Patent ID: 6998056

Claim:
An apparatus for aerating a liquid with an air, the apparatus comprising: a pressure vessel including a lower section adapted for containing the liquid and an upper section adapted for containing a volume of the air; a pressure connection disposed in the upper section of the pressure vessel adapted for receiving the air; a nozzle disposed in the upper section of the pressure vessel adapted for receiving the liquid; an injector extending from the upper section of the pressure vessel to the lower section of the pressure vessel, the injector including a head in fluid communication with the nozzle, a mixing pipe extending downward from the injector head, the mixing pipe having a substantially constant cross-sectional area, a diffuser extending downward from the mixing pipe, a draft tube extending downward from the diffuser, and a radial diffuser disposed at a lower end of the mixing pipe; and a substantially cylindrical orifice plate extending upward from a base of the pressure vessel to a top edge, the orifice plate surrounding at least the radial diffuser, the draft tube and a lower portion of the diffuser.