Bubble lift system and bubble lift method
US9719528B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 27, 2012 |
| Grant date | Aug 1, 2017 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 26, 2033 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF04F1/18
- WIPO fieldChemical engineering
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
In a bubble lift system, a pressurized chamber at an upper end portion of a riser pipe applies a pressure to an upper portion inside the riser pipe to suppress an increase in the volume ratio of bubbles to a fluid mixture rising inside the riser pipe in a shallow water region. The upper end of the riser pipe is not opened to the atmosphere but is inserted into the pressurized chamber under a high pressure to thereby prevent expansion of the bubbles and gas. In addition, a deaerator for discharging bubbles separated by a centrifugal force is also provided in a middle portion of the riser pipe in a shallow water region to distribute the bubbles more evenly inside the whole riser pipe. The bubble lift system and a bubble lift method thus provided are efficient and employable even in a deep water region.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.