Water treatment processes and devices utilizing hydrodynamic cavitation

A method for decreasing an amount of organic substances in a liquid, comprising:

• flowing the liquid through a locally-constricted area of a flow-through chamber;
• introducing an oxidizing agent into the liquid the locally-constricted area;
• forming cavitation bubbles based, at least in part, on flow of the liquid through the locally-constricted area, the cavitation bubbles enveloping or associating with at least some of the oxidizing agent;
• collapsing the cavitation bubbles in an elevated pressure zone to ionize at least some of the oxidizing agent;
• and
• partially oxidizing at least some of the organic substances in the liquid, and thereby decreasing the amount of at least some of the organic substances in the liquid.

A method of treating an aqueous fluid that contains organic contaminants, the method comprising:

• flowing the aqueous fluid through a flow-through chamber including a local constriction of flow;
• introducing at least one oxidizing agent at the local constriction of flow to mix the aqueous fluid with the at least one oxidizing agent;
• generating cavitation bubbles within the aqueous fluid, the cavitation bubbles containing and associated with at least some of the at least one oxidizing agent;
• collapsing the cavitation bubbles in an elevated pressure zone to create ultraviolet radiation, thereby exposing the oxidizing agent contained or associated with the cavitation bubbles to the ultraviolet radiation, thereby producing hydroxyl radicals;
• and
• reacting the hydroxyl radicals with at least some of the organic contaminants, thereby producing one or more of degradation and oxidation of at least some of the organic contaminants.

A method for decreasing a concentration of organic contaminants in a fluid, comprising:

• flowing the fluid through a cavitation reactor chamber that includes at least one local constriction of flow;
• introducing oxidizing agents that comprise one or more of a gas, a vapor, and a liquid into the cavitation reactor chamber at the local constriction of flow;
• forming cavitation bubbles based, at least in part, on flow of the fluid through the local constriction of flow, at least some of the oxidizing agents being contained within or associated with the cavitation bubbles;
• collapsing the cavitation bubbles in a zone of elevated pressure to produce plasma conditions which emit pulsed ultraviolet radiation, thereby exposing at least part of the oxidizing agents contained within or associated with the cavitation bubbles to the ultraviolet radiation, thereby at least partially ionizing at least some of the oxidizing agents and creating free radicals that perform one or more of, partial oxidation of at least some of the organic contaminants, and cleavage of one or more chemical bonds in at least some of the organic contaminants, thereby decreasing the concentration of the organic contaminants in the fluid.