Patent ID: 8544492

Claim:
An apparatus for extracting useful energy from atmospheric air comprising: a) a vertical tower through which liquid flows upward, said vertical tower being capped with a covered header and seated in an open tank comprising a bottom, wherein i) the vertical tower further comprises at least one bottom opening through which liquid enters; and ii) the covered header has a removable cover; further comprising a top; b) a liquid inlet manifold attached to the open tank, through which the liquid enters the open tank; c) a liquid overflow fitting attached to the open tank, through which the liquid exits the open tank; d) a horizontal catch basin in which the open tank sits, wherein said catch basin comprises a drain, wherein the liquid flows into the catch basin from the liquid overflow fitting, and wherein the liquid flows out of the catch basin through the drain; e) a plurality of vertical scavenger columns, each comprising a scavenger header, and each connected to the vertical tower via conduits and spaced around the covered header, through which the liquid flows in a downward direction; f) a plurality of downflow columns, connected to the vertical tower via conduits and spaced around the covered header, through which the liquid flows in a downward direction, wherein said plurality of scavenger columns and the plurality of downflow columns extend downward so as to penetrate the open tank bottom and protrude into the catch basin below a drain level within the catch basin; g) a plurality of micro-bubble diffusers extending into the liquid flowing in the downward direction, being of the same number as the number of the plurality of downflow columns, wherein: iii) each of said plurality of downflow columns comprises one of said micro-bubble diffusers mounted therein; and iv) each of said micro-bubble diffusers further comprises an inlet nozzle; h) a vacuum priming system which initially fills the vertical tower and each of the plurality of scavenger columns and downflow columns with the liquid; i) a vacuum powered motor; and j) a vacuum flow line connecting the inlet nozzles of said plurality of micro-bubble diffusers to the vacuum motor.