Process for the separation of substances from a liquid and device for effecting such a process
OwnerWolfgang Stuckartinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for the flocculation, precipitation, agglomeration or coagulation of substances or microorganisms present in a liquid in a dissolved, colloidally dissolved, suspended or emulsified state and a device for carrying out the process. The respective liquid is exposed to one or several fields of stationary ultrasonic waves, the ultrasonic frequency f being higher than one seventh of a cutoff frequency fo which depends on the kinematic viscosity of the liquid and the effective radius of the particles present in the liquid. The device includes an ultrasonic treatment tank which receives the liquid to be purified and is provided with an ultrasonic transducer radiating the ultrasonic waves to an opposing reflecting surface.
Claims23
Process for the agglomeration of a substance present in a liquid in an unagglomerated state and for separating said agglomerated substance from said liquid, comprising:
- subjecting said liquid charged with the substance in an unagglomerated state to be separated to a field of stationary ultrasonic waves, the liquid charged with the substance in an unagglomerated state flowing at an approximately right angle to the horizontal direction of the propagation of ultrasound through at least one field of stationary ultrasonic waves having an ultrasonic frequency f greater than one seventh of the frequency fo, the frequency fo being defined as follows:
- fo (Hz)=0.4775 n/R.sup.2
- wherein n stands for the kinematic viscosity of the liquid in m.sup.2 /s and R is the effective particle radius in m until an accumulation of agglomerated particles separates in the vibration node regions or vibration bulge regions of the ultrasonic wave field, and
- separating the agglomerated particles thus accumulated from the liquid by way of sedimentation.
A device, having an ultrasonic treatment chamber, through which a liquid to be treated flows, said device provided with an ultrasonic transducer which generates a stationary field of horizontally propagating ultrasound waves in the ultrasonic treatment chamber at approximately at right angle to the direction in which liquid flows, said stationary ultrasonic waves having an ultrasonic frequency f greater than one seventh of the frequency fo, the frequency fo being defined as follows:
- fo (Hz)=0.4775 n/R.sup.2
- wherein n stands for the kinematic viscosity of the liquid in m.sup.2 /s and R is the effective particle radius in m, and said ultrasonic treatment chamber is formed by a vessel in the form of a straight cylinder in which a cylindrical, radially oscillating ultrasonic transducer is coaxially installed.
A device, having an ultrasonic treatment chamber, through which a liquid to be treated flows, said device provided with an ultrasonic transducer which generates a field of stationary ultrasound waves in the ultrasonic treatment chamber at approximately a right angle to the horizontal direction in which liquid flows, said stationary ultrasonic waves having an ultrasonic frequency f greater than one seventh of the frequency fo, the frequency fo being defined as follows:
- fo (Hz)=0.4775 n/R.sup.2
- wherein n stands for the kinematic viscosity of the liquid in m.sup.2 /s and R is the effective particle radius in m.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.