Patent ID: 8267381

Claim:
A process for diffusing gas bubbles in a liquid, said process comprising: i) introducing a stream of said liquid into a cylindrical chamber having a cylindrical inner wall, and enclosed at a first end, said stream being introduced tangentially at an input zone near said first end of said chamber in a manner to develop a spiral flow of said stream along said cylindrical inner wall toward an opposite, output end of said chamber, ii) introducing gas into said stream during at least a portion of its travel in said chamber, said gas being introduced to said stream orthogonally through means located at said chamber inner wall for developing gas bubbles which move into said stream, iii) controlling the flow of liquid and gas bubbles so that a ratio of liquid flow rate to gas bubble flow rate does not exceed values which convert liquid into froth, iv) said chamber being of a length sufficient to provide a residence time in said chamber which permits a diffusion of said gas in said liquid, and v) allowing a mixture of liquid and gas bubbles to exit said chamber near said output end.