state oxygen concentrator carried by the housing and supplying an oxygen stream to the oxygen nanobubble generator at a second pressure higher than the first pressure. The irrigation water treatment device may also include a biological additive device carried by the housing for the irrigation water, and an irrigation water outlet carried by the housing and coupled downstream from the oxygen nanobubble generator.