Advances in Tube Type Fine Bubble Diffuser Design

A majority of Wastewater Treatment Plants around the world use submerged diffused aeration. Because these systems are for the most part submerged in sewage, they must be highly reliable. New technology is making this happen. SSI, a NY manufacturer of aeration systems, introduces atechnological breakthrough. Many people think of cars when they think of reliability. Magazines and associations routinely test and compare them, based largely on how frequently they break down. Purchasers of less commonly purchased equipment are often deprived of this kind of important data, regardless of the need for it. Fine bubble diffusers used in a wastewater treatment plant are difficult to service for the obvious reason that they are covered in sewage and usually are not easily retrieved from the bottom of the tank. So these diffusers need to be highly reliable.

Diffusers are typically manufactured in the shape of a disc or a tube. The part consists of a plastic housing or body, and a rubber membrane which is perforated in thousands of places. When air passes through the rubber membrane, a plethora of small bubbles allows mass transfer of oxygen from air to water. This transfer of oxygen allows bacterial colonies to flourish, breaking down the wastewater and allowing it to be cleaned.

Disc diffusers , because of their small size, have less forces acting on them underwater than do larger cantilevered tube diffusers.

Furthermore the method of manufacturing a disc membrane allows a great deal of flexibility in rubber compounding and molding, which can result in a high quality, tear resistant, shrink resistant part.

As a result, disc type fine bubble membrane diffusers have gained a reputation as a highly reliable method of aeration.

Tube diffusers have had a more checkered past. The manufacture of membranes for tube diffusers has been limited traditionally due to the available methods of molding available due to the shape. As a result, tube diffusers have not gained, in general, the same excellent record of longevity and reliability as have disc diffusers. Shrinkage, tearing, travel, and stretching are rarely seen on disc membranes, however they do occur with tube membranes.

SSI has developed a way to compression mold membranes for our new fine bubble tube diffusers to give them the same advantages as our disc diffuser line. This method allows the use of less plasticizer in the compound, and the final product shows outstanding tear resistance.

Furthermore we have designed a new type of plastic diffuser body, made completely of high temperature resistant, environmentally friendly ABS, with a quick connect type fastener to pipe.

The combination of the compression molded tube membrane on an ABS frame with a quick connect type saddle represents a major industry advancement.

More information on SSI Tube Diffusers is available by following this link.