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Watreco - Vortex Flow Degassing System for Water Treatment
Macroscopic and microscopic gas bubbles in water will be pulled into the low-pressure zone in the vortex chamber. The low pressure will cause them to expand and gather into large bubbles that can be easily extracted downstream the vortex generator. Dissolved gases are not generally affected by this process. Substances that gather at bubble surfaces may follow the bubbles toward the vortex axis, aggregate and then be separated out.
Mixing
As the low pressure in the vortex chamber goes below the ambient pressure, gases or liquids can be sucked into the vortex chamber. The sucked-in fluid will be efficiently mixed with the spinning medium in the chamber. This process is very powerful in mixing for example water with air or other gases, or water with oil, thus producing stable emulsions.
Cavitation
With a low enough pressure along the vortex axis, cavities (microscopic bubbles) form in the medium. As they move into high pressure zones, they will rapidly implode, producing shock waves and an extreme release of heat within a small volume. This process is called cavitation and may for example induce the formation of lime (calcium carbonate) particles.
Properties of Vortex Processed Water
An examination of the properties of vortexed water was made in 2010 and 2011 by the Polymer Technology Group Eindhoven BV (PTG/e), an independent research and knowledge institute which is a part of the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). Samples were taken from municipal water in Holland, before and after VPT treatment. Water treatment was made with a standard Watreco vortex generator at a water pressure of 3.5 bar.
Viscosity
A decrease in viscosity was observed by PTG/e after VPT treatment. The difference was between 3% and 17%, depending on water quality and temperature. As shown by Albert Einstein in 1905, gas bubble content affects the viscosity of water. As bubbles (undissolved gases) are removed, a decrease in viscosity can therefore be expected.
Heat Transfer
VPT treatment changed the melting behavior of ice. The heat capacity was 5% higher for ice and 3% higher for liquid water.
Electrical Conductivity
There was an increase by 3% in electrical conductivity after VPT treatment in the PTG/e study. This can be due to either changes in viscosity or a change in the properties of charged particles and/or ions in the water.
Surface Tension
Even though viscosity is reduced by VPT treatment, changes in surface tension were not observed by PTG/e.