Bubble blanket

The total incoming flow of feed can be treated with air under pressure, but it is more usual to introduce the air into a recycle stream of cleaned liquid and to allow the bubbles to develop in the flotation chamber at the point where the recycle stream enters. The feed stream is pretreated with chemicals, if necessary, prior to its introduction to the flotation chamber where it meets the bubble blanket. The fine particles in the supension are captured by the bubbles and are floated up to the surface where they form a thick scum which is removed by a continuous mechanical scraper. Some solids will settle fi om most feed streams and it is usual to provide for the withdrawal of accumulated silt fiom the base of the chamber. Figure 7.13 shows a conventional diflused air flotation system housed in a rectangular tank and Figure 7.14 a DAF unit which incorporates an inclined plate settler to capture by sedimentation those particles that escape flotation. 

Biogas is produced by the bacteria in the form of small bubbles these float upward through the sludge bed/blanket, providing a good mixing action. When the biogas reaches the top of the reactor, it is collected and used as a fuel. 

In tube bundles, if the disengaging space between the bundle and the kettle is small and insufficient to allow the vapor bubbles to break-free of the liquid and thus tend to blanket the upper tubes with gas, heat transfer will be restricted. For best design the superficial vapor velocity should be in the range of 0.6-1.0 ft/sec to prevent the bubbles from blanketing the tube through the bundle and thereby preventing liquid contact with the tubes. When the maximum heat flux is approached, this condition can occur, so the 1.0 ft/sec vapor velocity is recommended. 

The entrainment of air in lubricating oil can be brought about by operating conditions (for example, churning) and by bad design such as a return pipe that is not submerged. The air bubbles naturally rise to the surface, and if they do not burst quickly, a blanket of foam will form on the oil surface. Further air escape in thus prevented and the oil becomes aerated. Oil in this condition can have an adverse affect on the system that, in extreme cases, could lead to machine failure. The function of an anti-foam additive is to assist in the burst of air bubbles when they reach the surface of the oil. 

In a tube bundle the vapour rising from the lower rows of tubes passes over the upper rows. This has two opposing effects there will be a tendency for the rising vapour to blanket the upper tubes, particularly if the tube spacing is close, which will reduce the heat-transfer rate but this is offset by the increased turbulence caused by the rising vapour bubbles. Palen and Small (1964) give a detailed procedure for kettle reboiler design in... 

Point C in Figure 15.14 is termed the critical heat flux or maximum boiling flux or peak boiling flux as bubbles coalesce on the surface creating a vapor blanket. Critical heat flux occurs because insufficient liquid is able to reach the heat transfer surface due to the rate at which vapor is leaving. Beyond Point D, the surface is dry and entirely blanketed by vapor and heat is transferred by conduction and radiation. 

B) The DNB in a medium- or low-subcooling bubbly flow is caused by near-wall bubble crowding and vapor blanketing. 

Near-wall bubble crowding and vapor blanketing... 

Hence, Ub is a function of UbL, Db, and fluid properties. The equivalent diameter of the vapor blanket, Db, can be obtained from the correlation for the bubble departure diameter (Cole and Rohsenow, 1969). To calculate the liquid velocity, UbL,... 

Foam - A fluid aggregate of air filled bubbles, formed by chemical means that will float on the surface of flammable liquids or flow over solid surfaces. The foam functions to blanket and extinguish fires and/or prevent the ignition of the material. 

Foam—stable aggression of small bubbles of lower density than oil or water, which shows tenacious qualities in covering and clinging to vertical or horizontal surfaces. Foam flows freely over a burning liquid surface, forming a tough, air-excluding continuous blanket to seal volatile combustible vapors from access to air. 

Bubble with nitrogen gas for 15 minutes. Store the solution with nitrogen blanket. 

The foam scrubbing technique is effective because it brings the hazardous material into close contact with the foam by getting it into the bubbles. This is different from using a foam blanket as a cover for spills (see Chapter 3). With the large internal surface area of the foam available for absorption or mass transfer, an equilibrium concentration between the contaminated air inside the bubble and the foam cell wall liquid can be developed rapidly. Unabsorbed gas that is still in the foam bubbles when they collapse is released. This results in the slower release of a smaller quantity of hazardous material, which should result in a reduced hazard zone downfield. 

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