Patent ID: 8740195

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