APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONDITIONING STRATIFIED WATER BODIES

• Main Author: KORTMANN, ROBERT W
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 17.03.1993
• Subjects: CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY; TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE

Apparatus for conditioning stratified water bodies having epilimnion (12), metalimnion (14) and hypolimnion (16) layers has a reservoir (22) for containing water so as to define a gas-liquid interface, at least one upwelling conduit (24) adapted for generally vertical disposition within the water body and having an upper discharge end (22) fluidly connected to the reservoir and a plurality of intake ports (46-58) longitudinally spaced along the conduit so as to afford fluid communication with predetermined depth levels of the water body, and a return conduit (26) adapted for generally vertical disposition within the water body and having an upper inlet end (44) fluidly connected to the reservoir (22) and a plurality of discharge ports (62-74) longitudinally spaced along the return conduit so as to afford fluid communication with predetermined depth levels of the water body. Flow controllers (60,76) are provided for selectively alternately opening and closing off the intake and discharge ports, and pumps (28) are operable to move water from the water body through the open intake ports (46-58), through the upwelling conduit (24) to the reservoir (22), through the return conduit (26) and out the open discharge ports (62-74) of the return conduit. Thus it is possible to alter the thermal/density structure and oxygen content of a body of water having epilimnion, metalimnion and hypolimnion layers by forming at least one new induced isotherm at a selected depth within the layers by controllably injecting the drawn water from the return conduit (26) into the water body at the selected depth to form a barrier to upward diffusive transport of nutrients.