Field of the disclosure

The disclosure relates to a fluid suspension tube for fluid treatment applications such as for example but not necessarily: launch of immediate chemical reactions, reduction of retention time, chemistry control by hermetic treatment, energy conversion from kinetic to pressure based, mixing, dissolving, chemical and ionic bond breaking by cavitation, pretreatment for mechanical and/or chemical separation, and pretreatment for flotation and/or filtering.

Background

Treatment forced by kinetic energy is a feasible and widely used method to achieve desired and demanded chemical reactions in fluids such as for example water, waste water, air, or their blend. Particularly, the kinetic energy can be applied in mixing, dissolving, cavitation, pretreatment for mechanical and/or chemical separation, and pretreatment for flotation and/or filtering. Kinetic energy for treatment of the kind mentioned above can be created by converting pressure of fluid to the kinetic energy. In conjunction with many kinetic fluid treatments of the kind mentioned above, a retention time that is needed for desirable chemical reactions is relatively long, from minutes to hours. After the treatment, the kinetic energy of the fluid is often demanded to be converted at least partially back to pressure. The kinetic energy could be easily and beneficially converted to mechanical and/or electrical power, but typically this is not a desired operation in case of fluid treatments. The kinetic energy can be converted to pressure by a pump, but this causes additional capital, maintenance, and energy costs. Furthermore, this might be even impossible when the treated fluid contains a significant portion of gas.

When designing a device or a system for kinetic fluid treatment of the kind mentioned above, typical design targets are, among others, energy efficiency in accelerating the fluid to increase the kinetic energy of the fluid, advantageous conditions for the desired reactions in the fluid, and energy efficiency in converting the kinetic energy of the accelerated fluid to pressure after the treatment. Furthermore, a retention time that is needed for the desirable reactions is advantageously short to achieve an effective treatment process.

In view of the above-mentioned design targets, there is still a need for new designs of devices and systems for kinetic fluid treatments of the kind mentioned above. Summary

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some embodiments of the invention. The summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is neither intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention nor to delineate the scope of the invention. The following summary merely presents some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description of exemplifying embodiments of the invention.

In this document, the word“geometric” when used as a prefix means a geometric concept that is not necessarily a part of any physical object. The geometric concept can be for example a geometric point, a straight or curved geometric line, a geometric plane, a non-planar geometric surface, a geometric space, or any other geometric entity that is zero, one, two, or three dimensional.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a new fluid suspension tube for fluid treatment applications such as for example but not necessarily: launch of immediate chemical reactions, reduction of retention time, chemistry control by hermetic treatment, energy conversion from kinetic to pressure based, mixing, dissolving, chemical and ionic bond breaking cavitation, pretreatment for mechanical and/or chemical separation, and pretreatment for flotation and/or filtering.

A fluid suspension tube according to the invention comprises: - at least one intake tube section comprising a throttle or a nozzle for accelerating a fluid flow received at the intake tube section,

- a fluid suspension chamber connected to the intake tube section, a transitional region from the intake tube section to the fluid suspension chamber forming an enlargement of a cross-sectional flow area for slowing down the accelerated fluid flow, and

- an outtake tube section connected to the fluid suspension chamber and for conducting the fluid flow out from the fluid suspension chamber, wherein the enlargement is shaped to be stepwise in a joint region between the intake tube section and the fluid suspension chamber and the enlargement is shaped to be more gentle sloping after the joint region than in the joint region.

In a process taking place in the above-described fluid suspension tube, accelerated fluid portions hit earlier arrived fluid portions slowed down in the fluid suspension chamber because the above-mentioned enlargement is shaped to be stepwise in the joint region between the intake tube section and the fluid suspension chamber and the enlargement is shaped to be more gentle sloping after the joint region. Therefore, conditions suitable for kinetic fluid treatment are created and the kinetic energy of the accelerated fluid can be used for desired reactions and for reduction of a retention time. In the slowdown process, the kinetic energy of the accelerated fluid is at least partially converted back to pressure of the fluid in an energy efficient way. Therefore, energy consumption and losses can be small in the above- described fluid suspension tube. Furthermore, kinetic energy of liquid and gas mixtures can be converted to pressure without problems that are typically present when using a pump for increasing pressure.

Exemplifying and non-limiting embodiments are described in accompanied dependent claims.

Various exemplifying and non-limiting embodiments both as to constructions and to methods of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific exemplifying embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

The verbs “to comprise” and “to include” are used in this document as open limitations that neither exclude nor require the existence of also un-recited features. The features recited in the accompanied dependent claims are mutually freely combinable unless otherwise explicitly stated. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the use of“a” or“an”, i.e. a singular form, throughout this document does not as such exclude a plurality.

Brief description of the figures

Exemplifying and non-limiting embodiments and their advantages are explained in greater details below in the sense of examples and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: figure 1 illustrates a fluid suspension tube according to an exemplifying and non limiting embodiment, figure 2 illustrates a fluid suspension tube according to an exemplifying and non- limiting embodiment, figures 3a and 3b illustrate a fluid suspension tube according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment, figure 4 illustrates a fluid suspension tube according to an exemplifying and non limiting embodiment, and figure 5 illustrates a fluid suspension tube according to an exemplifying and non limiting embodiment.

Description of exemplifying embodiments

The specific examples provided in the description below should not be construed as limiting the scope and/or the applicability of the accompanied claims. Lists and groups of examples provided in the description are not exhaustive unless otherwise explicitly stated.

Figure 1 shows a section view of a fluid suspension tube according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment. The section plane is parallel with the yz- plane of a coordinate system 199. The fluid suspension tube comprises an intake tube section 101 that comprises a throttle 102 for accelerating a fluid flow received at the intake tube section. The fluid suspension tube comprises a fluid suspension chamber 103 connected to the intake tube section 101. The intake tube section 101 and the fluid suspension chamber 103 are shaped so that a transitional region 105 from the intake tube section 101 to the fluid suspension chamber forms 103 an enlargement of a cross-sectional flow area for slowing down the accelerated fluid flow. The fluid suspension tube comprises an outtake tube section 104 that is connected to the fluid suspension chamber 103 and conducts the fluid flow out from the fluid suspension chamber 103. In the above-mentioned transitional region 105, accelerated fluid portions hit earlier arrived fluid portions slowed down in the fluid suspension chamber 103. Therefore, conditions suitable for kinetic fluid treatment are created and the kinetic energy of the accelerated fluid can be used for desired reactions and for reduction of a retention time. In the slowdown process, the kinetic energy of the accelerated fluid is at least partially converted back to pressure of the fluid in an energy efficient way. Therefore, energy consumption and losses can be small. The fluid suspension tube can be made of e.g. metal or plastic. The metal can be e.g. stainless steel.

In the exemplifying fluid suspension tube illustrated in figure 1 , the intake tube section 101 is configured to conduct the fluid flow into the fluid suspension chamber in a same direction in which the outtake tube section 104 is configured to conduct the fluid out from the fluid suspension chamber. In figure 1 , the direction in which the intake tube section 101 and the outtake tube section 104 are configured to conduct the fluid is the positive z-direction of the coordinate system 199. In this exemplifying fluid suspension tube, the cross-sectional flow area of the outtake tube section 104 is same as the cross-sectional flow area of the suspension chamber 103. It is also possible that the cross-sectional flow area of the outtake tube section is smaller than the cross-sectional flow area of the suspension chamber.

Figure 2 shows a section view of a fluid suspension tube according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment. The section plane is parallel with the yz- plane of a coordinate system 299. The fluid suspension tube comprises an intake tube section 201 that comprises a throttle 202 for accelerating a fluid flow received at the intake tube section. The fluid suspension tube comprises a fluid suspension chamber 203 connected to the intake tube section 201 . The intake tube section 201 and the fluid suspension chamber 203 are shaped so that a transitional region from the intake tube section 201 to the fluid suspension chamber 203 forms an enlargement of a cross-sectional flow area for slowing down the accelerated fluid flow. The fluid suspension tube comprises an outtake tube section 204 that is connected to the fluid suspension chamber 203 and conducts the fluid flow out from the fluid suspension chamber 203.

In the exemplifying fluid suspension tube illustrated in figure 2, the intake tube section 201 is configured direct the fluid flow towards a wall 206 of the fluid suspension chamber to slow down the fluid flow. In this exemplifying fluid suspension tube, the intake tube section 201 is configured to conduct the fluid flow into the fluid suspension chamber 203 in a first direction that is substantially perpendicular to a second direction in which the outtake tube section 204 is configured to conduct the fluid out from the fluid suspension chamber 203. In figure 2, the first direction is the positive z-direction of the coordinate system 299 and the second direction is the negative y-direction of the coordinate system 299.

Figure 3a shows a fluid suspension tube according to an exemplifying and non limiting embodiment. Figure 3b shows a section taken along a line A-A shown in figure 3a. The section plane is parallel with the xz-plane of a coordinate system 399. The fluid suspension tube comprises an intake tube section 301 a that comprises a throttle 302a for accelerating a fluid flow received at the intake tube section 301 a. The fluid suspension tube comprises another intake tube section 301 b that comprises a throttle 302b for accelerating a fluid flow received at the intake tube section 301 b. The fluid suspension tube comprises a fluid suspension chamber 303 connected to the intake tube sections 301 a and 301 b. The fluid suspension tube comprises an outtake tube section 304 that is connected to the fluid suspension chamber 303 and conducts the fluid out from the fluid suspension chamber 303. The intake tube section 301 a and the intake tube section 301 b are connected to opposite sides of the fluid suspension chamber 303 so that a flow direction in the intake tube section 301 a is opposite to a flow direction in the intake tube section 301 b. As shown in figures 3a and 3b, the intake tube sections 301 a and 301 b are positioned to point to each other. Thus, the accelerated fluid flows coming out from the intake tube sections 301 a and 301 b hit each other in the fluid suspension chamber 303. This creates suitable conditions for kinetic fluid treatment and for reduction of a retention time, and further, for the energy conversion from kinetic to pressure based. Two different fluid compositions can be fed via the intake tube sections 301 a and 301 b for the fluid suspended hit and mixing at the same time.

In the exemplifying fluid suspension tube illustrated in figures 3a and 3b, the intake tube sections 301 a and 301 b and the outtake tube section 304 are connected to the fluid suspension chamber 303 so that a flow direction in the outtake tube section 304 is perpendicular to a flow direction in each of the intake tube sections 301 a and 301 b. In figures 3a and 3b, the flow direction in the intake tube section 301 a is the positive z-direction of the coordinate system 399, the flow direction in the intake tube section 301 b is the negative z-direction of the coordinate system 399, and the flow direction in the outtake tube section 304 is the positive y-direction of the coordinate system 399.

Figure 4 shows a fluid suspension tube according to an exemplifying and non limiting embodiment. The fluid suspension tube comprises intake tube sections 401 a, 401 b, 401 c, and 401 d each of which comprises a throttle for accelerating a fluid flow received at the intake tube section under consideration. In figure 4, the throttles of the intake tube sections 401 -401 d are denoted with references 402a, 402b, 402c, and 402d. The fluid suspension tube comprises a fluid suspension chamber 403 connected to the intake tube sections 401 a-401 d. The fluid suspension tube comprises an outtake tube section 404 that is connected to the fluid suspension chamber 403 and conducts the fluid out from the fluid suspension chamber 403. In this exemplifying fluid suspension tube, the intake tube sections 401 a and 401 c are connected to one side of the fluid suspension chamber 403 and the intake tube sections 401 b and 401 d are connected to the opposite side of the fluid suspension chamber 403 so that the intake tube sections 401 a and 401 b are positioned to point to each other and the intake tube sections 401 c and 401 d are positioned to point to each other. It is however also possible to connect the intake tube sections in different ways to the fluid suspension chamber 403. For example, in a fluid suspension tube according to another exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment, first intake tube sections are parallel with the z-axis of a coordinate system 499 whereas second intake tube sections are parallel with the x-axis of the coordinate system 499. Different fluid compositions can be fed via the intake tube sections 401 a-401d for the fluid suspended hit and mixing at the same time. Figure 5 shows a section view of a fluid suspension tube according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment. The section plane is parallel with the yz- plane of a coordinate system 599. The fluid suspension tube comprises an intake tube section 501 that comprises a nozzle 520 for accelerating a fluid flow received at the intake tube section. The fluid suspension tube comprises a fluid suspension chamber 503 connected to the intake tube section 501. The intake tube section 501 and the fluid suspension chamber 503 are shaped so that a transitional region from the intake tube section 501 to the fluid suspension chamber 503 forms an enlargement of a cross-sectional flow area for slowing down the accelerated fluid flow. The fluid suspension tube comprises an outtake tube section 504 that is connected to the fluid suspension chamber 503 and conducts the fluid flow out from the fluid suspension chamber 503. A fluid suspension tube according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment comprises two or more intake tube sections connected to a fluid suspension chamber, wherein each intake tube section comprises a nozzle for accelerating a fluid flow received at the intake tube section under consideration.

The specific examples provided in the description given above should not be construed as limiting. Therefore, the invention is not limited merely to the exemplifying and non-limiting embodiments described above. Lists and groups of examples provided in the description are not exhaustive unless otherwise explicitly stated.