Apparatus and method for breaking up bubbles in a liquid flow
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsCheng-Hsiang Huang, Te-Yun Liu
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Abstract
The present invention discloses an apparatus and a method for breaking up air bubbles in a liquid flow which is conveyed in a fluid conduit by providing sharp protuberances on the inside wall of the conduit. The sharp protuberances break up large air bubbles into small air bubbles or micro-bubbles such that they can be easier disposed of after passing through a liquid dispensing nozzle. Various designs on the inner wall of the present invention fluid conduit can be provided as long as sharp protuberances exist for dividing the bubbles.
Claims19
An apparatus for breaking up bubbles in a liquid flow in a conduit comprising:
- a fluid conduit having generally an extended dimension in a longitudinal direction,
- said fluid conduit having a boundary constructed of an outer wall and an inner wall for containing a liquid being conveyed therein,
- said fluid conduit further having an inlet end in fluid communication with a fluid reservoir and an outlet end in fluid communication with a liquid dispensing nozzle, and
- said inner wall for said fluid conduit juxtaposed to said outer wall in construction and having sharp protuberances on its surface that contacts a liquid flow and a pitch between said protuberances, said pitch between said protuberance varies between a maximum value at said inlet end and a minimum value at said outlet end, whereby said protuberances break up bubbles contained in said liquid flow into micro-bubbles such that substantially all micro-bubbles pass through said liquid dispensing nozzle.
An apparatus for breaking up bubbles in a liquid flow being conveyed in a conduit comprising:
- a fluid conduit having a longitudinal axis and at least a first section and a second section connected together in a leak-proof manner along said axis,
- an inner wall in said first section of the fluid conduit constructed by a first series of protuberances having a first pitch between said first series of protuberances, and
- an inner wall in said second section of the fluid conduit constructed by a second series of protuberances having a second pitch between said second series of protuberances, said second pitch being smaller than said first pitch, whereby said first series and said second series of protuberances break up bubbles contained in said liquid flow into bubbles of sizes that are small sufficient to pass through a liquid dispensing nozzle connected to an outlet end of said second section of the fluid conduit.
A method for breaking-up bubbles in a liquid flow being conveyed in a fluid conduit comprising the steps of:
- providing a fluid conduit having generally a fluid conduit having generally an extended dimension in a longitudinal direction, said fluid conduit having a boundary constructed of an outer wall and an inner wall for containing a liquid being conveyed therein, said fluid conduit further having an inlet end in fluid communication with a fluid reservoir and an outlet end in fluid communication with a liquid dispensing nozzle, and said inner wall for said fluid conduit juxtaposed to said outer wall in construction and having sharp protuberances on its surface that contacts a liquid flow and a pitch between said protuberances, said pitch between said protuberance varies between a maximum value at said inlet end and a minimum value at said outlet end, whereby said protuberances break up bubbles contained in said liquid flow into micro-bubbles such that substantially all micro-bubbles pass through said liquid dispensing nozzle, and
- flowing said liquid flow containing bubbles through said fluid conduit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.