Ultrafine bubble generating apparatus and ultrafine bubble generating method
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsToshio Kashino, Yoshiyuki Imanaka, Masahiko Kubota, Akitoshi Yamada, Akira Yamamoto, Yumi Yanai, Teruo Ozaki, Hiroyuki Ishinaga
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Provided is a UFB generating apparatus that can achieve compactness, power saving, and low cost. To this end, a liquid containing unit for supplying a liquid to a UFB generating head is fluidly linked to the UFB generating head at a position higher than the UFB generating head in a direction of gravitational force.
Claims18
An ultrafine bubble generating apparatus comprising:
- an ultrafine bubble generating head capable of generating ultrafine bubbles by causing film boiling in a liquid in a flow channel;
- and
- a liquid containing unit fluidly linked to the ultrafine bubble generating head at a position higher than the ultrafine bubble generating head in a direction of gravitational force and capable of supplying the liquid to the ultrafine bubble generating head, wherein
- the liquid flows through the flow channel in the ultrafine bubble generating head due to a difference in hydraulic head between the ultrafine bubble generating head and the liquid containing unit.
An ultrafine bubble generating method comprising, in a state wherein a liquid containing unit is fluidly linked at a higher position in a direction of gravitational force to an ultrafine bubble generating head that includes a flow channel and a heater element,
- flowing the liquid from the liquid containing unit through the flow channel using a difference in hydraulic head between the ultrafine bubble generating head and the liquid containing unit;
- and
- causing film boiling in the liquid flowing in the flow channel by heating the heater element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.