Cruising aeration apparatus and method

#The present application is based on, and claims priority from, Taiwan Application Serial Number 93130783, filed Oct. 11, 2004, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

#The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for circulating water in an aquatic pool, and more particularly, to a cruising aeration apparatus and a cruising aeration method, in which the cruising aeration apparatus (CAA) can reciprocate backwards and forwards continually by adjusting the direction or magnitude of the counterforce resulting from the ejection of water jets of the two sides of the apparatus (CAA).

#Aquatic pools, fishponds or fishing farms usually requires aeration devices to maintain the concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO), which is absolutely necessary and important to the breathing of aquatics, underwater organisms and microorganisms, the stabilization of water quality, and the ecological balance of aquatic pools. Microorganisms have to absorb dissolved oxygen from the water to decompose the redundant organic material and to perform nitrification, which transforms ammonia of higher toxicities into nitrous or nitric acid (NO2−, NO3−) of lower toxicities. A paddlewheel, a typical conventional aeration device, splashes the water into the air by its vane wheels driven by a motor, and it increases the exposed time and surface area between the water droplets and air, so as to achieve the purposes of aeration and increasing the dissolved oxygen.

#FIG. 1 is the top view of a cruising aeration apparatus in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

#FIG. 2 is the front view of a cruising aeration apparatus in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

#FIG. 3 is the enlarged schematic diagram of the main portion of a cruising aeration apparatus in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

#The present invention discloses a cruising aeration apparatus and a cruising aeration method. Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the cruising aeration apparatus of the present invention comprises an aeration device 1, which, at least, includes a filter 11, a plurality of nozzles 12, a pair of pontoon device 13 and a water pump 14. The filter 11 is located under the pontoon device 13. The water is first filtered by the filter 11, then is pressurized by water pump 14 and is finally ejected through the nozzles 12. The nozzles 12 were designed to atomize water into small droplets and to generate counterforce to push the cruising aeration apparatus. Referring to FIG. 3, the numbers of the nozzles on the aeration device 1 at the front side and the rear side of the traveling route are different. It should be noted that larger counterforce may be achieved by increasing the number or the diameter of nozzles 12 or by injection water at directions close to axis of the traveling route. A motorized or motorized valve 15 was used to turn on/off of the nozzles at the side of larger counterforce.

#The numbers of the nozzles 12 on the left side and the right side of the traveling route are the same. The nozzles 12 are preferably installed with an upward inclination angles of between 15 and 40 degrees to achieve longer aeration time and longer ejection distance, and, therefore, higher aeration efficiency is therefore, achieved. Referring to FIG. 2, the aeration device 1 is floated on the water surface by the pontoon device 13, and the device 1 can balance itself due to a low positions of its center of gravity. The water is pressurized by thee water pump, and the ejection of water through the nozzles 12 provide counterforce to drive the aeration device 1.

#The aeration apparatus includes two ropes 2 to limit the movable range of the aeration device 1. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the ropes 2 are respectively connected to the left side and the right side of the traveling route of the aeration device 1, and the ropes 2 are extended or contracted following the movement of the aeration device 1.