Appeal No. 1998-0425 Page 32
Application No. 08/272,527
1. Liquid treatment apparatus comprising:
a gas distribution network in a tank;
means for introducing treating gas into said network;
a source of cleaning gas;
means including valve means for intermittently
introducing into said network said cleaning gas alone or in
admixture with the treating gas;
a plurality of flow regulating means distributed about a
submerged portion of the network for receiving the
aforementioned gases and for discharging them into a plurality
of plenums downstream of the flow regulating means, said flow
regulating means tending to promote gas flow into said plenums
at similar rates; and
a plurality of at least ten multi-pore area release
diffusion elements sealingly engaged and in communication with
said plenums for receiving said gases, and diffusion elements
being members which comprise a multiplicity of closely spaced
fine pores defining paths for discharge of said gases and
which exhibit an increase in dynamic wet pressure and/or
bubble release pressure as a result of deposition of foulants,
each of said diffusion elements being in communication with
its own individual flow regulating means through its own
individual plenum downstream of the flow regulating means,
whereby said flow regulating means tend to promote gas flow
through said diffusion elements at similar rates.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said diffusion
elements are divided into two or more groups, and said liquid
treatment apparatus includes means for adjusting the flow of
gas through said diffusion elements in a portion of said
groups to apply said gas at an enhanced flow rate and/or
pressure differential in that portion of said groups as
compared to another group or groups in the gas distribution
network.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said liquid
treatment apparatus also includes means to restrict the
introduction of cleaning gas through the diffusion elements to
that portion of said groups having an enhanced flow rate
and/or pressure differential.
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