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US 4,002,440 AGranted
Method and apparatus for operating on liquids and gases
OwnerRisto Saariinventor
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OwnerRisto Saariinventor
Estimating the term…
A method and apparatus for operating on liquids and gases to perform operations such as altering the extent to which a gas is contained in a liquid and pumping a gas, by means of a liquid, from a lower pressure to a higher pressure. A liquid is drawn upwardly along a suction tube from a first body of the liquid to an elevation substantially higher than this first body so as to reduce the hydrostatic head of the liquid, and from the suction tube the liquid flows back down a delivery tube to a second body of the liquid, an ejector being provided at the upper end region of the delivery tube for increasing the velocity of flow of the liquid while further reducing the pressure thereof. At the ejector a gas is combined with the liquid to be pumped thereby from a lower to a higher pressure, or a gas at a relatively higher pressure than the liquid at the ejector is combined with this liquid at the ejector to be at least partly dissolved into the liquid. In addition, at the upper end region of the suction tube it is possible to introduce the liquid into a separating chamber where gas separates from the liquid, and this gas is then returned to the liquid flowing down the delivery tube, so that in this way a gas is separated from the liquid and pumped thereby out of the separating chamber.
In a method for operating on liquids and gases, the steps of providing for a liquid a flow path upwardly along the interior of a first tube from a first body of said liquid and downwardly along the interior of a second tube, which communicates with the first tube and which together with the first tube and a connection therebetween is closed off from the outer atmosphere, to a second body of said liquid, while maintaining a continuous flow of said liquid upwardly along the interior of said first tube, through said connection, and downwardly along the interior of said second tube, while subjecting the liquid, at a location of said flow path near to and including at said connection a transfer region where the liquid flows continuously from the first to the second tube, to the influence of at least one of two factors including a predetermined hydrostatic head and an increase in flow velocity, for reducing the liquid pressure at said location as compared to the liquid pressure at said bodies of said liquid, combining with the liquid at said location a gas to be conveyed with the liquid downwardly along the second tube, delivering the gas to the liquid at said location from a source where the gas is at a pressure at least as high as the pressure of the liquid at said location but less than the pressure of the liquid at said bodies of said liquid, so that the gas is pumped to the second body of said liquid where the gas has a higher pressure, providing for the liquid a second flow path, from one to the other of said bodies of liquid, substantially the same as said first-mentioned flow path, while subjecting the liquid at the said location of said second flow path to the influence of at least one of said factors, and delivering additional gas from said source to the liquid at said location of said second flow path, so that the pumping of the gas is carried out in a plurality of stages.
In a method for operating on liquids and gases, the steps of providing for a liquid a flow path upwardly along the interior of a first tube from a first body of said liquid and downwardly along the interior of a second tube, which communicates with the first tube and which together with the first tube and a connection therebetween is closed off from the outer atmosphere, to a second body of said liquid, while maintaining a continuous flow of said liquid upwardly along the interior of said first tube, through said connection, and downwardly along the interior of said second tube, while subjecting the liquid, at a location of said flow path near to and including at said connection a transfer region where the liquid flows continuously from the first to the second tube, to the influence of at least one of two factors including a predetermined hydrostatic head and an increase in flow velocity, for reducing the liquid pressure at said location as compared to the liquid pressure at said bodies of said liquid, combining with the liquid at said location a gas to be conveyed with the liquid downwardly along the second tube, the gas initially being in the liquid as it flows upwardly along said first tube and at least partly separates from the liquid at said location, and including the step of combining the thus-separated gas with the liquid at said location so that the liquid carries downwardly to the second body of said liquid gas which has been separated from the liquid at said location.
In a method for operating on liquids and gases, the steps of providing for a liquid a flow path upwardly along the interior of a first tube from a first body of said liquid and downwardly along the interior of a second tube, which communicates with the first tube and which together with the first tube and a connection therebetween is closed off from the outer atmosphere, to a second body of said liquid, while maintaining a continuous flow of said liquid upwardly along the interior of said first tube, through said connection, and downwardly along the interior of said second tube, while subjecting the liquid, at a location of said flow path near to and including at said connection a transfer region where the liquid flows continuously from the first to the second tube, to the influence of at least one of two factors including a predetermined hydrostatic head and an increase in flow velocity, for reducing the liquid pressure at said location as compared to the liquid pressure at said bodies of said liquid, combining with the liquid at said location a gas to be conveyed with the liquid downwardly along the second tube, delivering the gas to the liquid at said location from a source where the gas has a higher pressure than the liquid at said location so that the gas becomes at least partly dissolved into the liquid as the latter flows downwardly to the second body of said liquid, said source being a gas space above said first body of said liquid.
In an apparatus for operating on liquids and gases, a pair of tank means for respectively containing bodies of liquid, suction tube means communicating with the interior of and extending upwardly from one of said tank means for drawing a liquid therefrom upwardly to an elevation substantially higher than said one tank means, delivery tube means communicating with the interior of and extending downwardly to the other of said tank means for delivering liquid to the interior of said other tank means, connecting means connecting both of said tube means at upper end regions thereof for providing communication between both of said tube means at said upper end regions thereof and for maintaining a continuous flow of liquid upwardly through said suction tube means, through said connecting means, and downwardly through said delivery tube means, said pair of tank means cooperating with said suction tube means and said delivery tube means and both of the latter tube means cooperating with said connecting means for providing for the liquid during continuous flow thereof a flow path which is closed off from the outer atmosphere, so that the liquid will flow continuously while closed off from the outer atmosphere upwardly through said suction tube means, through said connecting means, and downwardly through said delivery tube means from said one to said other tank means, and gas-combining means communicating with said delivery tube means at said upper end region thereof for combining a gas with the liquid flowing down said delivery tube means to said other tank means, an ejector means operatively connected with said delivery tube means at said upper end region thereof for increasing velocity of flow of the liquid returning through said delivery tube means to said other tank means, and said gas-combining means feeding a gas to said ejector means to be combined at the latter with the liquid flowing downwardly along said delivery tube means, said connecting means being a separating chamber in which gas separates from liquid delivered to said separating chamber by said suction tube means to be situated in said separating chamber above the liquid therein, the liquid flowing from the separation chamber downwardly along said delivery tube means through said ejector means, and said gas-combining means communicating with the interior of said separating chamber at the space above the liquid therein for delivering the gas separated from the liquid in said separating chamber to said ejector means.
In an apparatus for operating on liquid and gases, a pair of tank means for respectively containing bodies of liquid, suction tube means communicating with the interior of and extending upwardly from one of said tank means for drawing a liquid therefrom upwardly to an elevation substantially higher than said one tank means, delivery tube means communicating with the interior of and extending downwardly to the other of said tank means for delivering liquid to the interior of said other tank means, connecting means connecting both of said tube means at upper end regions thereof for providing communication between both of said tube means at said upper end regions thereof and for maintaining a continuous flow of liquid upwardly through said suction tube means, through said connecting means, and downwardly through said delivery tube means, said pair of tank means cooperating with said suction tube means and said delivery tube means and both of the latter tube means cooperating with said connecting means for providing for the liquid during continuous flow thereof a flow path which is closed off from the outer atmosphere, so that the liquid will flow continuously while closed off from the outer atmosphere upwardly through said suction tube means, through said connecting means, and downwardly through said delivery tube means from said one to said other tank means, and gas-combining means communicating with said delivery tube means at said upper end region thereof for combining a gas with the liquid flowing down said delivery tube means to said other tank means, said suction and delivery tube means and said connecting means therebetween forming a siphon, and said gas-combining means being a throttling means situated in said connecting means for throttling the flow of liquid through said connecting means from said suction tube means to said delivery tube means to provide downstream of said throttling means an increased liquid velocity which enhances separation of gas from the liquid to be combined therewith when flowing downwardly along said delivery tube means to said other tank means.
In an apparatus for operating on liquids and gases, a pair of tank means for respectively containing bodies of liquid, suction tube means communicating with the interior of and extending upwardly from one of said tank means for drawing a liquid therefrom upwardly to an elevation substantially higher than said one tank means, delivery tube means communicating with the interior of and extending downwardly to the other of said tank means for delivering liquid to the interior of said other tank means, connecting means connecting both of said tube means at upper end regions thereof for providing communication between both of said tube means at said upper end regions thereof and for maintaining a continuous flow of liquid upwardly through said suction tube means, through said connecting means, and downwardly through said delivery tube means, said pair of tank means cooperating with said suction tube means and said delivery tube means and both of the latter tube means cooperating with said connecting means for providing for the liquid during continuous flow thereof a flow path which is closed off from the outer atmosphere, so that the liquid will flow continuously while closed off from the outer atmosphere upwardly through said suction tube means, through said connecting means, and downwardly through said delivery tube means from said one to said other tank means, and gas-combining means communicating with said delivery tube means at said upper end region thereof for combining a gas with the liquid flowing down said delivery tube means to said other tank means, both of said tank means enclosing therein gas spaces above liquids therein, and said gas-combining means including a tube communicating with the gas space in said one tank means and with said ejector means for delivering gas from said space of said one tank means to said ejector means to be at least partly dissolved into liquid delivered by said delivery tube means to said other tank means.
In an apparatus for operating on liquids and gases, a pair of tank means for respectively containng bodies of liquid, suction tube means communicating with the interior of and extending upwardly from one of said tank means for drawing a liquid therefrom upwardly to an elevation substantially higher than said one tank means, delivery tube means communicating with the interior of and extending downwardly to the other of said tank means for delivering liquid to the interior of said other tank means, connecting means connecting both of said tube means at upper end regions thereof for providing communication between both of said tube means at said upper end regions thereof and for maintaining a continuous flow of liquid upwardly through said suction tube means, through said connecting means, and downwardly through said delivery tube means, said pair of tank means cooperating with said suction tube means and said delivery tube means and both of the latter tube means cooperating with said connecting means for providing for the liquid during continuous flow thereof a flow path which is closed off from the outer atmosphere, so that the liquid will flow continuously while closed off from the outer atmosphere upwardly through said suction tube means, through said connecting means, and downwardly through said delivery tube means from said one to said other tank means, and gas-combining means communicating with said delivery tube means at said upper end region thereof for combining a gas with the liquid flowing down said delivery tube means to said other tank means, a second delivery tube means communicating with the interior of said one tank means for delivering liquid thereto, ejector means operatively connected with an upper end region of said second delivery tube means, for increasing the speed with which liquid flows downwardly therealong to said one tank means, said gas-combining means including a source of gas at a pressure at least as high as the pressure of the liquid in both of said delivery tube means at said upper end regions thereof but less than the pressure of gas in both of said tank means above liquid therein, said source communicating with both of said ejector means, and pump means communicating with said other tank means and with said upper end region of said second delivery tube means for pumping liquid from said other tank means to said ejector means of said second delivery tube means, whereby gas is pumped in two stages from said source to the interior of both of said tank means while the liquid used for pumping the gas is recirculated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.