Shear flow nanobubble generator

A system comprising:

• a gas source;
• a pump;
• and
• a nanobubble generator including a fluid inlet to receive a fluid, a fluid channel coupled to the fluid inlet, a gas inlet coupled to the gas source to receive a gas from the gas source, a nanobubble generator outlet, the nanobubble generator further including a porous component disposed adjacent to the fluid channel, the porous component including:
• a chamber coupled to the gas inlet;
• a surface across which the fluid in the fluid channel flows;
• and
• a plurality of gas-permeable openings extending from the chamber to the surface;
• wherein a gas pressure and a pressure provided by the pump cooperate to shear nanobubbles from the plurality of gas-permeable openings to form a bubble solution in the fluid channel including nanobubbles and dissolved gas;
• wherein the nanobubble generator further includes an expansion region, disposed between the porous component and the nanobubble generator outlet, through which the fluid flows after flowing through the fluid channel past the porous component, wherein the expansion region is larger in at least one dimension than the fluid channel in the same at least one dimension and operates to allow bubbles to separate from each other within the fluid while flowing through the expansion region.