Device for introducing gas into liquids

In a device for introducing gases into liquids, in particular water, at least one prefilter being incorporated into the liquid feed, followed by an atomization device with a connection to a gas supply, and at least one further postfilter being incorporated between the atomization device and a storage container, the filters, the atomization device and the storage container are combined in a modular design to form a compact installation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates to a device for introducing gases into liquids, in 
particular water, at least one prefilter being incorporated into the 
liquid feed, followed by an atomization device with a connection to a gas 
supply, and at least one further postfilter being incorporated between the 
nozzle device and a storage container. 
Drinking water is the most important foodstuff for sustaining life. 
However, under current conditions, drinking water is also a manufactured 
foodstuff. Environmental pollutants from industry and traffic, plant 
protection agents, over-fertilization and so on are increasingly 
contaminating groundwater and surface water. Throughout the world, 
waterworks are often only able to observe the legally prescribed drinking 
water regulations and the fixed limits, in particular with regard to the 
contents of pollutants such as nitrates, chlorine and arsenic by employing 
considerable effort and resources. 
Another element which is important for the survival of human beings is 
oxygen. It is known, for example, to carry out a therapy using oxygen, in 
which high levels of oxygen are supplied to the body via the lungs. 
Furthermore, PCT/IB97/00930 also discloses a process in which water is 
enriched with oxygen, and this drink is used for therapeutic purposes on 
people and animals. 
It is the principle object of the present invention to provide a device and 
process for filtering and oxygenating water which operates efficiently and 
is simple to handle. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The foregoing object is achieved by the invention wherein the filters, the 
atomization device and the storage container are combined in a modular 
design to form a compact installation. 
This arrangement results in a device which can be employed not only in an 
industrial context but also as a domestic appliance for families and 
patients, in particular after stays at a health resort or therapies. 
A significant feature of an improved embodiment of the present invention is 
that the storage container and/or the filter(s) is/are releasably 
connected to a support device. If this applies, for example, to the 
storage container, then the latter can be removed from the support device, 
after having been filled with oxygen-enriched water, and can be placed on 
a dining table, office desk or the like. Meanwhile, a further storage 
container can already be connected to the support device and filled. 
However, the releasability also applies to the filters, since these should 
be cleaned and/or exchanged from time to time. 
The technical form taken by the releasability function will be of secondary 
importance. There are numerous commercially available possibilities for 
accomplishing this. The important factor is that when the storage 
container or the filter is released, the line is closed at the same time, 
so that water or oxygen-enriched water does not leak out of an open line 
in an undesired manner. Here too, there are a large number of known 
nonreturn valves or the like. 
A pump unit, via which the water is pumped through the filters, may also be 
assigned to the support device or to the connection to a water main 
system. The pump unit ensures that the pressure of the water in the line 
is increased to a desired operating pressure, and it is also possible for 
flowback to be prevented and for pressure to be compensated in the pump 
unit. 
In a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention, the prefilter is a 
multistage filter. A first layer of this filter preferably comprises 
cellulose and serves to separate out coarse particles, such as for example 
sand, rust or the like. This is followed by a second layer of metallic 
composition, which mainly comprises copper and/or zinc and other metals 
and which, when water flows through, brings about electrophoresis, an 
electrokinetic phenomenon, namely the migration of charged particles which 
are dissolved in liquid, with the result that there is a reduction of 
chlorins in an oxidation-reduction reaction and also sterilization takes 
place. 
This second layer is preferably followed by a third layer of sintered 
granular activated carbon, in which in particular taste- and odor-bearing 
substances are adsorbed on flowing through each activated carbon particle 
in the entire level. The activated carbon granules, with their macropores 
and mesopores and a size of at most 0.1 mm, have an internal surface area 
of up to 14,000 m.sup.2 per gram. In a filter with a diameter of 80 mm and 
approximately 460 g of activated carbon granules, a liquid volume of one 
liter of water is flushed and filtered, in a completely chaotic path, over 
a chemically pure surface of 680,000 m.sup.2 within one minute at a 
pressure of 4 bar. A suitable material is manufactured by Ernst Schweizer 
AG of Lindau, Switzerland and sold under the name FILTERBLOC. 
The postfilter, by contrast, will essentially be a carbo-monoblock filter. 
Every relatively large dirt particle or microbe will inevitably be 
deposited upstream of this filter block, since they are unable to 
penetrate its pores. If a microbe should nevertheless penetrate into the 
inner labyrinth, it will be deposited in the inner labyrinth, thus ruling 
out any rearrangement or return to the filtrate. The compensation of 
adsorption isotherms takes place inevitably and is not linked to time and 
flow rate. This filter serves exclusively for the sterilization of the 
water. 
The value of the above filters lies in the characteristic, physicochemical 
property and/or in the fact that a specific adsorption and ion exchange 
takes place in a straightforward manner without the use of chemical 
agents. 
It is also conceivable to use special filters, specifically membranes made 
of porous glass. These membranes have the advantage that their molecular 
sieve can be adjusted. Porous glass can be processed to form capillary 
membranes of adjustable pore size. It has proven particularly effective 
where corrosive media are used or where an inert reaction vessel is 
required. The pores can be made to measure and can be set to an accuracy 
of 1 nm within a range from 10 to 100 mm. 
Another essential element of the present device is the atomization device. 
In the atomization device, oxygen is mixed with the water. The oxygen 
atoms hold 6 electrons in the outer electron shell, which can easily be 
built up to form a noble gas shell (8-electron shell) by taking up two 
further electrons. As a result, the oxygen atom has two negative charges 
(single electrons, unpaired electrons). 
Since oxygen has a higher atomic number than hydrogen, the former attracts 
the latter's electrons, leading to an asymmetric distribution of the 
positive and negative charges in the water molecule. Van der Waals forces 
lead to the formation of hydrogen bonds and crystalline lattices. This 
results in water clusters, like a type of molecular network, which can 
trap gas atoms and hold them between the meshes. In this process, 
so-called ionic bonds are formed, specifically between the water and 
oxygen molecules. As described, oxygen molecules lie in the gaps between 
the water molecules and are covered over by the network, in the manner of 
a kind of water membrane. 
The maximum oxygen concentration is dependent on the flow set and is 
established only after approximately 5 minutes. The desired flow can be 
selected in a stepless manner using a fixed pressure reducer and 
integrated helices and different nozzle sizes, so that no measurements or 
subsequent adjustments are required. In practice, it has been found that 
suitable atomization allows an uptake of 70 to 90 mg per liter of water to 
be achieved. 
A number of devices are available for atomization. For example, a membrane 
system can be used. A further possibility is a venturi tube with following 
nozzle. Also possible are a pressure microchamber, ultrasonic atomization 
or molecular sieve atomization. 
Overall, the installation according to the invention operates very 
economically and is easy to handle. 
Water is not the only suitable liquid, but rather in particular any liquid 
may be considered. A gas other than oxygen may be introduced into the 
liquid as the gas serving for specific purposes. Consideration may be 
given, for example, to helium or laughing gas, etc.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
According to the invention, this device is designed as a compact 
installation, the individual elements being provided on or in a support 
device 1. 
A water connection to a normal water main or some other link is denoted by 
2. The water or liquid passes to a pump unit 3, which pumps the water 
through a prefilter 14. According to the invention, this prefilter 14 is 
chosen to be a so-called multistage filter, which comprises a first layer 
4 of cellulose material for separation of coarse particles and a second 
layer 5 of a material of metallic composition which causes an 
oxidation-reduction reaction in the water, which leads to a reduction of 
the chlorins in the water. 
The second layer 5 is followed by a third layer 6, in which granular 
activated carbon is situated. 
From the prefilter 14, the water passes to an atomization device 7. In the 
atomization device 7, oxygen is mixed with the water through a connection 
8, resulting in a close attachment between the oxygen molecules and the 
water molecules. 
From the atomization device 7, the water/oxygen mixture passes into a 
postfilter 9, which in this case is preferably a carbo-monoblock filter, 
which ensures sterilization. The carbo-monoblock filter is made of a 
sintered activated carbon granulate material forming an internal 
labyrinth. 
This postfilter 9 is followed by a postatomization stage 10 via a nozzle or 
membranes, which postatomization stage is in turn connected to a storage 
container 11, which for its part is followed by a water tap 12. 
It is diagrammatically indicated that the storage container 11 is 
releasably connected to the support device 1 and the postatomization stage 
10, a quick-acting coupling 13 being shown only diagrammatically. 
It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the 
illustrations described and shown herein, which are deemed to be merely 
illustrative of the best modes of carrying out the invention, and which 
are susceptible of modification of form, size, arrangement of parts and 
details of operation. The invention rather is intended to encompass all 
such modifications which are within its spirit and scope as defined by the 
claims.