Patent ID: 11925908
Assignee: RINNAI CORPORATION
Field: Chemical engineering (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC B  Y | IPC B

Claim 5:
6. A fine bubble generator comprising:
an inlet into which gas-dissolved water in which gas is dissolved flows;
an outlet out of which the gas-dissolved water flows;
a first fine bubble generation portion disposed between the inlet and the outlet; and
a second fine bubble generation portion disposed between the first fine bubble generation portion and the outlet,
wherein the first fine bubble generation portion comprises:
a diameter-reducing flow path, wherein a flow path diameter of the diameter- reducing flow path reduces from upstream to downstream, and
a diameter-increasing flow path disposed downstream of the diameter reducing flow path, wherein the flow path diameter of the diameter-increasing flow path increases from upstream to downstream,

the second fine bubble generation portion comprises:
a first swirling flow generation portion; and
a second swirling flow generation portion disposed downstream of the first swirling flow generation portion,

the first swirling flow generation portion comprises:
a first outer peripheral portion; and
a plurality of first vanes disposed inside the first outer peripheral portion and configured to generate a first swirling flow flowing in a first swirling direction with respect to a center axis of the second fine bubble generation portion, and

the second swirling flow generation portion comprises:
a second outer peripheral portion; and
a plurality of second vanes disposed inside the second outer peripheral portion and configured to generate a second swirling flow flowing in a second swirling direction opposite to the first swirling direction with respect to the center axis,

wherein when the second fine bubble generation portion is seen along the center axis,
each of the first vanes constitutes a pair with its corresponding one of the second vanes,
an end of the corresponding second vane on a first swirling direction side is located more on the first swirling direction side than an end of the first vane on the first swirling direction side is, and
an end of the corresponding second vane on a second swirling direction side is located more on the second swirling direction side than the first swirling direction side end of the first vane is,

wherein each of upstream-side surfaces of the first vanes and upstream-side surfaces of the second vanes comprises an upstream-side protrusion protruding to an upstream side,
each of downstream-side surfaces of the first vanes and downstream-side surfaces of the second vanes comprises a downstream-side protrusion protruding to a downstream side, and
a distance between the center axis and each of the upstream-side protrusions is different from a distance between the center axis and each of the downstream-side protrusions.