Ultrasonic skimmers?

[dollarz81]

Anyone thing the use of ultrasound to produce cavitation in a skimmer would be efficient or would it even work? Just an idea I had.

 

[NeveroddoreveN]

I have heard of skimmers being "Ultrasound-welded", but I don't think that's what you're talking about.

Do you mean something like this http://www.scs.uiuc.edu/suslick/execsummsono.html being applied to protein skimmers? It's a really cool idea.

 

[dollarz81]

Do you mean something like this http://www.scs.uiuc.edu/suslick/execsummsono.html being applied to protein skimmers? It's a really cool idea.

Exactly

 

[billsreef]

Since a large part of a skimmers efficiency has to do with contact time of the bubbles and water, and those ultrasonic formed bubbles are extremely short lived, I don't see it having any benefit.

 

[jbray84]

The bar up the street has one of those to aerate Guiness out of the can. I'll ask to borrow it and set my protein skimmer on it, see how it tastes.

 

[aninjaatemyshoe]

Well, I'm not exactly sure what the outcome would be. The cavitation "bubbles" ultrasound produces are short-lived because they're not like the bubbles you inject into the skimmer normally, but temporary areas of high energy and pressure. However, the ultrasound should have the added effect of breaking the bubbles that are injected into the skimmer into smaller bubbles. Smaller bubbles means greater surface area, meaning greater interaction with hydrophobic organic molecules. Therefore, it could possibly increase the efficiency of the skimmer.

 

[NeveroddoreveN]

The bar up the street has one of those to aerate Guiness out of the can.

That's awsome. I'll be in Dublin this March and will look for that.

 

[aninjaatemyshoe]

Of course, the most obvious problem would be finding an ultrasonic transducer that won't rust in saltwater and won't run the risk of electrocuting the tank.

 

[Warner Marine]

I looked into it last year... and generation of heat looks to be another problem.