JPS6366279B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus for creating a gas vortex ring in a liquid, which is used in aquariums, domestic aquariums, fish farms, sewage treatment facilities, and the like.

Traditionally, tropical fish tanks, fish farms, etc. have been used to collect spherical or jellyfish shapes from nozzles placed in the water, in order to increase the oxygen concentration in the water or to keep it constant, and in tropical fish tanks, for the purpose of ornamentation. An air or oxygen supply device is provided to generate bubbles. However, these bubble generators do not have good efficiency in dissolving oxygen into water, considering the amount of air or oxygen supplied and the size of the device. Furthermore, underwater bubbles do not provide any particular enjoyment as ornamentals.

Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for creating a swirl ring of gas in a liquid, which greatly increases the dissolution efficiency of gases such as air and oxygen into liquid.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for creating a gas vortex ring in a liquid, which generates a strong upward flow in the liquid to perform forced circulation of the liquid.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a device for creating a gas vortex ring in a liquid, which gives a sense of mystery to the viewer and is used for ornamental purposes.

Next, the present invention will be explained with reference to embodiments. 1st
The figure illustrates one embodiment of the invention. In the figure, numeral 11 is a cylindrical support tube, and the upper end opening of this support tube 11 is integrally formed with a peripheral flange 13 extending radially outward, and the lower end opening is provided with a lead weight plate 15. is inserted.
Further, an appropriate number of liquid flow ports 17 are provided in the body of the support tube 11. A cylindrical accumulator 19 having the same diameter is mounted on this support tube 11 in a sealed manner via a circular diaphragm 21 made of an elastic material such as rubber. That is, the diaphragm 2 is disposed between the lower peripheral flange 23 integrally formed at the lower opening of the accumulator 19 so as to extend radially outward and the peripheral flange 13 of the support cylinder 11.
The periphery of 1 is held in place and fastened using nuts and bolts. A dome-shaped protection plate 25 having porous holes is installed inside the body of the support tube 11 to prevent the diaphragm 21 from expanding excessively outward (downward) and bursting. Accumulator 19
An upper peripheral flange 27 extending radially outward is integrally formed in the upper opening, and a disc-shaped cover plate 29 made of a transparent acrylic plate is attached to the upper peripheral flange 27 via a rubber O-ring (not shown). It is secured using bolts and nuts in a sealed state. This cover plate 29 is provided with a gas inlet 31 which is connected by well-known connection means 33 to a conduit 35 through which a gas such as air or oxygen is connected to a land-based pressurized gas source (not shown). and is sent into the accumulator 19. Cover plate 29
A gas outlet 37 is provided in the center of the holder, and a cylindrical nozzle 39 (when not in use) made of an elastic material such as rubber or synthetic resin is placed over the gas outlet 37 in a sealed state. This nozzle 39 is designed to have elasticity so that when it is used at a predetermined water pressure, it closes in a sealed state upon receiving water pressure. In other words, nozzle 39 acts as a check valve. Gas outlet 3
A solenoid valve 41 is connected to the inner end of the valve 7, and this solenoid valve 41 is connected to a direct current on land via a valve operating device 43 (FIG. 2) having an electromagnetic relay and a delay circuit (not shown). . This valve operating device 4
3 is housed in the accumulator. The valve operating device 43 is connected to a limit switch 45, which is a detection device for detecting the position of the diaphragm 21. This limit switch 45 is attached to the inner wall of the accumulator 19 so that its plunger 47 is pressed when the movable portion 21A of the diaphragm 21 is in the return position shown by the dashed line in FIG. The accumulator 19 and the support tube 11 are made of corrosion-resistant materials such as stainless steel and synthetic resin.
In this embodiment, it is made of vinyl chloride resin. In this embodiment, the diaphragm 21, limit switch 45, and valve operating device 43 constitute a valve operating device.

To explain the operation of the above embodiment, the vortex ring generating device is placed at a predetermined position at a water depth of about 3 to 30 m with the nozzle facing upward. In this example, it is placed at a depth of 3 m below the water surface. Assuming the inoperative state, nozzle 39 is hydraulically closed and diaphragm 21 is in the return position shown in dash-dotted lines in FIG. When pressurized gas from a pressurized gas supply source is introduced into the accumulator 19 from the gas inlet 31 to increase the pressure inside the accumulator 19, the diaphragm 21 expands, and the movable portion 21A of the diaphragm 21 separates from the plunger 47 of the limit switch 45. Limit switch 45 is activated. As a result, the limit switch 45 gives a signal to close the contact to the electromagnetic relay of the valve operating device 43, so that the electromagnetic valve 41 is energized and opened. This signal also activates the delay circuit of the valve operating device 43 at the same time. Therefore, the pressurized gas in the accumulator 19 passes through the gas outlet 37 to the hydraulically closed nozzle 39.
As a result, the nozzle 39 opens momentarily as shown in FIG. 3 and releases pressurized gas into the water. When the pressurized gas is released, the pressure inside the accumulator 19 drops rapidly, so that the diaphragm 21 returns from the expanded position shown by the solid line in FIG. 1 to the return position shown by the dashed line. When or before the diaphragm 21 returns to this return position, in this experimental example, the delay circuit operates to open the contact of the electromagnetic relay approximately 0.1 to 1 second after the limit switch 45 is actuated, so that the electromagnetic valve 41 is The energization is cut off and the solenoid valve 41 is closed. Therefore, the supply of pressurized gas from the gas outlet 37 to the nozzle 39 is stopped and the nozzle is instantaneously closed by the water pressure, forming a vortex ring.
The above operation of the vortex ring generator is repeated unless the gas supply from the gas supply source is stopped.

Experiments have shown that the following conditions are necessary to form a vortex ring.

(a) The gas pressure inside the accumulator 19 is slightly higher than the surrounding water pressure, approximately 50 to 150 mmAq.
Depending on the case, the pressure may be increased to about 300 mmAq. to instantly discharge a certain amount of pressurized gas from the nozzle 39.

(b) When gas is discharged from the nozzle 39, the flow velocity of the gas flow at the center of the nozzle is made larger than the flow velocity at the periphery, and the gas is rotated from the inside to the outside as shown in FIG.

(c) Provide the nozzle with a structure that prevents bubbles from forming and water from entering immediately before and after releasing gas.

In the above example, the ambient water pressure is 50mmAq.
A high-pressure air mass was released instantaneously from the nozzle, and a vortex ring was continuously generated as shown in Figure 3. These vortex rings rotated upward from the inside to the outside at high speed, and their diameter increased significantly near the water surface. Furthermore, two adjacent vortex rings were observed to pass through each other. The trailing vortex ring became smaller in diameter than the leading vortex ring, rose faster, and finally passed through the leading vortex ring. Furthermore, it was observed that the vortex rings that formed earlier passed through the vortex rings that formed later. A strong upward water flow passing through the center of the vortex ring was also observed.
This rising water flow is guided by the vortex ring, the buoyancy of the vortex ring,
and the kinetic energy imparted to the vortex ring.

FIG. 4 shows yet another embodiment of the invention. This example is a limit switch 45
This embodiment differs from the first embodiment described above in that a solenoid valve 41 is disposed between a conduit 35 connected to a pressurized gas inlet 31 of an accumulator 19 and a pressurized gas supply source (not shown). . In this embodiment, the solenoid valve 41
and a valve operating device 43, which is a valve operating device, are arranged on land. This valve operating device 43 includes, in addition to the above-mentioned electromagnetic relay, a timer that operates the electromagnetic relay at every set time.

In this second embodiment, the solenoid valve 41 remains open when the device is in the inactive state. Opening the valve of the pressurized gas supply starts the timer of the valve operating device 43 while pressurized gas enters the accumulator 19 through the solenoid valve 41 . As a result, the pressure in the accumulator 19 increases, causing the diaphragm 21 to expand and the nozzle 39 to open against the surrounding water pressure, forming a vortex ring. When the pressurized gas is released, the pressure inside the accumulator 19 drops rapidly, so that the diaphragm 21 returns from the expanded position shown in FIG. 4 to its return position (not shown). When or before the diaphragm 21 returns to this return position, the timer is activated to close the contacts of the electromagnetic relay, and the solenoid valve 41 is actuated and closed. As a result, the supply of pressurized gas to the accumulator 19 is stopped, and the nozzle 39 is instantaneously closed by the water pressure, thereby forming a vortex ring. Thereafter, the timer turns OFF and the solenoid valve 41 is opened.
The above operation is repeated unless the supply of pressurized gas is stopped by closing the valve of the pressurized gas supply source.

Although the diaphragm 21 is used in the second embodiment, it is not necessarily necessary.

FIG. 5 shows yet another embodiment of the invention.
This third embodiment differs from the previous embodiment in that the accumulator 19 is provided with two gas outlets 37 and 37. Each outlet 37 is covered with a nozzle 39. In this embodiment, it has been experimentally confirmed that two horizontally adjacent vortex rings formed by the nozzles 39 and 39 attract each other to form a large vortex ring.

Modifications of the nozzle are illustrated in FIGS. 6-8. This nozzle 51 has a dome-shaped main body 53
It is made up of a lip-like valve portion 55 integrally formed at its distal end so as to communicate with the main body. The nozzle 51 is formed by integrally molding an elastic material such as rubber or synthetic resin, and the valve portion 55 has a length of about 3 to 25 mm. 6A to 7 show a state in which the nozzle 51 is closed, and FIGS. 8A and 8B show a state in which the nozzle 51 is opened. The valve part 55 of the nozzle 51 allows the nozzle to be closed completely liquid-tight.

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, water or other liquid can be forcedly circulated by the upward flow of liquid formed by the vortex ring. Furthermore, by forming a gas vortex ring in water or other liquids, the rate of gas dissolution is significantly increased compared to conventional gas dissolution devices, such as oxygen dissolution devices. This is because the vortex ring has a high contact pressure and has a large surface area and rotates at high speed, so it has a large contact area with the surrounding liquid. Additionally, various gases can be used to form the vortex ring. Therefore, fish breeding, fish farming,
The present invention can be applied to water treatment such as activated sludge method and prevention of bad odors, and dissolution of various gases into liquids. Furthermore, in addition to the interesting behavior of the vortex ring described above, the vortex ring can be colored by using a gas containing colored smoke or by underwater lighting, so the present invention can be used as a gas supply device for interior decoration equipment such as a tropical fish tank. be able to.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional side view of the right half of an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the operating mechanism of the solenoid valve shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 shows the vortex ring generation mechanism. Explanatory drawings, FIG. 4 is a side view showing the right half of another embodiment of the invention in cross section, FIG. 5 is a front view showing the third embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 6A is another embodiment of the nozzle. FIG. 6B is a plan view of the nozzle of FIG. 6A, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 6B of the nozzle fitted into the gas outlet of the accumulator. FIG. 8A is a plan view showing the nozzle in FIG. 6A in an open state, and FIG. 8B is a longitudinal sectional view of the nozzle in FIG. 8A. 19...Accumulator, 21...Diaphragm, 31...Gas inlet, 37...Gas outlet, 39
... Nozzle, 41 ... Solenoid valve, 43 ... Valve operation device, 45 ... Limit switch, 51 ... Nozzle.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An accumulator having a gas inlet and a gas outlet for introducing pressurized gas from a pressurized gas supply source, an elastic nozzle attached to the gas outlet of the accumulator, and a gas in the accumulator. A solenoid valve provided on the inlet side or the gas outlet side that allows pressurized gas to be supplied from the pressurized gas supply source to the nozzle, and a valve operating device that opens and closes the solenoid valve when the inside of the accumulator reaches a predetermined pressure. A device that creates a vortex ring of gas in a liquid. 2. In the device for creating a gas vortex ring in a liquid according to claim 1, the valve operating device includes a diaphragm attached to the opening of the accumulator so as to close the opening, and a detection device for detecting the position of the diaphragm. and a valve operation device that opens and closes a solenoid valve when the inside of the accumulator reaches a predetermined pressure in response to an electrical signal from the detection device. 3. In the device for creating a vortex ring of gas in a liquid according to claim 1, the valve operating device includes a timer that is set to operate when the inside of the accumulator reaches a predetermined pressure, and an electrical connection to the solenoid valve. A device consisting of an electromagnetic relay that is connected to an electromagnetic relay and that opens and closes an electromagnetic valve according to the operation of the above-mentioned timer.