Wind, Solar and Hybrid Wind-Solar Water Circulation and Aeration Methods and Apparatus

• Main Author: KORTMANN ROBERT W
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 23.06.2011
• Subjects: BLASTING; CHEMISTRY; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTINGELECTRIC POWER; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER; ELECTRICITY; GENERATION; HEATING; LIGHTING; MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; METALLURGY; MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING, DISPERSING; OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY; TRANSPORTING; TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE; WEAPONS; WIND MOTORS; WIND, SPRING WEIGHT AND MISCELLANEOUS MOTORS

Circulation and aeration systems for ponds, lakes, sounds, treatment basins, and other bodies of water. In one set of embodiments, water is pumped in a downward direction to circulate ambient oxygen from the atmosphere and produced by plant photosynthesis to deeper strata. In other embodiments, water is circulated within predetermined depth strata. Each system preferably includes a wind turbine, a drive shaft, and an impeller array. Some systems include conduits for conveying and mixing water from and to selected depth strata, or configured as an open impeller-mixing apparatus. Alternative embodiments include systems which incorporate electrical power generation by the wind turbine, solar power generation and use hybrid wind-solar apparatus, and combinations of land-based and in-water based apparatus. A pneumatic pump diffuser and a control flow centered orifice diffuser line are employed in some embodiments.